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 licensed clinical psychologist at Montefiore Einstein’s Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP) and New Directions Recovery Center (NDRC). She specializes in the treatment of co-occurring substance use and mental health concerns, with a focus on anxiety, mood disorders, and emotion dysregulation. Her clinical work integrates evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), within a trauma-informed framework.

Dr. Brinson is particularly interested in the role of sociocultural factors in shaping mental health and treatment engagement, and her research has focused on integrating cultural considerations into trauma-informed care for African American women. She is committed to advancing equitable, accessible care.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Brinson is actively involved in teaching, supervision, and the training of future psychologists. Her professional interests include the dissemination of evidence-based treatments, mentorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration in addiction and mental health care.

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 integrated primary care settings in underserved areas in Puerto Rico and Indiana and offered support to survivors of natural disasters in Puerto Rico. He completed a predoctoral internship focused on integrated primary care and health psychology at the Bowen Center in Warsaw, Indiana. He completed his Montefiore Einstein’s Addiction Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2023. He provides psychotherapy services in Spanish and English, with treatment addressing stress in relation to chronic health conditions (e.g., diabetes distress), substance use disorder, depression, anxiety, trauma and other presenting concerns using acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), 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. Silvana Jones is an Attending Psychologist at Montefiore's Wakefield Recovery Center (WRC). Dr. Jones completed her predoctoral internship at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Specialized Addiction Treatment Services (SATS) and her postdoctoral fellowship at Montefiore's Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP). Dr. Jones received her doctorate from Ferkauf’s Clinical Psychology PhD (Health Emphasis) program with a minor in Addictions Psychology. Dr. Jones is passionate about working with individuals who have complex and co-occurring psychiatric, medical, and substance use concerns and has sought specialized training in substance use and addiction across her clinical and research experiences. In her clinical work, Dr. Jones uses a harm reduction based, patient-centered, and trauma-informed approach to incorporate evidence-based practices including Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Dr. Jones' clinical experiences are continuously complemented and informed by her research in substance use and smoking cessation.

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. 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. 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.

Catherine Drury, PhD, MSSW is an attending psychologist and Director of Adult Services in the Eating Disorders Program at Montefiore and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Drury's clinical work and research focus on improving eating disorder assessment and treatment. Prior to doctoral training, Dr. Drury worked for eight years as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in clinic, hospital, and agency settings throughout New York City serving adolescents and young adults with histories of trauma. She also delivered specialized programs and services designed to meet the mental health needs of professional dancers. Dr. Drury completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco and received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She also has an MS in Social Work from Columbia University and a BA in Psychology from Barnard College.

Dr. Melanie Fox is an Attending Psychologist through Montefiore Einstein Psychiatry Associates (MEPA) and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She completed her doctoral training at PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium and her internship and fellowship training at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Dr. Fox specializes in implementing and adapting clinical interventions for those with eating disorders, chronic illness, and anxiety.

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.

Katie Console, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and an Attending Psychologist at Montefiore Einstein. Dr. Console specializes in Consultation-Liaison Psychology, providing comprehensive psychological assessment and evidence-based interventions for patients across all adult inpatient medicine units. Her clinical work focuses on the intersection of physical and mental health, addressing adjustment to acute and chronic illness and the management of psychiatric symptoms in the medical setting. In addition to clinical care, Dr. Console is dedicated to the multidisciplinary education and clinical supervision of psychology trainees, psychiatry residents, and medical students. She earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Texas A&M University, completed her clinical internship at New York University-Bellevue Hospital, and finished her postdoctoral fellowship at Mount Sinai’s World Trade Center Mental Health Program.

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.

Laurie Gallo, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Gallo earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Binghamton University (SUNY), completed her predoctoral internship at the Syracuse VA Medical Center, and received advanced postdoctoral training in CBT and DBT at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. She is also certified in Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY-F). From 2010 to 2023, Dr. Gallo served as an Attending Psychologist in the Moses Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Department at Montefiore/Einstein. She founded and directed the THRIVE outpatient trauma program and received departmental awards for Excellence in Teaching (2018) and Clinical Excellence (2022).

Dr. Gallo currently holds a part-time clinical research role and is a Co-Investigator on an NIH/NIDA-funded study examining ACT for co-occurring chronic pain and opioid use. She developed an ACT for Trauma therapy manual which is being evaluated in an open trial in the Department of Psychiatry. She also mentors trainees on implementation-focused research and founded the Trauma Special Interest Group within the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), where she serves as Founding Chair. Dr. Gallo’s work centers on expanding access to high-quality, trauma treatment in community and healthcare settings, and she has published and presented nationally and internationally on these topics.

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, 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. LaTrice Wright is an Attending Psychologist at the Ambulatory Consults, Urgent Treatment, and Evaluations (ACUTE) clinic at Montefiore Einstein, focused on the reproductive and perinatal treatment track. She is also an attending on the Consultation – Liaison Psychiatry team housed at Jack D. Weiler Hospital on the Einstein Campus. LaTrice completed her master’s in marital and family therapy from Northwestern University and received her PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). Dr. Wright is a recipient of the American Psychological Association (APA)’s Interdisciplinary Minority Fellowship Program, where she co-developed a group-based intervention manual for college students navigating stress. She completed her predoctoral internship here at Montefiore Einstein within the Adult Track and became the inaugural postdoctoral fellow for the Reproductive Psychology track. Trained as a scientist-practitioner-advocate, her primary clinical interests center on delivering strengths-based interventions to individuals, couples, families, and groups.

Dr. Wright’s theoretical orientation integrates cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and family systems therapy. Dr. Wright’s dissertation investigated the roles of family and intimate partner support/strain.

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.

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. Jess Zonana serves as the Medical Director of Montefiore Einstein Psychiatry Associates (MEPA) and ACUTE Psychiatry at Montefiore Einstein. Her career has included extensive experience in outpatient program administration, medical student and residency education, and student mental health. She graduated from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and completed her residency in adult psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital (Cornell Campus). She served on the faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine for >15 years and served as Chief of Adult Outpatient Services in Psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell Campus. She has published on topics such as outpatient program development and adaptation, psychiatry education and mental health care. Dr. Zonana has been recognized with awards for her mentorship and contributions to community leadership in medical and residency education.