Postdoctoral Residency Program in Health Service Psychology: Leadership & Faculty

Shireen L. Rizvi, PhD, ABPP is Director of Psychology Training and Director of DBT Services and Research at Montefiore and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Rizvi is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 25 years of experience in using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Washington. She completed her psychology internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Boston VA Healthcare System, National Center for PTSD.  From 2009-2024, Dr. Rizvi was Professor of Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Her research interests include improving outcomes, training, and dissemination of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for the treatment of complex and severe populations. Dr. Rizvi has received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Rutgers University, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) for her research. Her work has resulted in over 100 articles and book chapters, as well as a sole-authored book entitled Chain Analysis in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and a co-edited volume, DBT in Clinical Practice (2^nd edition). Her latest book, Real Skills for Real Life, is designed to teach DBT skills to anyone who desires to improve their coping in life.

Dr. Rizvi is Board Certified in Cognitive Behavioral Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and Dialectical Behavior Therapy by the Linehan Board of Certification. She is a Fellow of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the American Psychological Association (Division 12). Dr. Rizvi is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, was a Founding Member of the New York City Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Association, and was a founding board member of the World DBT Association. 

Dr. Rizvi has trained hundreds of students and practitioners from around the world in DBT. She has received the Spotlight on a Mentor Award from the Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (2017), the International Society for the Improvement and Teaching of DBT (ISITDBT) Perry Hoffman Service Award (2020), and Professor of the Year for Excellence in Teaching, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (2022).

Dr. Yael Belinkie is a licensed clinical psychologist and a Montefiore Einstein’s clinical Psychology Internship Training Program graduate. She has held supervisory and leadership positions at Montefiore Einstein’s Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP) for over 10 years, where she has guided efforts to expand evidence-based interventions, integrate harm reduction approaches and increase access to substance use treatment. She specializes in using motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Dr. Belinkie received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Yale University where, under the mentorship of Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, PhD, she examined neural correlates of emotion dysregulation in depression and developed a novel intervention aimed at preventing transdiagnostic distress and substance use in an adolescent population.

Dr. Yash Bhambhani is an Attending Psychologist at Montefiore Einstein’s Substance Abuse Treatment Program and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Bhambhani is a previous graduate of Montefiore Einstein’s Psychology Internship Training Program from the adult specialization track. He found his work so meaningful that he had to return! Dr. Bhambhani specializes in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), addiction treatment and working with minoritized populations, including gender/sexual minorities and racial/ethnic minorities. Using ACT and intersectionality frameworks, he is interested in creating interpersonal and societal change through clinical work, research and teaching. As such, Dr. Bhambhani enjoys supervising, mentoring and teaching didactic lectures. His area of research specialization is also focused on ACT and how it can be used to improve the well-being of people with minoritized experiences (e.g. gay and bisexual men of color).

Dr. Sydney Brinson is a psychologist at Montefiore Einstein’s Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP) and New Directions Recovery Center (NDRC). Dr. Brinson graduated from Rutgers University’s Clinical Psychology Program. Her work centers on using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)- and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)-based interventions to treat diverse patient populations. Dr. Brinson is passionate about racial equity, and her research has focused on integrating cultural factors into trauma treatment of African American women. Dr. Brinson’s interests are direct patient care, supervision, teaching and going for walks in the park in her spare time!

Dr. Arce-Morales graduated from Albizu University in Puerto Rico, where he trained as a health service psychologist. During his training, Dr. Arce-Morales engaged in psychologist-led consultation and liaison teams at general hospitals, provided psychology services in primary care settings in underserved areas in Puerto Rico and Indiana and offered support to survivors of natural disasters. He completed a predoctoral internship focused on integrated primary care and health psychology at the Bowen Center in Indiana. He is currently completing Montefiore Einstein’s Addiction Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship. He provides psychotherapy services in Spanish and English, with treatment addressing depression, anxiety, trauma and other presenting concerns using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing and solution-focused brief therapy. His research has focused on outcome measures of psychotherapy, the inner workings of primary care and the impact of chronic pain, multimorbidity and treatment with opioid medications on patient health.

Dr. Sandra Pimentel launched and is Director of the Anxiety and Mood Program (AMP), a specialty training program in the Child Outpatient Psychiatry Department, and co-director of the Becoming an Emerging Adult at Montefiore (BEAM) Program. From 2007 through 2015, Dr. Pimentel was Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center, where she served as Senior Psychologist and Associate Director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders.

Dr. Pimentel specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) treatments for children, adolescents and young adults with anxiety, mood and behavioral difficulties. She is committed to teaching and advanced training—education and mentorship are at the core of Dr. Pimentel’s professional interests. Her research interests have focused on disseminating evidence-based interventions for child and adolescent disorders and evaluating the most effective strategies for training and transporting treatments to school and community settings.

Dr. Pimentel served as a CBT consultant for community- and school-based clinicians throughout New York State and for the New York State Office of Mental Health’s statewide clinician training initiative. She was named a New York State Office of Mental Health Policy Scholar. Dr. Pimentel is actively involved in professional organizations, including the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, where she currently serves on the board as secretary-treasurer and is president-elect. She also volunteers for community-based programs and is involved in multiple community engagement initiatives in the Bronx.

Dr. William Buerger is the Clinical Director of Montefiore Einstein’s Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) Program and an attending psychologist within the Child Outpatient Psychiatry Department.

Before arriving at Montefiore Einstein, Dr. William Buerger worked at Cognitive & Behavioral Consultants (CBC) as the Director of Trauma and Continuing Education Programs. He oversaw the management and supervision of CBC’s trauma team and coordinated community provider training. Dr. Buerger co-chaired and was also involved in creating CBC’s antiracism committee and facilitated their collaboration and partnership with the Access Psychology Foundation (APF).

Dr. Buerger specializes in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and empirically supported trauma treatments. He has extensive experience working with patients across their lifespans, applying empirically supported treatments within various clinical settings, including private and Veterans Affairs hospitals, specialized outpatient clinics and community mental health clinics. He is a board certified DBT, cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure (PE) provider. Dr. Buerger has trained psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists and school personnel in these therapies and related principles.

Dr. Buerger’s research focuses on the active mechanisms, dissemination and adaptation of empirically supported treatments, mainly targeting trauma and suicidality. He has published articles and book chapters and presented at national psychology conferences on this topic.

Dr. Maria Alba is an Attending Psychologist and Assistant Clinical Director of the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) Program at the Montefiore Einstein Moses Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at Rutgers University. She also completed her predoctoral internship in the child and adolescent specialization at Montefiore Einstein and her postdoctoral fellowship at the Eating Disorders and DBT-A Programs. Her research interests include disseminating and implementing DBT and creative psychosocial interventions for medically ill youth.

Dr. Lauren Yadlosky completed her PhD in clinical psychology at Marquette University and her predoctoral internship at Montefiore Einstein in the child/adolescent specialization. She completed her clinical/research postdoctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, specializing in dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). She has experience working at outpatient, partial hospital, residential and inpatient medical levels of care.

Dr. Yadlosky works with high-risk, multi-problem youth, young adults and families, specializing in working with those struggling with comorbid eating disorders. She is trained in comprehensive DBT as well as other behavioral and cognitive-behavioral psychological interventions, including family based treatment (FBT) for anorexia.

Dr. Yadlosky’s clinical and research interests include addressing health equity and providing high-quality, evidence-based services to chronically underserved populations. Her research program includes clinical outcomes and psychological measurement and emphasizes synthesizing intersectionality with psychological science and practice. She has also completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training certification.

Dr. Lisa Teh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and works within the Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation as the Lead Psychologist. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Hawai’i, an adult/health psychology internship at Geisinger Medical Center and a postdoctoral fellowship at Indiana University School of Medicine specializing in transplant psychology. Her research interests include increasing the accuracy of psychosocial evaluations for solid organ transplant candidacy, mitigating risks for alcohol relapse following liver transplantation and decreasing health disparities in access to solid organ transplantation and outcomes. Dr. Teh is Co-Director of the Montefiore Einstein Transplant Recovery Integrated Care Clinic, providing multidisciplinary evaluation and bridge treatment for patients with alcohol-related liver disease. Dr. Teh is very involved with the American Society of Transplantation, where she previously served as a Member at Large on the Executive Committee of the American Society of Transplantation’s Psychosocial and Ethics Community of Practice.

Dr. Christine Cho is a faculty member and an Attending Psychologist for all pediatric abdominal solid organ transplantation. She assists with program development, implementation and evaluation for a new transition clinic for adolescents and young adults transitioning from pediatric to adult models of care. Dr. Cho completed her master’s and doctoral training at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers University with a Clinical Child, Adolescent, Family and Pediatric concentration and her internship at Montefiore Einstein before completing a postdoctoral fellowship in disruptive behavior disorders and behavioral parenting interventions with Steven Kurtz, PhD, ABPP. She comes with extensive training in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) for anxiety and related disorders, mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, disruptive behavior disorders and emotion dysregulation in youth and young adults.

Dr. Andrea Kondracke oversees and integrates psychiatric consultation services for people admitted to medical and surgical services at Montefiore Einstein’s Moses Campus and oversees Montefiore Einstein’s specialized psychiatric consultation services for transplant surgery and addiction medicine. After earning her BA in Philosophy at Boston College and MD at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Kondracke completed internal medicine and psychiatry residencies at New York Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center. After training, she joined the faculty at New York University (NYU), where she forged uniquely collaborative bridges between psychiatry and medicine at Bellevue, serving as Division Chief for Medical Psychiatry, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and the Addiction Consultative (CATCH) Service, which she developed. She also served as a hospitalist in medicine regularly each year and during the COVID-19 pandemic. An Associate Clinical Professor at NYU with joint appointments in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Medicine, Dr. Kondracke has been a formative teacher and mentor for many outstanding psychiatry leaders, including faculty whom we have been so fortunate to welcome in recent academic years.

Dr. Peter Spyrou is an Attending Psychiatrist at the Center for Transplantation and Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Einstein. His clinical focus centers on medically complex patient care, polypharmacy, consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, horticultural therapy, addiction psychiatry and tobacco use. Dr. Spyrou completed his undergraduate degree in geography and Middle Eastern history at Middlebury College then completed a post-baccalaureate program at the University of Virginia before earning his doctor of medicine degree at New York Medical College. He then completed his psychiatry residency at Montefiore Einstein, where he was Chief Resident of CL and the forensic unit at Bronx Psychiatric Center in his final year. He remained here to complete a geriatric psychiatry fellowship. In 2022, he received the Leo M. Davidoff Society Award for excellence in medical student teaching. He is committed to and enjoys interdisciplinary training and postdoctoral teaching.

Dr. Rachel Held is the director of THRIVE. She also directs the adult track of the psychology internship program. As lead psychologist of the AOPD, she is involved in administration, planning and training within the clinic, which has a census of over 1,700 patients who primarily come from underserved communities, with a high proportion of the patients having experienced trauma. Dr. Held is passionate about teaching and clinical supervision and finding creative ways to serve AOPD patients best, maximizing their access to quality, trauma-informed care. She has expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), including cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy. She also has expertise in other treatment modalities that are often helpful for patients who have experienced trauma, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and treatments for comorbid chronic pain or insomnia. Dr. Held has previously worked in other community mental health settings and at multiple VA medical centers. She received her BA at Columbia University and her PhD at Rutgers University. She completed her predoctoral psychology internship at Brown University and her postdoctoral experience at the VA Medical Center in East Orange, New Jersey.

Dr. Regina Musicaro is the Research Director of THRIVE and an Assistant Professor at the Psychiatric Research Institute for Montefiore Einstein (PRIME) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Musicaro completed her undergraduate degree at the State University of New York (SUNY) New Paltz and her PhD in clinical psychology at Suffolk University. During her doctorate, she trained at several Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals, including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, McLean Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She also gained specialty trauma training at the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute and the Boston VA Medical Center. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Central Western MA VA and her postdoctoral fellowship at Yale School of Medicine.

Dr. Musicaro specializes in conducting cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and mindfulness-based interventions for adults presenting with post-traumatic stress reactions, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance use and depression. Her research and clinical work focus on health disparities and racism in vulnerable populations with a focus on person-centered and systemic interventions for people who have experienced marginalization. She has also helped to disseminate trauma-sensitive yoga and biofeedback.

Dr. Musicaro has received several awards for clinical excellence, positive community impact, outstanding academic achievement, career advancements and research excellence. She was awarded the SUNY New Paltz 40 under Forty recognition for achieving a commendable level of success in her chosen field and being active in her community.

Dr. Sara Ghassemzadeh is an Attending Psychologist at the Moses AOPD and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She graduated from Montefiore Einstein’s Psychology postdoctoral fellowship program with a focus on the THRIVE specialization. Dr. Ghassemzadeh completed her predoctoral internship at the James J. Peters Bronx VA and earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers University. She has expertise in treating diverse adults with complex trauma and its associated challenges, including substance use disorders, personality disorders and suicidality. She has extensive training in a wide range of trauma treatments, such as cognitive processing therapy (CPT), prolonged exposure (PE), skills training in affect and interpersonal regulation (STAIR) and relational psychodynamic psychotherapy. Passionate about providing therapy services in both English and Spanish, she views this bilingual approach as a vital social justice initiative. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and attachment theory highly influence her clinical work, as she views an attuned, safe therapeutic relationship not just as the prerequisite but also as the vessel inside which new learning can occur.

Dr. Allison Glasgow is an Attending Psychiatrist at ACUTE Psychiatry and MEPA. Dr. Glasgow earned her MD from New York Medical College. She completed her psychiatry residency and community psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry fellowships at Montefiore Einstein/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Glasgow conducts outpatient geriatric psychiatry consultations at ACUTE Psychiatry and co-facilitates a nursing home teaching conference. At MEPA, she provides psychopharmacological treatment and psychotherapy with an interest in psychodynamic therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Dr. Glasgow provides clinical supervision as part of her involvement with the Trauma Healing and Resilience in Vulnerable Environments (THRIVE) program and is involved in the structural competency curriculum for psychiatry residents. She co-authored a publication on the use of a community mapping tool as a structural intervention in the outpatient setting and engages with community partners in the Bronx. She is passionate about providing trauma-informed, structurally competent, culturally sensitive care to a diverse patient population. She incorporates a person-centered and strengths-based approach in her teaching and clinical work.

Dr, Melissa Platt is an Attending Psychologist at Montefiore Einstein Psychiatry Associates (MEPA) and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Platt earned a master of arts and a doctorate in clinical psychology at La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She completed her doctoral internship at Indiana University’s Counseling and Psychological Services with a concentration in sexual assault counseling services. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Iona University’s Counseling Center focused on working with neurodivergent young adults, including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dr. Platt’s clinical interests include neurodivergence (i.e. ASD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder—ADHD), mindfulness, trauma, the therapy relationship and psychotherapy integration. She is passionate about quality supervision. Dr. Platt provides clinical supervision to trainees in the Trauma Healing and Resilience in Vulnerable Environments (THRIVE) program.

Dr. Rubiahna Vaughn is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is Director of the Division of Psychiatry and Director of the Division of Women’s Mental Health at Montefiore Einstein. Dr. Vaughn is also the Program Director for the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship at Montefiore Einstein. She completed undergraduate studies in human biology with a minor in African and African American Studies at Stanford University, graduating with interdisciplinary honors. Dr. Vaughn completed a master’s in public health at Columbia University and received her medical doctorate from the University of Washington. She subsequently completed psychiatry residency training and a chief resident year at New York University Medical Center. As a resident, she was awarded the APA/SAMHSA Minority Fellowship and the Laughlin Fellowship by The American College of Psychiatrists. She completed fellowship training in psychosomatic medicine at The Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Vaughn was named a 2020-2021 Harvard Macy Institute Scholar in the Program for Educators in Health Professions, which has supported her commitment to innovation in education and curriculum development. Her interests include global mental health, reproductive psychiatry and neuropsychiatry.

Dr. Kahlil DuPerry is an Attending Psychologist at the Ambulatory Consults, Urgent Treatment and Evaluation (ACUTE) clinic, where the Women’s Mental Health (WMH) Fellow sees outpatients. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, an attending in the Psychiatric Observation Suite (POS) in the Emergency Department and the Associate Director for the Psychology Fellowship program. Dr. DuPerry is a graduate of Boston College with a PhD in counseling psychology and completed his predoctoral internship here at Montefiore Einstein on the adult track and his fellowship in the inaugural class of Health Service Psychology Fellows. He has worked with patients in a variety of settings, including college students, veterans, those with co-occurring major mental illness and problematic sexual behaviors and in various services and clinics within the Montefiore Einstein system. His practice integrates psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral theories, along with a critically conscious systems and patient-centered focus. Dr. DuPerry’s research interests center around identity development, especially racial and gender identities, with his dissertation focusing on men of color’s identities as men and people of color and their experiences with gendered racism.

Dr. Matthew Schneider is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Vice Chair of Clinical Services for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Services at Montefiore Einstein and Medical Director for the Ambulatory Consults, Urgent Treatment, and Evaluations (ACUTE) psychiatry clinic. Dr. Schneider completed undergraduate studies at Cornell University, attended medical school at State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate in Brooklyn, New York and completed his psychiatry residency at Montefiore Einstein.

Dr. LaTrice Wright is an Attending Psychologist at the Ambulatory Consults, Urgent Treatment, and Evaluations (ACUTE) clinic at Montefiore Einstein, focused on the perinatal treatment track. She received her PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). Trained as a scientist-practitioner-advocate, her primary clinical interests center on delivering strengths-based and culturally responsive interventions to individuals, couples and families from traditionally marginalized populations. She also has an evolving passion for perinatal and reproductive mental health. Dr. Wright’s theoretical orientation integrates multicultural feminism, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and family systems therapy. Her research interests center on experiences of gendered racism (i.e. the intersection of racism and sexism) and Black women’s health outcomes. Dr. Wright’s dissertation investigated the roles of family and intimate partner support/strain and mindfulness in the association between subtle forms of gendered racism and anxiety symptoms.

Dr. Candace Hatten-Powell is a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Jack D. Weiler Hospital at Montefiore Einstein. She is a lifelong New Yorker, completing her BS at Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology in human biology, health and society with a minor in policy analysis and management. She completed her doctor of medicine degree at State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University. She served her residency at Montefiore Einstein in General Psychiatry, where she served as chief resident in the Psychiatric Observation Suite in the subspecialty of emergency psychiatry. She completed an administrative fellowship in psychiatry as the Senior Chief Resident, where she served in a teaching role, providing individual psychotherapy supervision, mentoring junior trainees and helping with the general administration of the residency training program, including recruitment and curriculum planning. She completed her consultation and liaison psychiatry fellowship training at New York Presbyterian (NYP), Columbia Irving Medical Center. She has special interests in cultural psychiatry, trauma-informed care, bariatric psychiatry and disorders of gut-brain interaction.

In her role, Dr. Andrea Kondracke oversees and integrates psychiatric consultation services for people admitted to medical and surgical services at Montefiore Einstein’s Moses Campus and oversees Montefiore Einstein’s specialized psychiatric consultation services for transplant surgery and addiction medicine. After earning her BA in philosophy at Boston College and MD at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Kondracke completed internal medicine and psychiatry residencies at New York Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center. After training, she joined the faculty at New York University (NYU), where she forged uniquely collaborative bridges between psychiatry and medicine at Bellevue, serving as Division Chief for Medical Psychiatry, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and the Addiction Consultative (CATCH) Service, which she developed. She also served as a hospitalist in medicine regularly each year and during the COVID-19 pandemic. An Associate Clinical Professor at NYU with joint appointments in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Medicine, Dr. Kondracke has been a formative teacher and mentor for many outstanding psychiatry leaders, including faculty whom we have been so fortunate to welcome in recent years.

Dr. Meghana Medavaram is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Site Director for the Psychiatry Clerkship at Weiler Hospital, where she also serves as an Attending Psychiatrist. Dr. Medavaram received her doctor of medicine degree from JSS Medical College in Mysore, Karnataka, India, and subsequently completed her one-year medical internship at JSS Medical College Hospital. Dr. Medavaram completed her residency in psychiatry at the University of Toledo Medical Center, where she served as Chief of the Consultation-Liaison Service in her final year. During that time, she built the curriculum for medical students and residents. While there, she received the William J. Lenz Award for Excellence in Medical Education as a PGY-3 and the Ali Mamun Award for Excellence in Geriatric and Community Psychiatry as a PGY-4. Following her residency training, Dr. Medavaram completed her psycho-oncology/consultation-liaison psychiatry fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. During her tenure at Montefiore Einstein, she received a teaching award from the AECOM. She also serves as a mentor to medical students and residents.

Dr, Kavita Vani, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology & Women’s Health at Montefiore Einstein. She received her undergraduate and Doctor of Medicine degrees from Columbia University and completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She recently completed her fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at Montefiore Einstein/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She formally joined the Maternal Fetal Medicine Division as the Director of Fourth Trimester/Postpartum Services. Her interests include healthcare delivery research, particularly regarding postpartum care and support for women with high-risk pregnancies. She recently implemented a pilot “Fourth Trimester” Clinic at Montefiore Einstein that uses care coordination to provide comprehensive postpartum care for those with high-risk pregnancies and allows for a smooth transition to lifelong primary and subspecialty care. She is currently completing a master’s in clinical research methods to develop the skills to effectively study the implementation of this clinic and other efforts to improve postpartum care.