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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Evansville Campus

Mental Health in Medicine Track

Preparing physicians to care for patients in the context of the growing mental health crisis and extreme shortages of mental health resources.

Medical students at the Evansville campus work together reviewing medical literature on a computer during class.

Gain critical skills to care for patients' mental health

Indiana University School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Mary O’Daniel Stone and Bill Stone Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, offers a four-year program focused on mental health in medicine at our Evansville campus. There is a critical shortage of behavioral health workforce and a growing mental health crisis nationally. The track is designed to equip future primary care and specialty physicians with the critical skills needed to assess, treat, and triage pediatric and adult patients presenting with mental health issues in the primary care setting.

The Mental Health in Medicine Track seeks to: 

  • Train students in real-world application of mental health competencies, explicitly within high-volume primary care environments.
  • Reduce stigma and foster interdisciplinary teamwork to provide "whole-person" care.
  • Directly combat the psychiatric workforce shortage by integrating evidence-based mental health care into daily medical practice. 

Apply

Applicants are considered for the traditional MD program and the Mental Health in Medicine Track simultaneously and interview with members of both admissions committees. Interested students must complete an AMCAS application and make a formal request to the IU School of Medicine MD Admissions Office for Mental Health in Medicine Track consideration.

Objectives and professional impact

Students are equipped with the essential psychiatric concepts needed for modern primary care. In this program, students master diagnosis, treatment and referral strategies through the vital lenses of the biopsychosocial model and trauma-informed care. By diving into the foundations of motivational interviewing and building practical skills, the program provides immediate impact to clinical experiences.

The Mental Health in Medicine Track is designed to provide students with clinical experiences in primary care in which physician preceptors have additional training in mental health promotion and care.

Between the first and second year, students will receive structured mentorship in utilizing a de-identified patient EMR database to explore research questions in mental health or the opportunity to participate in a self-led community research project.

Students are trained in an evidence-based prevention or intervention program, with opportunities to apply learned skills through service work with partner organizations.

Mental Health in Medicine Contacts

Evansville
iusme@iu.edu or 812-909-7200

Admissions
inmedadm@iu.edu or (317) 274-3772  

Financial Aid
medaid@iu.edu