Who We Are

As Director of Residency Training, I have been involved in the development & implementation of a variety of educational programs aimed at effectively teaching residents the broad spectrum of psychiatry based on ACGME core competencies.  I have a strong interest in curriculum development and the use of innovative teaching tools both within the classroom and clinical setting.  I am particularly interested in psychotherapy education and how to develop an effective method of teaching individual and group psychotherapy.   Experiential and team-based learning as well as the use of technology as a tool to enhance learning are of specific interest to me.  I am also curious about the impact of mentoring and how to prepare and educate mentees and mentors to get the most out of these relationships. Other interests within residency include developing a strong global health program as well as an effective and supportive scholarly environment which includes medical education.

In addition, I am passionate about caring for people who suffer from psychiatric or psychological distress. As the Section Chief of the Assessment Clinics, I seek to identify how best to educate our residents within the context of providing excellent, patient-centered clinical care.

Growing up I wanted to dramatically change education in schools, making education less rigid and more person-centered. Years later I have been fortunate enough to become an educator, as the Adult Division Chief and Residency Program Director at Stanford. My core beliefs about education are unchanged. My philosophy places residents as central participants in shaping and defining their training, promoting involvement in program improvement, and prioritizing well-being. The training structure here is dynamic by design. Residents who actively participate in the creation of their training experience flourish here. For me, residency training is first and foremost about education, and education is best when accounting for individual differences while sharing common goals.

As Assistant Training Director, Dr. Lee focuses on wellness and mentorship. Dr. Lee served as chief resident for the Palo Alto VA/PGY-1 cohort in 2018-19, during which time she spearheaded a residency community initiative that was the precursor of our new House system. Since graduating and joining the faculty, she has been active as a member of the public psychiatry (PoCo) track advisory team, concentrating on mentorship and cohesion as well as partnership development. She has also been a mentor with our Mentorship Initiative for Diversity and Inclusion, and an active contributor to our Selection Advisory Committee. 

As Assistant Training Director, Dr. Edwards focuses on recruitment and scholarly concentrations. Dr. Edwards served as chief resident for community sites and for recruitment in 2020-21, as well as co-lead for our Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council (DIAC). He completed a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at Emory University.

As Assistant Training Director, Dr. Belai focuses on rotation development and administration. As the previous chief resident for community sites and for quality improvement, as well as co-lead for the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council (DIAC), Dr. Belai focused his attention on education and inclusion.