Psychiatry is one of the original departments in the College of Medicine, which was founded in 1967. The residency program started in 1971.
The University of Arizona Health Sciences and College of Medicine model and promote excellence in therapeutic innovations in primary and specialty patient care throughout the state, with a complex that consists of six interconnected buildings and adjoining structures on a 48-acre site just north of the main campus. Included are the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy, the Arizona Health Sciences Library and Learning Resource Center. In addition to these facilities are the Arizona Cancer Center, Children's Research Center, Imaging Center, Banner University Medical Center Tucson Campus, Sarver Heart Center, UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Biosciences Research Building, Diamond Children’s Medical Center, Outpatient Clinics, as well as clinical and basic science research sites.
Psychiatry residents rotate through several hospitals during the course of the program.
The following is a list of our most significant training institutions.
Banner-University Medical Center South
Banner-University Medical Center South is a comprehensive medical center that includes an Emergency Department, a state-designated trauma center and the Behavioral Health Pavilion. We are an Arizona Department of Health Services-
accredited Cardiac Receiving Center and a Nurses Improving Care for Health system Elders-designated, senior-friendly hospital. The hospital is staffed by Banner-University Medicine physicians and is managed by Banner Health under an operating agreement with Pima County. This is the largest psychiatric inpatient facility in Tucson with a 66 bed capacity. Our specialty services include inpatient and outpatient behavioral health, treatment and education for diabetes, innovative geriatrics care and comprehensive orthopedics.
Banner-University Medical Center Tucson
Banner-University Medical Center Tucson is nationally recognized for providing exceptional patient care, teaching future health care professionals and conducting groundbreaking research. Also located on the campus is Diamond Children’s – recognized for its specialized pediatric services including neonatal and intensive care, emergency medicine and cancer therapies. Banner-University Medical Center Tucson is Southern Arizona's only Level I Trauma Center, meaning we care for the most critically injured patients. The hospital is consistently listed among the nation's top hospitals in the prestigious Best Hospitals ranking by U.S. News & World Report. Our nurses’ innovative, safe and thoughtful care has been recognized with Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Our specialty services include comprehensive heart and cancer care, advanced neuroscience techniques and a multi-organ transplant program.
Southern Arizona VA Health Care System
The VA Medical Center located at Tucson, Arizona is the "Flagship" for the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) which serves over 150,000 veterans located in eight counties in southern Arizona and one county in western New
Mexico. This 283-bed hospital provides training, primary care and sub-specialty health care in numerous medical areas for eligible veterans. SAVAHCS also provides our veterans with the best quality care at seven Community Based Outpatient Clinics located at Safford, Casa Grande, Sierra Vista, Yuma, Green Valley, Northwest and Southeast Tucson. SAVAHCS has been serving veterans since its dedication on October 13, 2008. The 80th Anniversary year saw the opening of a new Mental Health Care Building on the medical center grounds and the opening of a new Southeast Community Based Outpatient Clinic. In the area of education SAVAHCS has affiliations with over 70 academic institutions. SAVAHCS plays a vital role in Arizona health care education as the principal affiliate with the University of Arizona's College of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Each year over 700 physicians, nurses and other health care professionals from educational institutions across the country receive training at SAVAHCS. Virtually all SAVAHCS staff physicians hold faculty appointments at the University Of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson.
Whole Health Clinic
The The Whole Health Clinic (WHC) offers medical and behavioral health services with a fully integrated behavioral health and primary care team in one location – inclusive of physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, recovery coaches, peer supports, medical assistants, and therapists.
The critical work WHC provides for its members has garnered numerous awards, including: Arizona Medical Association’s 2020 Distinguished Service Award, a Silver Award from the American Psychiatric Association’s 2019 Psychiatric Services Achievement Awards, and Banner Medicine’s 2018 Amazement Award.
The WHC is also home to the Early Psychosis Intervention Center, a community mental health program offering specialized treatment for persons 14-32 who are early in the course of a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective, psychosis not otherwise specified, and bipolar disorder with psychotic features.
Other Partnerships
Crisis Response Center (CRC)
Counseling and Psych Services at the University of Arizona
Sierra Tucson
Sports Medicine at the University of Arizona