Paul Desan, MD, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Yale Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship, has been selected to receive the Rosemarie L. Fisher Excellence in Graduate Medical Education Award for Fellowship Program Directors.
Established in 2018 and granted annually, the award recognizes program directors and coordinators of residency and fellowship programs of YSM and Yale New Haven Hospital who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to providing a positive, world-class training environment, as well as outstanding mentorship and career advancement opportunities for residents and fellows.
The award is named in honor of Rosemarie L. Fisher, MD, a distinguished leader in GME at Yale. Fisher served as the first program director of the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program (1987 - 1998), as well as the first Associate Dean/Director of GME (1998 - 2016). Her exemplary career has impacted the lives of countless trainees and served as a model for GME leaders at Yale and beyond.
YSM department chairs, program directors, program coordinators, residents, and fellows submitted their award nominations to the GME office and to Fisher for consideration.
Desan directs the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship, a 12-month program which provides supervised clinical training in both inpatient and outpatient clinics based at YNHH and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. He has supervised the program since 2006 and has helped it earn ACGME accreditation.
His contributions to the field extend nationally. He has served as the chair of the ACLP Fellowship Education Subcommittee and is president of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Locally he is director of the Psychiatric Consultation Service at YSM and a consultant for the resident/fellow wellness program.
In his clinical work, Desan examines how seasonal changes, sleep patterns, and other factors affect mood, aiming to develop new approaches for recognizing and treating these conditions.