Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · VA Boston Healthcare System · Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospitals
ACGME-accredited No overnight or weekend call 2 positions per year
The only Harvard C-L psychiatry fellowship that pairs deep neuropsychiatry training with a fully integrated VA system.
| LENGTH 1 year | FELLOWS 2 / year | SITES BIDMC + VA | TRACKS 5 areas | CALL None | VACATION 4 weeks |
Overview Subspecialties Training Rotations Scholarship Benefits Application Alumni Contact
Program Overview
The Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the VA Boston Healthcare System is a one-year, ACGME-accredited program affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Fellows provide psychiatric consultation for medically complex patients across medicine, surgery, neurology, oncology, obstetrics, transplant, critical care, and emergency settings.
Training alternates between a major academic medical center and one of the country's largest VA systems. This dual-site structure produces graduates who are equally comfortable in high-acuity tertiary care and in the VA's team-based, longitudinal model. Two fellows work alongside 20+ Harvard-affiliated faculty, giving the program one of the highest mentorship densities of any C-L fellowship nationally.
Who thrives here
Want deep neuropsychiatry training Thrive with medically complex patients Value close faculty mentorship Aim for academic or hospital-based careers Enjoy teaching residents and students
Subspecialty Experiences
Each fellow participates in longitudinal subspecialty C-L clinics, scheduled as a half-day per week across the year, and leaves the fellowship with robust, direct clinical exposure to these populations.
| SUBSPECIALTY 1 Neuropsychiatry and Neurocognitive Disorders |
Memory Disorders Clinic, VA Boston. Diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and other late-life cognitive syndromes. Fellows learn neuroimaging interpretation, neuropsychological test integration, and anti-amyloid therapies (lecanemab, donanemab) under Dr. Andrew Budson, one of the country's leading cognitive behavioral neurologists (150+ publications, 9 books). Additional neuropsychiatry mentorship from Dr. Danny Mendoza (triple-boarded in psychiatry, addiction, and geriatrics; BIDMC Cognitive Neurology Unit) and Dr. Bernie Vaccaro (fellowship-trained in neuropsychiatry, epilepsy monitoring, movement disorders). |
| SUBSPECIALTY 2 Movement Disorders Psychiatry |
Movement Disorders Clinic, VA Boston. Psychiatric assessment and co-management of patients with Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, Huntington's disease, and functional movement disorders. Fellows work alongside Dr. Ornella Dubaz (Director of Movement Disorders, VA Boston) in an interdisciplinary clinic model integrating neurology, psychiatry, and rehabilitation. Exposure to deep brain stimulation patients, chemodenervation, and neuropalliative care. |
| SUBSPECIALTY 3 Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry |
Reproductive Psychiatry Clinic, BIDMC. Evaluation and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders in pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and across the reproductive life cycle. Psychopharmacology in pregnancy and lactation, risk-benefit decision-making, and collaboration with OB/GYN and maternal-fetal medicine. Fellows gain competence in an area of growing national demand for subspecialty-trained C-L psychiatrists. |
| SUBSPECIALTY 4 Psycho-Oncology |
Cancer Wellness Psychiatry Clinic, BIDMC. Psychiatric care for patients with cancer, including adjustment disorders, treatment-related cognitive changes, delirium in oncology settings, anxiety around diagnosis and treatment, and end-of-life decision-making. Fellows work at the interface of psychiatry, oncology, and palliative care. |
| SUBSPECIALTY 5 Transplant Psychiatry |
Heart Transplant Psychiatry Service, BIDMC. Pre-transplant psychiatric evaluation, psychosocial risk assessment, and post-transplant longitudinal psychiatric care for cardiac transplant candidates and recipients. Fellows participate in transplant listing committee meetings and collaborate with cardiology, cardiac surgery, and social work. Training under Dr. Danny Mendoza, who directs the BIDMC Heart Transplant Psychiatry Service. Transplant psychiatry is one of the fastest-growing niches in C-L, and few fellowship programs offer dedicated clinical exposure. |
Training
Fellows split the year between BIDMC and VA Boston in alternating three-month blocks. Inpatient consultation is the clinical backbone. Outpatient subspecialty clinics continue longitudinally regardless of which inpatient site the fellow is on.
| Inpatient consultation | Outpatient subspecialty clinics |
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Each fellow has a longitudinal clinic a half-day per week for the full year. |
Supervision and didactics
- Weekly protected didactics: Case conferences, topic seminars, and board review integrated throughout the year
- Individual supervision: One-on-one mentorship with the program director and site-based faculty
- Teaching role: Fellows supervise and teach psychiatry residents, medical students, and consult-liaison trainees
- Faculty ratio: With 20 faculty, the mentorship density is among the highest of any C-L fellowship nationally
Sample didactic topics
Weekly seminars are delivered by program faculty and invited experts. A sampling from the academic year:
| NEUROPSYCHIATRY AND COGNITIVE DISORDERS | |
| Bedside Neuropsychiatric Assessment | Neuropsychiatric Syndromes: Case-Based Approach |
| Navigating Neuroimaging for C-L Psychiatrists | Agitation in Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders |
| CORE C-L SYNDROMES AND EMERGENCIES | |
| Delirium: Assessment and Management | Catatonia |
| Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures | Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders |
| Critical Care Psychiatry | Suicide Risk Assessment and Management |
| SUBSPECIALTY POPULATIONS | |
| Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry | Neuropsycho-Oncology |
| Cardiac Psychiatry and Advanced Heart Failure | HIV Psychiatry and HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders |
| Traumatic Brain Injury and C-L Psychiatry | Psychiatric Comorbidities in Spinal Cord Injury |
| Geriatric Topics in C-L Psychiatry | Psychodermatology in C-L Psychiatry |
| THERAPEUTICS AND PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY | |
| Psychopharmacology in the Medically Ill | Substance Use Disorders in the Medically Ill |
| Neuromodulation: ECT and rTMS in Complex Patients | Ketamine's Role in C-L Psychiatry |
| Bedside Psychotherapeutic Techniques | Psychodynamic Life Narrative in the Medically Ill |
| ETHICS, CAPACITY, AND END OF LIFE | |
| Evaluating Decision-Making Capacity | Ethics in C-L Psychiatry |
| End-of-Life Care Decision-Making | C-L Psychiatry in Palliative Care |
| Spirituality in C-L Psychiatry | Demoralization in the medically ill |
| PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | |
| From Concept to Publication: Scholarly Writing | Using Data to Drive Change: QI Principles |
| Leading a C-L Service | From Trainee to Attending: Transition Strategies |
| Negotiation for C-L Psychiatrists | Billing and Documentation Strategies |
Rotations and Schedule
Fellows alternate three-month blocks at BIDMC and VA Boston. Each fellow spends six months at each site. Outpatient clinics continue longitudinally across blocks.
| BIDMC (6 months) | VA Boston (6 months) |
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Sample yearly schedule
| Block | Site | Inpatient focus | Outpatient concentration |
| July-Sept | BIDMC | Inpatient C-L and Emergency Psychiatry | Reproductive and Perinatal Psychiatry |
| Oct-Dec | VA Boston | Inpatient Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry | Memory Disorders Clinic |
| Jan-March | BIDMC | C-L Psychiatry + Addiction Psychiatry (2 wks) | Cancer Wellness Psychiatry |
| April-June | VA Boston | Inpatient Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry | Movement Disorders Clinic |
Scholarship
Fellows complete scholarly projects during the fellowship year. Faculty mentorship is available across clinical research, quality improvement, medical education, and case-based scholarship.
| REQUIREMENT Scholarly project with faculty mentor | PROJECT AREAS Research, QI, education, case reports | RESOURCES HMS libraries, biostats, IRB at both sites |
Compensation and Benefits
| BASE SALARY $93,228 PGY-5 (AY 2025-26) | ANNUAL STIPEND $7,500 Professional development | TOTAL COMPENSATION $100,728 Before moonlighting income |
| Health insurance Medical through Harvard Pilgrim (3 plan options), prescription drug coverage, dental (Delta Dental), vision (EyeMed) | Disability and life insurance Short-term disability fully paid by BIDMC. Supplemental and dependent life insurance available. |
| Retirement Voluntary 401(k) and 403(b) savings plans through Fidelity Investments | Time off 4 weeks vacation, no overnight or weekend call, moonlighting permitted |
| Transit MBTA pass subsidized 45-50%. Taxi vouchers for post-call safety. | Harvard Medical School Clinical Fellow appointment with full access to HMS academic resources, libraries, and professional development |
Full benefits details at BIDMC trainee benefits and resources.
Application
| Eligibility | Materials |
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How to apply
- ERAS (preferred): Submit through ERAS for Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.
- ACLP Common Application (also accepted): Email the completed application and supporting documents to the program director and coordinator.
- Match: The fellowship participates in the NRMP fellowship match (program code: 1256409F0).
Interview timeline
- Virtual interviews via Thalamus, typically late September through early December
- Offers extended on a rolling basis
Alumni
Graduates hold academic and clinical leadership positions across the country. Recent alumni:
| Name and year | Current role | Institution |
| Wei-Li Suen, MD (2025) | Attending, Interventional and Ambulatory Psychiatry; Senior Instructor in Psychiatry | University of Rochester Medical Center |
| Carlos Hallo Carrasco, MD (2025) | Attending, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry; Clinical Assistant Professor | NYU Langone Long Island |
| Rashad Alikhan, MD (2024) | Attending, C-L Psychiatry; Fellowship Site Director; Instructor in Psychiatry | VA Boston; Harvard Medical School |
| Haley Euting, MD (2024) | Attending, Primary Care Behavioral Health Integration and Perinatal Psychiatry; Instructor in Psychiatry | Cambridge Health Alliance; Harvard Medical School |
Contact
For questions about the program or application process:
| PROGRAM DIRECTOR Joshua R. Leo, MD, MPH Email program director | PROGRAM COORDINATOR Renetta Johnson Email program coordinator |
