Electroconvulsive Therapy Fellowship at the Center for Interventional Psychiatry

The Center for Interventional Psychiatry at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital is a leader in training professionals from around the world in the practice of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Our center offers an intensive, week-long ECT fellowship, led by Dr. Roger Haskett, in the rich academic environment of the UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital.

The fellowship, held four times per year, is complete with CME certification in the practice of ECT.

Enrollment Information

Our program is small and intimate, accepting up to eight fellows for each session (including four external candidates), and offers hands-on training led by clinical professionals. Each participant will come away with a solid understanding of the current standard of care for ECT, the biological mechanisms of ECT, and which patients will benefit, as well as how to run an ECT practice.

Our program offers comprehensive training on the following aspects of the continuum of patient care:

• ECT principles and techniques
• APA guidelines for practicing ECT
• Outpatient ECT assessments
• Preparation and treatment of the patient
• Anesthesia
• Post-ECT recovery
• Review of recent research findings and new developments in the field
• Side-effects and management
• Risks of and contraindications to treatment

In addition to training in patient care, our program addresses the operational aspects of an ECT practice through the following topics:

• Development of policies and procedures for ECT practices
• Management of an ECT service
• Personnel, facilities, supplies, licensure, quality assurance
• Legal issues

The cost of this one-week course is $2,000, and provides up to 40 hours of CME credit.