Neighbor to Neighbor: Psychiatry Residency Program at Bryn Mawr Hospital

Providing high-quality, equitable and affordable care to the community requires the dedication of skilled healthcare professionals. The closure of Crozer Health left many of these professionals displaced and wondering what was next.

In response to this displacement and in preparation for an increase in volume in the behavioral health space, Main Line Health stepped up to fully integrate Crozer’s ACGME-accredited Psychiatry Residency program into Bryn Mawr Hospital, making it the first in-house program of its kind in the System.

In the months leading up to the closure, Brittni Jones, DO, Program Director, worked with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to advocate and prepare for this transition. Before joining the System three years prior, she was the Associate Chair of Psychiatry at Crozer.

“I always wanted a psychiatry residency program at Main Line Health. There has always been a need for one,” she said.

The priority was keeping the group of residents together and the program intact, which not many health systems were able to do — and so quickly. Main Line Health met those expectations. Richard Hempel, MD, MA, System Vice Chair of Psychiatry, remarked that he had never seen a health system respond as quickly as we did.

“We didn’t officially know we were getting the residents until about two weeks before they showed up,” he said.

Four of the current 13 residents in the program were recruited by Crozer and started at Main Line Health on July 1. Alongside them is Nito Gan, MD, Associate Program Director, and Kelli Taylor, Program Coordinator, both of whom also joined the System from Crozer.

The team’s strong relationships laid the foundation for a smooth transition — and those bonds have only deepened through the process. Main Line Health staff have come together to welcome and support the residents as they rotate through Bryn Mawr Hospital, Lankenau Medical Center, the Women’s Emotional Wellness Center and Mirmont Treatment Center, as well as its outpatient sites.

The System’s residency programs uphold a strong tradition of academic and clinical excellence, offering a valuable educational experience that provides physicians with meaningful, hands-on patient interaction.

“Residency programs don’t just benefit the trainees,” said Kenneth Wee, Chief Resident. “They raise the level of care across the board.”

The Psychiatry Residency program at Main Line Health not only fills a major gap left behind in the wake of Crozer’s closure, but it also expands the care we are able to provide.