The UNMC Department of Psychiatry Residency Program has chosen a new Chief Resident and Junior Chief Resident for the upcoming academic year.
Current third-year resident Christian Pollema, MD, has been named Chief Resident. Second-year resident Brittany Bamberg, MD, has been named Junior Chief Resident.
The duo replaces the current Chief Resident, Jacob Givens, MD, and the Junior Chief Resident, Charlotte Ritchie, MD. Dr. Givens will graduate in May and then head to the University of Colorado for an addiction medicine fellowship. Dr. Ritchie will travel to California this summer to begin a residency in child and adolescent psychiatry at Stanford.
Dr. Pollema said applying for the leadership position was an easy decision.
“I was open to the position of chief because I really value everything that this program has done for me, and I want to be able to help support the program grow and move forward,” Dr. Pollema said.
Dr. Bamberg said she’s excited to represent her fellow residents.
“I highly value the role of mentorship in the sense of receiving mentorship and mentoring others, which this role uniquely cultivates both,” she said.
Dr. Pollema said he learned a lot not only from Dr. Givens but also from previous chiefs Max Lydiatt, MD, and Matthew Kelly, MD.
“They’ve all used their voice to advocate for the residents’ perspective on what those changes should be, how they should be made, and what we would value or what the best benefits are for education moving forward,” Dr. Pollema said. “I’ve just really respected how vocal they were and how much they considered their cohort of residents’ opinions in expressing what we think needs to happen next.”
Dr. Pollema and Dr. Bamberg attended the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine together before matching with UNMC a year apart. Both carry a goal of advocating for their fellow trainees.
“My goal is to support my fellow residents, work towards positive changes in our residency program, and continue to assist in building and strengthening connections within our residency program,” Dr. Bamberg said.