St. Joseph’s Health Gains ACGME Accreditation for New Psychiatry Residency Program

 

SYRACUSE, N.Y.— St. Joseph’s Health is pleased to announce the formal ACGME accreditation of its new psychiatry physician residency program. This accreditation will help St. Joseph’s meet the ever-growing need for behavioral health services in Central New York.

 

The four-year program, approved for six residents per training year, will train future psychiatrists, and ultimately expand access to essential care for the patients and communities we serve.

 

Residents will gain comprehensive experience in diverse clinical settings, with rotations at St. Joseph’s Health Hospital on Unit 3-6, Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP), and outpatient psychiatry offices. By training in a range of settings, residents will be prepared to deliver compassionate, high-quality care to patients with diverse needs, wherever they seek treatment.

 

"The accreditation of our new psychiatry residency program is an important milestone for St. Joseph's Health and for the future of behavioral health care in Central New York," said Amine Hila, MD, Chief Clinical Officer, Trinity Health New York. "Mental health needs continue to grow in our communities, and developing the next generation of psychiatrists is essential to ensuring patients have access to high-quality, compassionate care. This program reflects our commitment to investing in both medical education and behavioral health services, while strengthening the physician workforce that will care for our region for years to come."

 

The program will be led by Dr. Steve Naprawa, Program Director, and Dr. Sharon Ekure, Associate Program Director. Dr. Naprawa has been with St. Joseph’s Health since 2002, serving as an attending physician for CPEP and the Adult Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, as well as chairman of the department of psychiatry. Dr. Ekure joined St. Joseph’s Health last year as an attending psychiatrist.

 

St. Joseph’s Health will continue to prioritize and invest in behavioral health services. We are renovating and moving our inpatient psychiatric unit to meet the needs of the community. The project aims to provide patients with a more therapeutic environment, as well as more privacy and better access to care. The new layout also will be safer for patients and staff with more centralized way for staff to supervise the area. St. Joseph’s Health has the only CPEP in the Central New York area, offering treatment for a wide array of conditions such as schizophrenia, depression and bi-polar diagnoses.

 

We also prioritize education, which has played an important role at St. Joseph’s almost since its inception. St. Joseph’s currently offers four residency training programs including Family Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Transitional Residencies. In addition, the St. Joseph’s College of Nursing was founded in 1898 by the Sisters of St. Francis, counting more than 4,000 graduates since then. By educating and mentoring the next generation of physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals, we help strengthen the future of patient care and advance the health of the communities we serve.

 

Interviews for the psychiatry physician residency program are currently underway, with plans to have the first cohort of residents begin later in 2026.