Building bonds and bragging rights: Department of Psychiatry hosts 2026 resident retreat

Our residents swapped clinical rounds, therapy sessions, and pager alerts for friendly competition at the Department of Psychiatry’s annual resident retreat this past spring.

Hosted at a beautiful Airbnb in Waddy, Kentucky, this gathering gave trainees a well-deserved opportunity to unwind, recharge and connect away from the hospital. The scenic property provided the perfect backdrop for the festivities.

This year’s retreat embraced an "Olympic-style" tournament format, bringing out the high-energy competitive spirit of our cohort. Teams faced off across a diverse lineup of field-day events and mental challenges, including:

• Scrubs/ PPE relay race: Put on your hospital garb STAT and run the obstacle course with your team.
• Brainpower & Table Games: Fast-paced rounds of trivia and high-stakes foosball matches.
• Classic Field Day Events: Physical relay races and a divisive, mud-flinging tug-of-war.

Scores were tracked throughout the day, culminating in a dramatic final tally where one team swept the leaderboard to claim ultimate bragging rights as the 2026 Retreat Champions.

While the gold medals provided plenty of excitement, the core mission of our annual retreat remains physician wellness, burnout prevention and community building. These dedicated breaks provide our residents with the essential space to decompress, process and ultimately show up for their patients.

As Emily Gilkes, a PGY-4 resident and one of our social chairs, shared after the event: "The best parts of residency are the people you get to do it with."

A huge thank you to the resident organizers who put so much effort into planning every detail and making this year’s retreat such a resounding success!