Welcome to Our Residency Program

A Letter from the Program Director

Welcome to the UMass Chan Medical School – Baystate Psychiatry Residency Program! I am so glad you are considering psychiatry as your path, and I’m excited to share what makes our program a place where residents can truly thrive.

As an alumna of this residency, I know firsthand the impact that supportive mentors, diverse clinical experiences, and a collaborative learning environment can have on a physician’s growth. Training here shaped me into the psychiatrist I am today, and it is an incredible privilege to now serve as Program Director.

Our program is built around a simple but powerful idea: residents learn best in an environment where they feel supported, challenged, and included. You’ll find comprehensive clinical training across a wide range of settings, opportunities to engage in research and scholarship, and a didactic curriculum that goes beyond the basics. Just as important, you’ll find a community that values wellness, curiosity, and collaboration.

We are especially proud of our commitment to creating a welcoming and supportive environment for all residents. Our program values the perspectives and experiences that each trainee brings, and we strive to ensure that everyone feels respected, encouraged, and empowered to succeed—both as individuals and as future psychiatrists.

Choosing a residency is one of the most important decisions of your career. My hope is that, as you explore our program, you will see a community where you can learn, grow, and build lasting relationships—just as I did.

I look forward to the possibility of welcoming you to Baystate and to the extraordinary journey of becoming a psychiatrist.

Warm regards,

Deepika Sundararaj, MD
Program Director, Psychiatry Residency
UMass Chan Medical School – Baystate

A Letter from the Chief Residents

Welcome to the UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate Psychiatry Residency!

If you’re an applicant, we can’t wait to meet you, hear your story, and show you why this program is such a special place to train.

We're a small program by design, and that closeness shows up everywhere: in the way we show up for each other on hard nights, cheer each other on, and genuinely enjoy each other's company. We work alongside attendings who are as invested in our growth as they are in our wellbeing, and who offer the kind of direct, hands-on mentorship that's harder to find in larger programs.

As your four chiefs this year, we've put real effort into making "wellness" mean something beyond the word. That means protected time we actually protect, twice-yearly retreats we look forward to, near-weekly residency-wide check-ins, and a QI process that actually acts on resident feedback. Our call structure is built so interns ease into overnight responsibility gradually, rather than being thrown in from day one.

We're also sharpening our teaching: revising the didactic curriculum with resident input, keeping the classics that have earned their place, and making room for topics like cultural psychiatry and health equity that our field increasingly demands. None of this replaces what's already strong here—excellent bedside teaching and the kind of direct attending access that only a small program can offer.

We're honored to serve as your 2026–2027 chief residents, and to carry forward Baystate Psychiatry's traditions of kindness, curiosity, and exceptional patient care.

Questions about the program? Reach out—we're always happy to connect.

Warmly,

Anya Brych, MD
Alexis Dame, DO
Arjun Mann, DO
Paige Mastalerz, MD