Name: Daniel Gih, MD
Medical school attended: University of Iowa
Location of your residency/fellowship training: University of Michigan (residency), University of Michigan (child and adolescent fellowship)
What residency/fellowship program at UNMC are you serving as program director for? Psychiatry
Number of trainees: 15 presently (we are accredited for 20)
How long have you been the program director? Three years
What made you chose to become the program director? Our new chair at the time (Howard Liu, MD) offered me the opportunity to restart an independent residency program at UNMC. (We have been a combined program with Creighton University since 1987.) I accepted the challenge and the opportunity to build a new program from scratch utilizing the strengths of our faculty, who have been trained at great places from around the country.
What challenges do you foresee in graduate medical education in the future?
Funding. We need more psychiatrists here in Nebraska and in nearly every part of this country. The demand and student interest are there, but funding for residency spots has been a limiting factor. All my medical colleagues know there is no shortage of need for well-trained psychiatrists in the area.
What are the strengths of your training program?
Psychiatry is an increasingly competitive specialty to match into. We are impressed at the caliber of students who apply to us from around the country. Our program prides itself on the psychotherapy training and the high level of supervision and didactics we provide our residents. Unusual for a new program, the training experience here is greatly enhanced by over six subspeciality clinics and programs we have in the various areas of psychiatry.
List some accomplishments that you are proud of:
Some of our residents are successfully matching into fellowship. We have fully supported them through networking opportunities and conference travel. Additionally, seeing our residency classes gel together has been gratifying. They are the main strength of the program, and I’ve been involved with the planning of the residency since 2018. It’s nice to see everything coming together!
Tell us three things about you that others may not know:
- I’m a big Marvel and Star Wars fan. Fortunately, my kids love Disney, and Disney+ has been a wise investment in our home.
- I aspire to do more photography as a hobby.
- Born and raised in California, volleyball has been a big passion of mine since high school. I have not played competitively since coming to Omaha. Is anyone looking for a six-foot, middle-aged setter?