An Innovative Integrated Geospatial Information Systems & Quality Improvement Residency Research Training Program

Participation in scholarly activity during residency has posed barriers to departments that include: research mentorship, an active and supportive research community, formal research infrastructure and programming, and diverse and accessible opportunities for scholarly activity with faculty, staff and communities in our service region. In response to these barriers our team has created a formal QI research training program for psychiatry residents. Our solutions include: assembling a dedicated team, which contains both department leadership and a GIS faculty expert, an expanded interdisciplinary team which includes research librarians and grant support, GIS as a tool and science to best orient residents to the regional landscape and needs of our service populations, formal research training covering GIS, Cultural Psychiatry, and Psychometrics in Psychiatry as curricular themes, and a Chief Resident for Research role to facilitate bridges between residents and faculty.