Program Overview
The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, in partnership with Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, offers a dynamic training experience within Children's Pavilion, CHKD's mental health hospital. Fellows train across a full continuum of care, gaining experience in psychopharmacology and a wide range of psychotherapy modalities in diverse clinical settings.
With nationally recruited faculty, a collaborative learning environment, and flexible, individualized training opportunities, the program is designed to prepare compassionate, skilled psychiatrists ready to lead in the field.
Why Choose CHKD?
The Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program at CHKD is thoughtfully designed to meet the evolving needs of pediatric mental health care, combining advanced clinical training, expert mentorship, and a full continuum of care within one integrated system.
The program launched in 2023 as part of CHKD’s major expansion of pediatric mental health services in Hampton Roads. This community-driven effort is focused on improving access to high-quality care while training the next generation of child and adolescent psychiatrists.
Fellows develop the clinical judgment, psychotherapy skills, and adaptability needed to succeed in academic medicine, hospital-based practice, and community settings. Training emphasizes a whole-child approach, integrating biological, psychological, social, and structural perspectives.
Program highlights include:
- Multiple specialized inpatient units serving distinct patient populations
- Access to a full continuum of care, including inpatient, IOP, and PHP services
- Training at Children’s Pavilion, a modern, purpose-built facility
- Flexible, education-focused training with opportunities for self-direction
- Nationally recognized faculty with diverse expertise and leadership in the field
- A strong emphasis on psychotherapy training and supervision
- A collaborative learning environment with residents, fellows, and medical students
- Opportunities to build community through quarterly social events and team gatherings
The CHKD Difference
CHKD’s fellowship emphasizes psychotherapy training. Fellows work with faculty who are skilled in teaching therapy techniques and dedicated to helping trainees build confidence in psychotherapy as a core part of their practice.
This emphasis helps distinguish the program by ensuring fellows graduate with both strong biological psychiatry training and meaningful therapeutic skill development.
CHKD offers broad exposure across multiple care settings, giving fellows the opportunity to work with patients at different levels of acuity and across different phases of treatment. This range of experience helps prepare graduates for the realities of modern child and adolescent psychiatry practice.
Training takes place at Children’s Pavilion, a modern pediatric mental health environment designed to support comprehensive, compassionate, and coordinated care.
As a purpose-built facility, Children’s Pavilion offers a training environment that is both welcoming and highly functional — an important advantage that distinguishes CHKD from many peer programs.
Dr. Rajesh Mehta
Dr. Mehta is a member of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, a think tank of leading psychiatric experts whose insights and recommendations help shape and advance modern psychiatric theory and practice. He also serves on the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Religion and Spirituality Committee and has received the AACAP Psychodynamic Faculty Initiative (PsyFI) Mentorship Award. Read Dr. Mehta's full bio.
Dr. Mariam Rahmani
Dr. Rahmani is a member of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, a think tank of leading psychiatric experts whose insights and recommendations help shape and advance modern psychiatric theory and practice. She also serves on the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Women’s Committee. Read Dr. Rahmani's full bio.
Dr. Michael Shapiro
Dr. Shapiro serves as the Associate Editor-in-Chief for the PRITE and Child PRITE —an important distinction that highlights CHKD’s academic strength and national reach. He also serves as co-chair of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s (AACAP) Psychotherapy Committee and as Program Advisor for AACAP’s Psychodynamic Faculty Initiative. Read Dr. Shapiro's full bio.
Dr. Leslie Torbert
Dr. Torbert serves as the state of Virginia's Delegate to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, further underscoring the program’s strong connection to the broader field. Read Dr. Torbert's full bio.
Dr. Jeffrey Wilson
Dr. Wilson helps select national reading materials for board certification maintenance as part of a highly selective group of experts. He also serves on the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology’s Maintenance of Certification Committee. Read Dr. Wilson's full bio.
Specialized Inpatient Units For:
- Younger children
- Adolescents
- Patients with medical and mental health concerns
- Children with neurodevelopmental disorders
Expanded Continuum of Care
- Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
- Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
- Outpatient clinical experiences
- Interdisciplinary pediatric mental health care
Rotations
Mission
Our mission is to train the next generation of child and adolescent psychiatrists in a hospitable and nurturing environment to promote the mental health and wellbeing of all children across a full continuum of care.
Embedded in a free-standing children's hospital and offering an array of different levels of care, our program prepares physicians to provide comprehensive evidence-based, high-quality, compassionate, and trauma-informed psychiatric care for youth and their families.
Program Aims
- AIM 1: 100% of our graduates will be board-certified in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry within five years of graduation from our fellowship program.
- AIM 2: Develop a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry workforce adept in treating children of all ages and conditions, especially those with neurodevelopmental disorders.
- AIM 3: Our graduates will incorporate individual psychotherapy and family work in their clinical practice.
- AIM 4: 50% of our graduates will practice primarily in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Virginia, giving back to the local community.
- AIM 5: Our graduates will be competent in providing care to all populations including military families.
Additional Information:
Questions?
Ready to Apply?
We welcome applicants who are passionate about pediatric mental health and eager to train in a program designed to prepare them for the future of child and adolescent psychiatry.
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