USC/LA General Medical Center Psychiatry Residency Program

Welcome to the University of Southern California (USC)/LA General Medical Center Psychiatry Residency Program! We hope that in the pages to follow, you will sense our enthusiasm and passion for training the next generation of psychiatrists.

The USC/LA General Medical Center Psychiatry Residency Program aims to train psychiatrists from diverse backgrounds who are expert in providing culturally-competent, evidence-based, comprehensive care to patients from across the social, economic, and cultural spectrum who are dealing with complex, comorbid conditions (psychiatric, substance use, medical, legal). While the program aims to imbue all residents with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to care for psychiatrically complex patients, it also provides those who are interested with training to become administrative leaders, clinician educators, and clinician scientists. Graduates will thus be able to advance mental health care by providing direct patient care in psychiatric settings, consultation-liaison services (inpatient, integrated outpatient, and telepsychiatry), and physician leadership in academic centers, healthcare organizations, and policy and advocacy

Since its inception in 1943, The USC/Los Angeles General Psychiatry Residency Program trains bold, resilient, and highly skilled psychiatrists who are clinically rigorous, socially conscious, and prepared to lead in any setting. Grounded in the care of underserved and acutely ill populations, our program equips residents with the expertise, adaptability, and advocacy skills to navigate complex systems, champion marginalized communities, and deliver outstanding psychiatric care with confidence, compassion, and courage. 

Our primary training site, the Los Angeles General Medical Center of LA County Department of Health services, is the flagship hospital of the nation’s second-largest public healthcare system, offering an unparalleled environment for psychiatric education. With that, the USC/Los Angeles General Medical Center Psychiatry Residency Training Program brings together faculty and leaders in psychiatry from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Student Mental Health, the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, and the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, creating an exceptionally diverse, clinically rich, and comprehensive training experience that integrates clinical care, education, and research to prepare the next generation of psychiatrists.

USC/LA General Psychiatry Residents rotate through four primary training sites, which together provide a diverse and comprehensive clinical experience across inpatient, outpatient, academic, and community-based settings: 

1. LA General Medical Center – Our primary safety-net hospital, offering exposure to acute medical and psychiatric care and complex patient populations, both inpatient and outpatient.  

1. Keck Medicine of USC – Including Keck Inpatient C&L, Keck Adult Outpatient, and USC Student Mental Health, providing experience in academic and college mental health services.  

1. VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System – With rotations in West LA (Geriatrics and Addiction Psychiatry) and the Downtown VA Outpatient Clinic, giving residents broad exposure to veteran mental health care across settings. 

1. Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health – Northeast Mental Health Clinic, a community-based setting where residents work with underserved populations in the largest county mental health system in the country.  

Subspecialties 

At Los Angeles General Medical Center, residents have the opportunity to continue their Keck/USC-affiliated training in several subspecialty fellowships that build on the program’s strong foundation in public and academic psychiatry. Available fellowships include Forensic Psychiatry, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, each offering rich clinical experiences with diverse patient populations and expert mentorship from faculty leaders in their fields. These fellowships provide advanced training that prepares graduates to become highly skilled subspecialists, educators, and advocates who can shape the future of psychiatric care across clinical, academic, and community settings. 

These clinical facilities and associated sites provide unparalleled exposure to a rich and diverse clinical population. Our highly dedicated faculty take great pride in their roles as educators and mentors. Most importantly, our residents are dedicated learners, clinicians, teachers, and scholars, who are critically involved in all aspects of our program. They are our greatest ambassadors!

Unique Curriculum Features 

From the earliest stages, residents gain hands-on exposure to diverse populations, treatment settings, and modalities that prepare them for excellence in any psychiatric career path. 

• Early Child Psychiatry Exposure (PGY-1): Residents spend two weeks on the Child Crisis Service providing child emergency room and consult-liaison services, gaining early experience in pediatric psychiatric emergencies and family systems.  
• Quality Improvement & Research: During PGY-1 year, residents have an assigned QI/Research block built into their schedules where they are given formal education and training in bring scholarly work from concept to presentation or publication. 
• Early Outpatient Psychiatry Experience (PGY-2): Residents begin a longitudinal continuity clinic, developing lasting therapeutic relationships and core skills in psychopharmacology and psychotherapy under close supervision. 
• Integrated Care Clinic (PGY-3): A county-based psychiatry consult service embedded within several different clinics (Primary care, geriatrics, med/peds, HIV, OBMH, New Family Care Clinic), where residents collaborate with primary care teams to manage patients with co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions. 
• USC Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Services (PBHS) Clinic (PGY-3): Residents provide longitudinal outpatient care to USC students, offering medication management, psychotherapy, and case management to a unique patient population / age bracket of young adulthood.  
• Advanced Psychotherapy Electives (PGY-4): In the final year, residents may pursue electives in advanced psychotherapies – including Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Trauma Clinic, and others – building on the psychotherapy foundation developed throughout PGY-3 year. 
• Other PGY4 Electives: OB/Women’s Mental Health [Los Angeles General]; Neuromodulation (TMS, ketamine), Transplant psychiatry, Sleep medicine, Addiction Medicine [Keck]; College mental health [USC]; HIV psychiatry, Palliative care [Los Angeles General]. Advanced psychotherapies including ISTDP, DBT, and others [DMH]; Forensic Psychiatry [Hollywood Superior court]; Special Electives: Street Psychiatry [DMH]; Psychopharmacology self-study.  

Didactics 

Our didactic curriculum is thoughtfully structured by training year (PGY-1 through PGY-4) to support progressive learning and skill development.  

• Residents attend a mix of in-person and virtual sessions, with protected time away from clinical duties to fully engage in their education.  

• The curriculum also includes dedicated monthly administrative time and QI/Research hour built into didactics, giving residents time and mentorship to develop scholarly projects and leadership skills alongside their clinical training. Faculty mentors guide residents in designing and completing projects, helping bring scholarly work from concept to presentation or publication. 

We recognize that health justice and medical systems exist in larger contexts outside of the hospital or academia. Residents and faculty are active in local, national, and global projects to promote equitable psychiatric care and healthcare reforms. Furthermore, our program aims to establish sustainable and equitable partnerships with community organizations.

Residents are actively engaged in advocacy through:

1. Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR): Advancing better health care for our patients and community using our collective bargaining power as a national housestaff union
2. Southern California Psychiatric Society (SCPS): Advocating locally and at a state level for legislative changes to support improvements in mental health care
3. Los Angeles General Medical Center Healthcare Administrators Scholars Program (HASP): Enhancing knowledge of healthcare administration with experts in public policy, business and engineering, and Los Angeles community leaders
4. American Psychiatric Association Fellowships: Expanding professional networks to work with leaders in organized psychiatry

Residents at LAGMC/USC are employed by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) and are represented by CIR/SEIU. 

To learn more about the current salary levels, please review the CIR (Committee of Interns and Residents) SEIU Healthcare Collective Bargaining Agreement (link below).  

Visit the CIR Website (Link) 

Base Salary 24/25 Year:

Benefits 24/25 Year:

As DHS (Los Angeles County Department of Health Services) employees, psychiatry residents at LAGMC/USC receive a robust benefits package that goes well beyond salary: 

Other Wellbeing Offerings through our program: 

• AVADE Training – workplace safety program  
• Annual Fall & Spring Retreat 
• Wellness Committee 
• Activities – Welcome Party, Halloween Party, Holiday Party, Graduation

Our program is proud to feature an exceptionally diverse and accomplished group of 20+ fellowship-trained psychiatrists as faculty members providing advanced expertise across child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction, consultation-liaison, forensics, geriatrics, and more, and all of whom are deeply committed to teaching, mentorship, and the professional growth of our trainees and bring a wealth of clinical, academic, and community experience to our training environment. Working in various training settings allows trainees to learn from a broad network of faculty, many of whom completed their own residency or fellowship training at USC/Los Angeles General Medical Center.  

Talene Keshishian, M.D. – Los Angeles General Medical Center Chief of Psychiatry 

Darin Signorelli, M.D. – Program Director 

Jeremy Mao, M.D. – Associate Program Director 

Emily Ottiniano, D.O. – Associate Program Director 

Mariam Fam, M.D. – Assistant Program Director 

Yuridia Avena – Lead Program Coordinator 

Lorrie Peña – Assistant Program Coordinator 

Dora Orozco – Assistant Program Coordinator