Here's the short version:

I completed my undergraduate degree in psychobiology at Yale University.

I completed medical school at the WVU School of Medicine,
residency at the WVU School of Medicine Department of Behavioral
Medicine and Psychiatry, and served as chief resident during my fourth year.
That year, I was awarded both the Resident of the Year award and the
Brandon K. Fuller award for "caring, kindness, and compassion."

I maintain board certification in general adult psychiatry.

I've been author or coauthor of several peer-reviewed studies and articles.*

Now, here's the TL; DR (too long; didn't read) version for anyone who might be interested. If you're a psychiatrist yourself, or familiar with medical training, much of what follows may seem like it need not be mentioned. But I share it because often when I tell someone that I'm a psychiatrist, it doesn't seem to help them understand my background, or training, or how I got to this place of doing what I do:

My undergraduate degree track integrated curriculum from psychology and biology, emphasizing neuroscience. I helped carry out psychological research at the Yale Child Study Center and was trained in psychometric testing. My senior research project was examining whether the acoustic startle response in humans was predictive of sensory-motor gating (a rather academic way of asking if how easily you are startled predicts how consistently you can pay attention). I was fortunate to have Edward Zigler, Ph.D., as faculty advisor for my senior research. He is remembered as the "Father of Head Start" by many, and he opened my eyes to the crucial work of translating a scientific understanding of child development into effective social policy.  

During the summer between my junior and senior years, I served as a research assistant at the Veterans Affairs hospital in West Haven, Connecticut--spending my mornings assisting veterans on the inpatient substance dependence unit and the remainder of my time helping with substance dependence and post-traumatic stress research. My experience there led me to begin pre-med classes my senior year and eventually attend medical school. I completed my pre-med courses (after completing my undergraduate degree) while working as an assistant at the Yale Lab of Molecular Psychiatry where I helped carry out research on the molecular mechanisms of drug addiction.

I attended medical school at the West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown, West Virginia (my home state). After receiving my M.D., I remained at WVU for a four year residency in the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry.

As a resident physician I spent half my intern (first) year caring for hospitalized medical and neurology patients at a Level I trauma center. During the other half of that year and throughout the remaining years of residency, I cared for hospitalized patients suffering with depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, alcohol and drug dependence, schizophrenia, dementia, and many other ailments. I also served as resident physician for the inpatient adolescent unit and two on-campus adolescent residential treatment centers.

During the second, third, and fourth years of residency I participated in elective psychotherapy training--working over those years with ongoing, individual psychotherapy patients and receiving weekly psychotherapy supervision in addition to the supervision I received while working in the regular outpatient clinics. 

After completing residency, I moved to Colorado and took a position as an attending physician at a Banner Health psychiatric hospital. I eventually served as medical director of that hospital, but found I was addressing more and more administrative tasks and having less and less time to spend with patients. I went into private practice in 2006.

Since entering private practice, I've enjoyed my work as consulting psychiatrist for two college health psychiatry programs (where I've been privileged to work with many traditional students, non-traditional students, and veterans), a department of youth corrections residential program for young men, and a broad range of private patients. 





*Select Publications:
 

SSRI-Induced Apathy Syndrome: A Clinical Review. Barnhart WJ, Makela EH, Latocha MJ Journal of Psychiatric Practice. 2004 May; 10:196-199.

 

Hierarchical and Nonhierarchical Approaches in Psychiatric Diagnosis: A Case Report of Change in Psychiatric Symptoms and Diagnosis Over Time. Aboraya A, Stevenson J, Jacoby K, Abdallah E, Barnhart J Journal of Psychiatric Practice. 2003 July; 9:324-327.

 

Involvement of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in the nucleus accumbens in cocaine self-administration and relapse of cocaine-seeking behavior. Self DW, Genova LM, Hope BT, Barnhart WJ, Spencer JJ, Nestler EJ The Journal of Neuroscience. 1998 Mar 1; 16(5); 1848-1859.

 

Opposite modulation of cocaine seeking behavior by D1- and D2-like dopamine receptor agonists.

Self DW, Barnhart WJ, Lehman DA, Nestler EJ Science. 1996 Mar 15; 271: 1586-1589.

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