It is increasingly more difficult to separate the science of the mind from the science of the body. Medical illnesses interwoven with psychiatric disorders require unique approaches. From the patient with chronic renal failure, dependent on dialysis and suffering from depression to the chronic schizophrenic patient with uncontrolled diabetes, the halls of medicine echo with the need for a specialty of collaboration.

The East Tennessee State University Combined Internal Medicine/Psychiatry residency provides a tailored, credentialed training experience allowing individuals the opportunity to develop skills in both disciplines. With the support of the dean of the James H. Quillen School of Medicine, a partnership between the internal medicine and psychiatry departments was forged in 2001. Our residency program  provides interested residents with the opportunity to develop the clinical skills to tackle complex medical issues.

With the inception of the Internal Medicine/Psychiatry program, our philosophy has been to train residents so that both disciplines can be integrated successfully.  Our vision includes serving the region of East Tennessee and surrounding areas with comprehensive, individualized health care as we forge new territory in the advances of medical treatment.

The Quillen College of Medicine is located in the foothills (elevation ~1500') of the Appalachian Mountains in Johnson City, Tennessee (pop. ~55,000, Tri-Cities Region ~400,000). The area enjoys four full seasons, replete with early spring, temperate summers, amazing fall colors and winters with significant snowfall. The campus of ETSU is within 10 miles of excellent trout fishing, canoeing, hiking, camping, swimming and a full range of outdoors activities. The area offers a rich mixture of Appalachian Culture (storytelling, pottery, writing, song, crafts) and contemporary American Culture (museums, symphony, ballet, auto-racing, college sports, and numerous fine dining and shopping establishments).

The future appears promising as we graduate our first few classes and enroll new promising physicians in training to carry on the ideals & philosophy of the program. Several of our recent and upcoming graduates will be continuing their careers in the area as faculty for the Program. The combined program has instilled a greater awareness in the surrounding medical community regarding the crucial role of integration of mind and body in patient care. As a result, support has grown to establish at least two more Med/Psych units in the region.