Guest Blog: Mississippi State Hospital’s New Psychiatry Residency Program

*This piece is edited from an original article published in the June 25, 2021 Mississippi Psychiatric Association E-Update newsletter.

 As part of PRMS’ ongoing efforts to support the behavioral healthcare community and promote the organizations that work towards this mission, we are pleased to feature Ms. Angela Ladner, Executive Director of the Mississippi Psychiatric Association, as a guest blogger this month. Ms. Ladner introduces the new Mississippi State Hospital Psychiatry Residency Program, the second such program for the state of Mississippi.

Mississippi State Hospital (MSH) held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, June 21, 2021 to announce the opening of the hospital’s new Psychiatry Residency Program.

The program, with a six-member inaugural class, formally began on July 1. MSH received final accreditation for the Psychiatry Residency Program on February 12, 2021, after the completion of a lengthy process. The program will train psychiatry residents to be knowledgeable, skillful, and professional in the art and science of psychiatry. Training will be provided by teaching attendings who have more than 400 total years of experience in their respective fields.

“Our four-year program is dedicated to excellence above mere competence,” said Dr. Jon Corey Jackson, Program Director. “Located on the beautiful 350-acre campus at Whitfield, Mississippi State Hospital has a rich and storied history of providing quality and empathically driven care to the most seriously mentally ill patients in the state. Our dedication to Mississippi and serving its population is unwavering.”

Dr. Jackson played a lead role in the establishment of the program through contacts with the Office of Mississippi Physician Workforce (OMPW). Created by the Mississippi Legislature in 2012, the OMPW’s mission is to increase the number of physicians in the state by expanding residency training programs. The OMPW provided MSH with consultants and other resources needed to become a Sponsoring Institution with the Accreditation Council for Medical Education in January 2020. 

As listed on its website, the program’s mission is “to train physicians to be the best psychiatrists they can be by instilling professional values, using innovative teaching approaches and promoting a culture of autodidactic lifelong learning. The program is dedicated to the provision of quality care and ensuring that this quality will be left in very capable hands for generations to come. It is our hope that the program will also strengthen the mental health physician workforce in the state of Mississippi, as well as the entire United States, through expansion of residency training positions.”

The inaugural class includes:

• Kirolos Adly, DO, William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Hattiesburg, MS
• Andrew Foret, DO, William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Hattiesburg, MS
• Richa Gautami, MD, J.S.S. Medical College, Mysore, India
• Nicholas LaCivita, DO, William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Hattiesburg, MS
• Bilal Qureshi, DO, Lincoln Memorial University – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Harrogate, TN
• Jonathan Sadler, DO, William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Hattiesburg, MS

Learn more about the MSH Psychiatry Residency Program, how it started, and how you can apply by visiting https://www.psychiatry.msh.ms.gov/.

If you have any questions or are interested in receiving a quote, contact PRMS at (800) 245-3333 or TheProgram@prms.com.