Shayna Tanise Walker, M.D.
Undergraduate: College of New Jersey
Medical School : Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
Dr. Shayna Walker graduated from the combined program in 2012 and was a tremendous asset to the program and the people we serve. Before joining us, Shayna worked in Kenya where she studied the prevalence of depression in HIV positive patients. She also won the "HIV in Psychiatry" Award from Cambridge Hospital in Boston, MA for her work. She has a long history of sincere dedication and we couldn't be more pleased that she joined our combined family.
"Greetings all potential applicants! I was completely unaware of the integrated medicine model as I approached my pre-clinical and the beginning of my clinical medical school education. The basic principles of serving both the medical and psychiatric needs of the underserved patient attracted me in several ways. For instance, it just makes common sense to take care of the WHOLE patient and not just bits and pieces here and there. However, I was not convinced of the essential role combined family medicine/psychiatry physicians had until I witnessed first hand the great and challenging work my current colleagues do on a daily basis. My best advice to interested applicants is to take a profound look into yourself about your career and personal goals before deciding on any residency program. I also recommend visiting and checking out our combined program and beautiful San Diego. I am a former 'East coaster' by way of growing up in Southern New Jersey and attending Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx , NYC. My love for NYC (theatre, great shopping, great food!) is big, but I was willing to travel far from family because of the truly unique and supportive new extended family I have within this program."
During residency, Shayna and her combined classmate Melissa Deer presented a Psychiatry Grand Rounds on cross-cultural psychiatry and cultural humility in medicine. Now that she has graduated, she is practicing family medicine and psychiatry in rural North Carolina.
