Objective: The authors describe the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies (CAMS) undergraduate college minor at New York University.
Methods: The authors detail the development, structure, and operation of the CAMS minor. They describe the importance of identifying program goals, building coalitions, creating an advisory board, selecting teaching materials and instructors, and establishing a viable financial model.
Results: The authors present student evaluations from the first course, which demonstrate great satisfaction with the program.
Conclusion: The successful development of the CAMS minor demonstrates that Schools of Medicine (more specifically, the departments of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) can have a positive impact on undergraduate student education, which may later translate into an increased number of students who consider entering medical school and child psychiatry.