New Fellowship Could Increase Psychiatrists in El Paso

De Vargas will serve as the program director for the new fellowship.

De Vargas will serve as the program director for the new fellowship.

The Residency Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has approved a new fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry for the Department of Psychiatry at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine.

The program, which received an initial two-year accreditation, is actively recruiting applicants who are graduates of a psychiatry residency.

“The fellowship is important because it expands the range of training options offered to students and residents,” said Cecilia de Vargas, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry. “The border region will benefit enormously from the fellowship training program, especially if the fellows stay in this area because there is a great need for child and adolescent psychiatrists to serve a vast population with psychological, emotional and psychiatric problems.”

De Vargas has been appointed program director and will be assisted by Brenda Castells, M.D. Both are board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology for adult, child and adolescent psychiatry.

“This is an important additional training opportunity to hopefully allow our residents to alleviate the critical needs of these services in our community,” said Armando Meza, M.D., associate dean for graduate medical education at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine.

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