AT A GLANCE
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY
Brain& Behavior Innovation Center(BBICen)
Brain Imaging Center (BIC)
Division of Adult Psychiatry
HelenandArthur E Johnson Depression Center(JDC)
DivisionofChild&AdolescentMentalHealth
DivisionofInterdisciplinaryNeuroscience
DivisionofAddictionSciences,Prevention,&Treatment
Officeof Psychological Scienceand Practice (OPSP)
OfficeoftheCO MentalHealth AccessPrograms (CO-MAP)
DivisionofCommunity,Population,andPublicMentalHealth
With 437 paid faculty and 800 total employees, the CU Department of Psychiatry is one of the largest academic departments of psychiatry in the nation. Faculty and staff work at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus and its hospitals, the Department of Corrections, Colorado State Hospitals in Pueblo and Fort Logan, residential programs in Fort Collins, the Metropolitan State University Auraria Campus, and four outpatient medication assisted treatment programs across the Denver Metro region. Additional affiliate faculty work at Denver Health and Hospital Authority and the VA Medical Center. The Department also boasts 150 volunteer faculty who participate in the training of its psychiatry residents and fellows and more than 200 trainees in multiple-disciplines.
OUR VISION
The CU Department of Psychiatry sets the standard for education and training of leaders in psychiatry and mental health care, conducts ground-breaking research that aims to eradicate suffering due to psychiatric and substance use disorders, provides ready access to state of-the-art mental health preventions and interventions across the continuum of care, and collaborates with the community and other key stakeholders to promote well-being among all Coloradans. We accomplish this vision in a manner that respects, values and advocates for the dignity and worth of each individual and family The department is dedicated to serving a community in which we value all people and have a continued commitment to diversity and inclusion in our clinical, research, treatment and educational activities We strive to always uphold our anchoring belief - brain health for all, for life.
LIVES TOUCHED
Since FY19, the Department of Psychiatry has aimed to quantify the number of “Lives Touched” by departmental services, including direct clinical care, doc-to-doc consultations, trainings, and other educational offerings. Lives touched are reported by mission area. A “life touched” is defined as anyone who has received a service or gained in some way by interacting with the department.
Number of lives touched has grown year over year since the inception of this project, increasing from 17,534 in FY19 to 90,731 in FY25.
“Reach,” is also tracked and refers to anyone who has accessed materials via the website, social media, research studies, scholarly papers and other offerings. Our reach for FY24 was over 1.1 million lives touched.
Epic visits for Coloradans across 90% of Colorado zip codes. CoPPCAP (more on next page) provides much needed support and education to primary care providers covering roughly 635,000 youth. A new CDPHE contract will allow our faculty and staff to support every emergency department in Colorado.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
OFFICE OF THE COLORADO MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS PROGRAMS (CO-MAP)
CO-MAP is a newly formed entity dedicated to supporting primary care access and treatment of mental health concerns across the lifespan. Currently, the Office oversees one fully functioning program, CoPPCAP (Colorado Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation and Access Program), along with two developing programs: EASY and PROSPER. These programs aim to assist primary care and perinatal providers through peer-to-peer consultations, identifying treatment resources, providing patient consultations to guide treatment in primary care settings, and offering education.
PSYCHIATRY
RESEARCH PROGRAM AND LEARNING EXPERIENCE (PURPLE)
Scan to read more about the Department of Psychiatry
The Psychiatry Undergraduate Research Program and Learning Experience (PURPLE) is an internship opportunity for individuals pursuing an undergraduate degree or who have recently graduated with their Bachelor's degree. PURPLE is designed to introduce young people to the field of mental health by encouraging participation in supervised research activities. Student interns for this 12-week program are selected on a competitive basis. Ours is the only program at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus that provides: 1) clinical research mentorship, 2) to undergraduate students and 3) with a focus on mental health.
Over the last five years, 46 students recruited from Colorado and the greater United States have completed the program. A few highlights of the outcomes:
30% of students became part-time or full-time employees of the department
98% of students subsequently gain full time employment or are accepted into a graduate program after graduating.
58% stay in mental health fields
100% reported they would recommend the program to others