Welcome to the UMKC Department of Psychiatry

The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine has been training physicians in the art and science of psychiatry for over 50 years.

The department believes psychiatry is an integral part of the field of medicine in that all human beings exhibit emotions and behavior. Patients without psychiatric disorder but with medical problems may experience disturbances of emotions and behavior, and patients with psychiatric disorders experience disorders of emotion and behavior. The department draws upon the body of information and skills which have evolved over time to provide relief to both categories of suffering. These interventions range from the somatic to the psychological and from pharmacotherapy to psychotherapy. They include addressing such social factors as the family and the community and are also sensitive to cultural, religious, socioeconomic, and ethnic diversity.

The goals of the Department of Psychiatry at UMKC are as follows:

  1. To provide excellent psychiatric care to all patients in need of such care at Western Missouri Mental Health Center and Truman Medical Center regardless of their ability to pay for this care.
  2. To treat all patients with empathic respect for their right to safety, dignity, and confidentiality.
  3. To teach medical students the necessary information and skills to be safe, effective, and empathic physicians.
  4. To develop the knowledge base and skills of residents who have chosen a career path in psychiatry so that they can be safe, effective, and empathic psychiatrists.
  5. To provide mental health professionals and fellow physicians in all fields with continuing education in the field of psychiatry.
  6. To contribute to the current body of knowledge in the field of psychiatry through creative and ethical research, and other scholarly activity.

More information about our residency program is included in this website. Please contact us if you have additional questions.


Stuart Munro, M.D.
Chair, Department of Psychiatry

For additional information about the residency program, applications and the curriculum, please contact: Rhonda Hughes, Program Coordinator, 1000 E 24th Street, Kansas City, MO 64108, Rhonda.hughes@dmh.mo.gov, Ph: 816-512-7439, Fax: 816-512-7440