MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala., – North Alabama Shoals Hospital recently celebrated a historic milestone in its Graduate Medical Education (GME) program, with the graduation of its first psychiatry resident, Dr. Sumita Chakrapani. Dr. Chakrapani joined the program in its inaugural year as a PGY-2 (second-year resident) and has now successfully completed the four-year residency program.

“It has been an incredible journey,” said Chakrapani. “I would like to thank Dr. (Praveen) Narahari and all of the faculty for their training and guidance.”

Chakrapani will begin her career as a child and adolescent psychiatrist with LifeStance Therapists & Psychiatrists in Seattle, Washington.

The first full graduating residency class is expected in June of 2026, but Dr. Chakrapani’s graduation marks an important milestone for the program, which launched in 2022.

“This has been a long and rewarding journey since we first began developing the residency program,” said Dr. Praveen Narahari, Program Director of the Shoals Psychiatry Residency Program. “Seeing our first resident graduate is a proud and historic moment for all of us. Graduating our first resident marks the beginning of a tradition of training compassionate, skilled psychiatrists to serve our communities. This program is not only improving access to mental health care in rural areas—it’s also building the future of psychiatry in Alabama.”

The Shoals Psychiatry Residency Program continues to expand, with five new PGY-1 (first-year) residents joining on July 1. The program now trains 20 residents in total, with five in each year of the curriculum. Shoals Hospital provides comprehensive behavioral health services for adult (ages 19-64) and geriatric (65+) populations, offering both inpatient and outpatient care.

“Graduate Medical Education continues to be an important pillar of our organization at both hospital campuses,” said Mike Howard, Market President and CEO. “It is another way of fulfilling our mission to make our community healthier.”