NRTP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications, Medical Education
Abby joined Yale School of Medicine in November 2017, from Yale School of Management, where she had spent six years as Special Assistant to the Dean. Prior to that, she was Director of Alumni Affairs at Yale Law School. Before returning to Yale, where Abby attended college and law school, Abby spent two years clerking for judges and eleven years as a lawyer for the federal government, predominantly focusing on firearms and explosives law and policy. Abby is a member of the Yale Traffic Safety Committee. Outside of work, Abby is on the board of Common Ground and the New Haven Preservation Trust, and also is active with the Safe Streets Coalition of New Haven.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Digital Education
- Project Manager for Digital Education at the Yale Poorvu Center
Abigail Titus is the Project Manager for Digital Education at the Yale Poorvu Center. Prior to this role, Abigail worked as a product specialist at Coursera, where she helped the platform launch MasterTrack programs and responsed to learner requests and issues. She recently completed a Master of Education (EdM) degree from Boston University, focused on higher education administration. She holds a bachelor's degree from Bates College in Politics and French. Abigail is from Massachusetts and lived in the San Francisco area for several years before returning to New England.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology
- Professor
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor Adjunct of Psychiatry
Job Titles:
- Communications Officer, Pediatrics
Alexa is an experienced communications professional with a demonstrated history of spearheading non-profit and academic digital communications and marketing. She is skilled in social media management, internal communications, content curation, copywriting, fundraising and development, PR, policy and advocacy communications, as well as digital and on the ground organizing.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant, YSM Diversity Office
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Job Titles:
- Neurology / Neurology & Dermatology Communications Officer
Job Titles:
- Associate Communications Officer at the Yale Institute for Global Health
Alyssa Cruz is an Associate Communications Officer at the Yale Institute for Global Health, with a focus on Digital Communications. She has worked in Higher Education for over five years within various departments; including Academic Affairs, Education Programs, ITS, and Student Services. Through her roles and contribution to her Alma Mater, she was featured in the Alumni Magazine 'From the Hill' in the Spring of 2018 and covered the issue in the Spring of 2019. She also received recognition from the Public Relations Society of America - Connecticut Chapter for her work on the Coffee with the President series.
Job Titles:
- Women 's Health Research at Yale / Communications Officer
Media Inquiries, Scientific Research AnnouncementsAmanda joined WHRY in 2022 after close to a decade in local news. She earned her BA in journalism and telecommunications from Ball State University. She most recently worked as a producer for NBC Connecticut and now uses those writing, organizational and storytelling skills to inform audiences of WHRY's work.
Job Titles:
- Digital Strategist for the Department of Internal Medicine and Has Been
- Internal Medicine / Communications Officer
Amy Anderson is the digital strategist for the Department of Internal Medicine and has been with the department since July of 2019. She is passionate about creating content and highlighting the work of faculty-both in the department and across YSM-and organically growing Yale Internal Medicine's following on its social media platforms.
Ana Florence is a Psychologist and a PhD Candidate at the State University of São Paulo/Brazil. She is currently a Postgraduate Fellow at the Yale Department of Psychiatry, Program for Recovery and Community Health. Ana specialized in Public Mental Health at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and completed a masters degree in Social Psychology at the University of São Paulo (USP). She has worked as a Psychologist and Clinical Director at community mental health services in Brazil and has experience in the field of deinstitutionalization and service implementation. Her research is focused on the Open Dialogue approach and Dialogical Practices in the treatment of severe mental health problems.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Communications Officer
Job Titles:
- Director, Multimedia Services Senior Video Producer
Angels Gonzalez-Ibanez, PhD in Psychology and Clinical Psychologist with strong focus on health promotion, prevention, treatment and recovery of mental illness and addiction. Long tenure as Professor of Psychopathology at the University of Barcelona. Dr. Angels Gonzalez-Ibanez is Adjunct Professor at Yale University, Department of Psychiatry. She currently provides culturally appropriate services to the diversity of Latino community in Connecticut. Dr. Gonzalez-Ibanez started and leaded the Catalonia Pathological Gambling Services under the Mental Health and Addiction Department of the Catalonia Government getting that gambling disorder was considered as a public health issue and it was included in the public health centers. She has received awards por excellence in research and clinical care in mental health an addiction. Due her interest in recovery, person centered care and community inclusion of individuals with mental health and addiction disorders, she is at Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health involved in national and international projects.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Software Architect
Job Titles:
- Co - Director
- Member of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the YSM Biobank Committee
- Professor of Pathology Chair, Pathology Chief, YNHH Pathology
Job Titles:
- IT Support Technician, Pharmacology / IT Support Technician Pharmacology
Job Titles:
- Internal Communications Writer, Yale Medicine
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Associate Director, Digital Education
Belinda Platt is a project manager for digital education initiatives within the Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. Belinda's primary role is to help instructors conceive, create, disseminate, and maintain materials for online courses across various platforms. Her accolades include winning two Coursera Learners First Award for Everyday Parenting taught by Dr. Alan Kazdin, The Science of Well-Being taught by Dr. Laurie Santos, and placing top three in the American Society of Nephrology Innovations in Kidney Education Contest in 2018 for a web-based module created in collaboration with Dr. Namrata Krishnan. She loves sharing Yale's expertise with the world so reach out to her with your ideas! Belinda graduated from Cornell University in 2013 with a degree in Industrial and Labor Relations and a minor in Communications.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director
- Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Kelmendi is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry. He has been a key driver of psychedelic studies at Yale. He is as a co-founder of the Yale Psychedelic Science Interest Group, principal investigator (together with Dr. Pittenger) of the first controlled study of psilocybin in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and a co-investigator on a major multi-site study of psilocybin in the treatment of depression, sponsored by the Usona Institute. Dr. Kelmendi is on the Board of the Heffter Foundation, a major sponsor of work in psychedelic science.
Job Titles:
- Research Scientist in Psychiatry Research Psychologist ( VA )
For more than 25 years, Dr. Carlton Green has held various roles in higher education settings. More specifically, he has worked in student activities, multicultural services, residence life, academic affairs, athletics, and counseling services in both public and private institutions. Dr. Green earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and received masters-level training in Mental Health Counseling and Pastoral Ministry, from Boston College. Currently, Dr. Green is the Director of Diversity Training & Education in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). Prior to taking on this role, he served as a Staff Psychologist at the University of Maryland (UMD) Counseling Center. Dr. Green has developed and presented workshops on diversity and inclusion, including how to address racial trauma at many universities and colleges in the DMV (Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia) area and nationally. He has also served as a national advisor to The Steve Fund, which is the nation's only mental health organization focused on the wellbeing of students of Color. In the DMV area, Dr. Green is a member of the historical Alfred Street Baptist Church. There, he serves as the president of the AGAPE Mental Health and Coaching ministry. Dr. Green is also an active member in the American Psychological Association. His contributions to the field earned him a Rising Star Award at the 2019 National Multicultural Conference & Summit. In 2019, the Maryland Psychological Association recognized Dr. Green with the Grady Dale Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to Diversity in Psychology. Dr. Green was awarded the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association in August 2020.
Job Titles:
- Office of Communications in 2016 As a Clinical Writer
- Senior Clinical Writer
Carrie MacMillan joined the Office of Communications in 2016 as a clinical writer for the Yale Medicine website. She writes feature and news stories for the patient-oriented site. Her coverage areas include the Departments of Pediatrics; Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Services; and the Child Study Center. Prior to Yale, Carrie spent 11 years as a feature writer for a daily newspaper, focusing on health, general interest and news topics. She also wrote and edited for a variety of consumer and business magazines and websites. Carrie has amassed more than 18 awards from local and national news organizations for her writing.
The primary focus of Chanda's research interest lies in the field of integrative health and health disparities research, specifically the evaluation of the clinical effectiveness and psychophysiological mechanisms underlying the practice of yoga and meditation for marginalized, underserved, and underresourced populations. These behavioral techniques include breathing exercises, physical postures, and mindfulness meditation. These practices produce a coordinated psychophysiological response called the relaxation response, which is associated with a reduction in psychophysiological arousal and a sense of well-being. These techniques are effective for many disorders with a psychosomatic component exacerbated by stress. Chanda is a TRIM predoctoral fellow and doctoral candidate in somatic depth psychology. She is conducting a qualitative, post-hoc study that seeks to increase the understanding and explore the long-term impact of trauma-informed, mindfulness-based yoga therapy for incarcerated populations. Additionally, Chanda is collaborating with UCSF faculty to examine the current uptake and acceptability of integrative oncology practices and complementary therapies (e.g., diet, exercise, yoga, and supplements) among Black individuals with cancer. Read More
Job Titles:
- Professor of Psychiatry, of Psychology and of Neuroscience
Job Titles:
- Member of the YSM Biobank Committee
Cheri Lewis joined Yale School of Medicine's Department of Urology in March 2022. While she is a New England native, she comes to us from Illinois where she held various higher education positions and most recently served as the communications associate for a non-profit health initiative. Previously, she was a TV news reporter and anchor, as well as radio broadcaster. Cheri is a Boston native and lived in Connecticut for several years, prior to moving to the Midwest in 2011. She holds a Master's in Communication and is a Boston University and University of Illinois - Springfield alum.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications for the Department of Psychiatry at Yale Sc
Chris Gardner is Director of Communications for the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. He promotes the work of the department's nearly 1,000 faculty members and trainees via the web, social media, and a monthly newsletter. He maintains the department's portfolio of over 70 websites and manages its messaging service and media relations.Prior to working at Yale, Chris enjoyed a 20-year career at the Republican-American newspaper in Waterbury, CT where he worked as Bureau Chief and Local News Editor. He received two first place awards for investigative reporting from the New England Newspaper & Press Association for uncovering wasteful spending in municipal government.He is the former Chairman of the Board of Newtown Youth and Family Services in Newtown, CT. He serves as Senior Burgess on the Borough of Newtown Board of Burgesses and is an elected member of the Newtown Legislative Council. Previously he served on the Newtown Board of Finance. He is also Newtown's "Keeper of the Flag," in charge of maintenance and upkeep of the town's iconic Main Street flagpole.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director
- Professor and Assistant Chair for Translational Research
Dr. Pittenger is Professor and Assistant Chair for Translational Research in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale. He holds a Ph.D. in neurobiology, earned under the tutelage of Nobel Prize winning psychiatrist Eric Kandel. Dr. Pittenger has a long history of cutting-edge, collaborative, and trans-disciplinary research, which continues in this Center.
Job Titles:
- Director of Peer Services
Chyrell Bellamy serves as the Director of Peer Services and Research for Yale PRCH. She has experience as a frontline service provider, community educator and organizer, as a community and academic researcher, and as a person in recovery. Her expertise includes developing and conducting community-based research initiatives; involving and partnering with people living with mental illness, substance use, and HIV; and research on sociocultural experiences and pathways to recovery in prevention and treatment. Bellamy received her Ph.D. in the Joint program in Social Work and Social Psychology from the University of Michigan and her M.S.W. (health social work) and B.A. (psychology) from Rutgers University. She did a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Center for Mental Health and Criminal Justice Research at Rutgers University. In her capacity as Director of Peer Services and Research, Bellamy provides instruction on peer curricula development and training based on her research and practice experience with peer employees; training of peers to conduct research; evaluation of the effectiveness of peer support; and, research and training on the development of culturally responsive community-based interventions.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder, GROW Initiative
- Professor of Psychiatry
Cindy A. Crusto, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology Section), Yale University School of Medicine, is Associate Dean for Gender Equity and Director of the Office for Women in Medicine and Science and the Director of Program Evaluation and Child Trauma Research at The Consultation Center.Dr. Crusto has more than 20 years of experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating preventive interventions in schools and community agencies. She also has extensive experience providing training and technical assistance to schools and to community-based organizations on the evaluation of prevention programs. She is interested in culturally relevant interventions for children from racial/ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds and in school-based behavioral health services. Dr. Crusto's research examines the impact of family violence on children and the ecological influences on child and family well-being, and includes rigorous evaluations of community-based initiatives involving substance use and violence prevention, and the promotion of school readiness. Dr. Crusto earned a B.A. in psychology from Vassar College, an M.A. in clinical-community psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a Ph.D. in clinical-community psychology from the University of South Carolina. She completed pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships in clinical-community psychology at Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry.
Job Titles:
- Director of Media Relations
- Director of Media Relations and Audience Development
Colleen Moriarty serves as director of media relations and audience development for Yale School of Medicine. In this role, she oversees a team that works on media, social media and brand visibility for the school and medical practice, Yale Medicine, as well as Yale Cancer Center. Before coming to the Yale School of Medicine, Moriarty wrote for a variety of publications such as Marie Claire, Self, Shape, Teen Vogue, and Good Housekeeping and was a contributing writer to Fit Pregnancy, contributing editor to the former Walking Magazine, and editorial assistant at Self Magazine. She is the author of Shortcuts to Sexy Abs (Fair Winds 2001) and contributed to Your Body: The Science of Keeping It Healthy (Time Books). She has also worked for a variety of digital websites and is a veteran copywriter, who has created marketing and advertising materials, social media campaigns, digital apps, and video and radio scripts for major corporations and health care companies such as Cigna, Clinique and Ethan Allen. She is an award-winning writer, who has a master of science degree in magazine journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
Job Titles:
- Member of the YSM Biobank Committee
As Director of Communications for the Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) and Department of Child Psychiatry, Crista guides departmental strategic communications, oversees related projects, and facilitates dissemination of the center's varied and complex research, clinical, and educational work. Crista serves as the department's vice chair for communications and a member of the YCSC strategy and stewardship team, meeting regularly with the department chair and other vice chairs. Crista also works to develop and sustain relationships and connectivity within and across the YCSC community. Prior to her current role, she served as a program manager and operations director for Minding the Baby™ (MTB) for 11 years, leading a variety of initiatives surrounding implementation, research, and training in the basic tenets of the MTB clinical model. Since she began working at Yale in 2002, she has served as a research associate, project director, chair of the YCSC web and social media committee, and member of the YCSC branding and networking committee. Crista holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Communications from Northeastern University; a Master of Arts in Teaching from Sacred Heart University; and a Master of Arts in Child Development from Tufts University, where she sharpened her expertise in developmental literacy and served as a home visitor for a school-based home visiting program with families of Kindergarteners in Somerville, Massachusetts. In addition to her work in teaching and academic research, Crista's professional background includes work in public relations, nonprofit management, web development, professional editing, grant facilitation, marketing, and job training.
Job Titles:
- Internal Medicine / Associate Communications Officer
Crystal Gwizdala joined Yale School of Medicine in 2023. She works within the Department of Internal Medicine (Geriatrics) on Patient Priorities Care, an approach to health care that aims to help patients, care partners, and clinicians focus decision-making and healthcare on what Matters Most: patients' own health priorities. Over the course of her career, Crystal has worked in a plethora of scientific fields such as toxicology, mental health and chemical manufacturing. Crystal's passion for learning and making science accessible led her to a career in science communication.
Dana Haugh is Web Services Librarian & Coordinator of Marketing and Communications at Yale's Cushing/Whitney Medical Library where she leads the design and development of the library's web presence. Her research interests include web design & development, marketing & outreach in libraries, open access, and information literacy. She received her MLS from Queens College and BA in English from Stony Brook University.
Job Titles:
- Social Media & Audience Development Specialist
Danielle Flocco serves as the Social Media & Audience Development Specialist for Yale Medicine, the clinical practice of Yale School of Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director
- Member of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Director, VISN 1 Clinical Resource Hub Chief, Clinical Resource Hub Service Line
Job Titles:
- Admin Asst and Communications Coord
Job Titles:
- Business Systems Analyst & Web Producer
A graduate of Northwestern University, Denise Meyer has worked in public relations and communications for over thirty years, first in the arts, then as a consultant for a wide range of small businesses, non-profits and an international manufacturing company. She is the founding publisher of Eirini Press whose offerings on non-duality include titles by Lawrence LeShan, Jonathan Bricklin and others. Denise has a wide range of print, social media and web experience and was web coordinator at the Yale School of Public Health from 2008-2021. There she has created and developed editorial and video content for the school's websites, newsletters and other special projects. In November 2021 she moved to the Yale School of Medicine Communications Group where she is a business systems analyst and web producer.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of the Yale Broadcast Studio
- Manager 3 Associate Director, Yale Broadcast Studio, Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning
Doug is the Associate Director of the Yale Broadcast Studio. For over 20 years he has been using his varied experience in video production to help form and disseminate Yale's inspiring message of research, scholarship, education, preservation and practice to an expanding global audience. Doug's career at Yale began by co-founding a professional video production unit within the Yale School of Medicine, establishing standards of quality within the Medical School and Yale-New Haven Hospital. It was here Doug worked on the award winning film ‘Microscopy: Tools of the Biosciences' produced by Martin Gordon, MD. in 2007 Doug served as Post Production Manager for ‘OpenYaleCourses', the pioneering and award winning endeavor into online learning. This groundbreaking effort quickly propelled Yale into a leadership position in the burgeoning field of online learning. In his current role, Doug has directed some of the most popular and favorably reviewed public Yale courses including ‘Moralities of Everyday Life', ‘Introduction to Classical Music' and ‘Understanding Medical Research: Your Facebook Friend is Wrong', among others. in 2020, Doug received the Linda Lorimer Award for Distinguished Service for his work on Yale's ‘Virtual Commencement Ceremony'. Doug is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a B.A. in Communications, a veteran of the United States Coast Guard Reserve and a constantly bewildered and misunderstood father of 3 teenaged daughters.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director and Co - Founder GROW Initiative / Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Director of Training, YSM Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology, Psychiatry
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor
Dr. Amber W. Childs is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry in the Yale School of Medicine. She is the Director of Training for the Yale Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology in the School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Division of Quality and Innovation within Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital (YNHPH) where she is a member of the medical staff. Additionally, Childs is the Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the internship program. She is also co-chair of the Education Subcommittee of the Yale Department of Psychiatry Antiracism Task Force.Childs' work aims to improve equity, access, and outcomes in psychiatric services and education through data-driven quality improvement and a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She is dedicated to clinical and educational program innovations that support the implementation of evidence-based practices and diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts to improve clinical and educational practices. Across her roles, Dr. Childs professional activities include: 1) promotion and implementation of evidence-based practices (EBP), such as Measurement-Based Care (MBC), that prioritize person-centered, individualized treatment and improved psychosocial outcomes; 2) improvement of psychiatric treatment among those who experience chronic and acute psychiatric illness, particularly for young people who are marginalized and minoritized; and 3) cultivating a generation of psychology leaders who have a deep and sophisticated understanding of DEI as it relates to clinical service delivery, research, and education. Childs earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and completed a doctoral internship and post-doctoral residency at the Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital, where she specialized in child and adolescent services.
Dr. Hilary Patricia Blumberg is the John and Hope Furth Professor of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Professor of Psychiatry, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and in the Child Center, and Director of the Mood Disorders Research Program, at the Yale School of Medicine. She graduated summa cum laude in neuroscience from Harvard University and completed her medical degree, psychiatry training and specialty training in brain scanning research at Cornell University Medical College. Dr. Blumberg's research is devoted to understanding the brain circuitry differences that underlie mood disorders across the lifespan, with a focus on bipolar disorder and on suicide prevention. She directs the Mood Disorders Research Program at Yale that brings together a multi-disciplinary group of scientists to study the genetic, developmental and environmental factors that cause mood disorders to develop new methods for early detection, more effective interventions, and prevention of the disorders and their associated high risk for suicide. This research includes the use of new state-of-the-art brain scanning methods. The program is also known for training young scientists to be new leaders in the field. Dr. Blumberg has served as principal investigator on awards from the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Department of Veterans Affairs, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, International Bipolar Disorder Foundation, For the Love of Travis Foundation, MQ Foundation, Stanley Medical Research Institute and Women's Health Research at Yale. She has received numerous awards including the 2021 International Society of Bipolar Disorders Mogens Schou Award for Research in Bipolar Disorder, 2021 Sethi Award, 2018 American Psychiatric Association Blanche F. Ittleson Award for outstanding and published research in child and adolescent psychiatry and 2017 Brain and Behavior Foundation Colvin Prize for Research Achievement in Mood Disorders. In 2021, she was nominated for the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. She is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and a member of the Society of Biological Psychiatry.
John and Hope Furth Professor of Psychiatric Neuroscience and Professor of Psychiatry, and in the Child Study Center and of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging; Director, Mood Disorders Research Program
Job Titles:
- Assistant Clinical Professor
Dr. Janis Tondora is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine. Based at the Program for Recovery and Community Health, Dr. Tondora functioned for several years as Project Director for an NIMH-funded R-01 study titled Culturally Responsive Person-Centered Care for Psychosis. Her professional interests focus on the design, implementation, and evaluation of services that promote self-determination, recovery, and community inclusion among individuals diagnosed with serious behavioral health disorders. In addition to her role at PRCH, she works closely with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) to promote the transfer of academic research into the public-sector behavioral health system. She has coordinated a number of statewide training, technical assistance, and consultation initiatives regarding the provision of recovery-oriented care, person-centered planning, and best-practice employment supports. This activity includes her role as Principal Investigator on a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services grant implementing and evaluating person-centered planning models in State public sector behavioral health systems.
Dr. Ballestas has a wide experience working with immigrants, refugees and underserved communities. He has worked in Global Mental Health with focus African and Latin-American Countries. Today, Dr. Ballestas owns a practice in New York where he focuses on treating mental health in a more natural and holistic way. He integrates conventional medicine with functional medicine where he combines genetics, nutrition, mindfulness meditation and positive lifestyles to achieve a physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. His practice is in a wellness center where multiple medical and healing modalities work in harmony.
Dr. Julio Ballestas is a board-certified psychiatrist who integrates conventional medicine with complementary & natural medicine to promote a general wellbeing. Dr. Ballestas received his M.D degree from the Universidad del Norte in Colombia, completed his psychiatric training at Albert Einstein School of medicine, his psychodynamic psychotherapy training at New York medical College and a fellowship in public and community psychiatry that Yale School of Medicine. He is a fellow of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM) and an active member of the Institute of Functional medicine (IFM).
Dr. Michelle Joaquin is a Latina, cisgender, woman from the Dominican Republic. She trained for a year as a postdoc at University of Southern California's Children's Hospital of Los Angeles' Project Heal/Trauma specialization where she also completed her internship. She was trained in and cofacilitated Crawford Bias Reduction Theory and Training (CBRT) groups. She served on panels such as the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel on Culturally Responsive Integrated Primary Care at the Developing and Researching Advanced Models of Integrated Primary Care (DREAM) conference. And she recently organized and presented in a symposium at the American Psychological Association (APA) that was titled "Addressing Microagressions and Racist Comments in Psychotherapy." She is trained in psychological assessment of asylum seekers, forensic interviewing and psychoeducational assessments. She is an APA Division 29 Advocacy and Mentoring Program for Diversity (AMPD) scholar. Some of her research interests include trauma, immigration and cultural sensitivity. In her spare time, she likes to dance salsa and seek out new beaches.
Dr. Stephanie Thrower is a licensed counseling psychologist who provides psychotherapy to individuals during pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, as well as the span of motherhood. She is a graduate of Boston College's doctoral program in Counseling Psychology. In addition, she received her masters in Mental Health Counseling from Boston College and Applied Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. Her clinical training includes providing inpatient and outpatient therapy in a Veteran hospital, a community healthcare center, a college mental health center, and schools. Working in perinatal mental health combines many of her interests including women's health, social justice and racial identity, the mind-body connection, performance psychology, attachment, and career identity development. Her private practice focuses on supporting clients to seek purpose and fulfillment at the intersection of motherhood and vocation. She is experienced in researching and training providers to be more racially and culturally responsive, particularly White therapists and supervisors. The phenomenal mentorship from Dr. Janet Helms was crucial for Dr. Thrower to develop expertise in applying the Racial Identity Social Interaction Model to the institutional and relational context of training therapists. Stephanie aims to offer a supportive, validating, and empowering relationship for her clients. She primarily draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in her clinical work, but also has extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychodynamic Therapy. She values connecting client's with resources, supporting increased knowledge about themselves, and bolstering skill development to improve self-advocacy and stress management.
Job Titles:
- Co - Directors of the Clinician Scientist
In 2016, Elisabeth was hired as the communications assistant at the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute. Prior to Yale, Elisabeth created user support documentation for Salesforce, a customer relations management tool, and traveled to Serbia where she developed conflict management and peace education training materials for a non-governmental organization. With a background in technical writing and graphic design, Elisabeth specializes in transforming scientific data into engaging content. At YSPH, she will support YSPH faculty and staff by ensuring the consistency of external communications, disseminating information on the school's social media channels, customizing graphic materials and developing online content.In February 2019, Elisabeth joined Yale Cardiovascular Medicine as the communications lead for the section. In this role, she works closely with the section chief to broaden the section's outreach within and beyond the walls of the institution.
Job Titles:
- Associate Research Scientist in Psychiatry
Job Titles:
- Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry Co - Director, Science Fellows Program
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor Medical Director, Headache Center of Excellence
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Communications at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Erin Brough is the associate director of communications at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. She holds an M.B.A. and is a Certified Project Management Professional. Prior to coming to Yale, she has worked with over 15 colleges and universities nationwide managing communication campaigns, course content revision, and implementation of new graduate and undergraduate programs.As a passionate project manager, Erin truly enjoys working with different teams and methodologies to reach shared objectives. In the project director role, Erin crafts and executes internal and external communication campaigns at YCEI. Erin lives in Hamden, CT with her husband and 8-year-old son. She is an avid reader, a big fan of stand-up comedy, and a very bad golfer.
Job Titles:
- Psychiatrist
- Copy Link / Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine / Medical Director, Hispanic Clinic, Connecticut Mental Health Center
Esperanza Diaz MD, psychiatrist, is Associate Professor of Psychiatry, at the Yale University School of Medicine. Esperanza is the Medical Director of the Hispanic Clinic of CMHC and the Latino Behavioral Health system, academic and community collaborations, serving monolingual Hispanics in the New Haven, CT area. She has established a national and international reputation as a leader in Latino behavioral health, as evidenced by her active involvement within professional organizational committees, invited presentations, National Institute of Health committees, teaching, and consultation around service delivery. She has been indispensable for the development of innovative models of culturally competent, recovery oriented psychiatric and primary care services serving the monolingual Spanish speakers population. Her research expertise in the area of adherence to behavioral health treatments in minorities evolved into cross-cultural research, teaching methods on psychiatric diagnosis, treatment response, health service delivery and health disparities applied to services development. As the Associate Program Director for the Yale psychiatry residency she provides unique trainings for numerous health care disciplines including medical school, psychiatry, psychology, social work, and nursing. Trainees are exposed to cutting edge clinical interventions, and recovery oriented services development for underserved minority populations. Through these positions, and her national collaborations she has established a reputation as a model clinician and educator for Hispanic and women faculty.
Job Titles:
- Admin Asst Residency Program
Frank processes and responds to all requests for training verification, manages fellowship and award opportunities for residents, organizes the resident/faculty holiday party, provides administrative support to the GEC, and coordinates other special education initiatives. In addition, Frank provides administrative support and calendar management to the Program Director.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Programmer Analyst
Job Titles:
- Director of Yale Ciencia Program Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Wu Tsai Institute Executive Director, Ciencia Puerto Rico
Graziela do Carmo Reis, is a Psychologist and has completed a masters in public health. She has extensive experience in strategic planning, training, and management in health care/mental health. Clinical work focused on trauma, foster care, domestic violence, and adolescents in conflict with the law. From 1999 to 2011 Graziela worked as a psychologist, professor and health care administrator in Brazil. Graziela developed and coordinated trainings in Brazil as a consultant of the federal health system. From 2004 to 2007 she was nominated vice president of the board of phycology on the state of Minas Gerais. From 2015 to 2016 she worked in a mentoring program for children under DCF care. In 2016, Graziela become Parent Support Coordinator of Therapeutic Foster care Program, and IRCC member. In 2017, Graziela was the guest editor of the mental health journal in Brazil in 2017. Extensive experience in community leadership.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Psychiatry and of Psychology Adjunct Associate Professor of Law Director, Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab
Job Titles:
- Professor of Psychiatric Neuroscience
- Professor of Psychiatry
Job Titles:
- Associate Editor - Writer
Isabella "Izzy" Backman graduated from Saint Michael's College with a B.S. in biology and minor in creative writing. She would go on to join the UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Program, one of the country's most competitive journalism programs, which allowed her to combine her interests. She brought her love for telling stories about science to Yale School of Medicine in 2021 as a summer science writing intern, and in the fall, she joined the Office of Communications full-time as associate writer and editor. She has held previous positions at NASA Ames Research Center and Stanford University News. Her work can also be found in outlets including Science, Mongabay, Eos and the San Jose Mercury News.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Psychiatry Chief of Psychiatry, VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor Adjunct of Psychiatry Research Director, National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans Director, Yale Division of Mental Health Services and Treatment Outcomes Research
Job Titles:
- Copy Link / Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicin
Dr. Tondora has collaborated with PRCH faculty and DMHAS leadership to develop a series of practice guidelines, program standards, and recovery-specific provider competencies. In recognition of her work, she has been invited to participate as a steering committee member of the SAMHSA National Consensus-Building Initiative on Person-Centered Care, and she has been providing training and consultation to numerous states seeking to develop person-centered planning models and programs. Dr. Tondora has shared her work with the field in numerous publications including a recent book co-authored with several colleagues entitled A Practical Guide to Recovery-Oriented Practice: Tools for Transforming Mental Health Care.
Prior to her involvement in behavioral health, she worked as a consultant providing services to public and private agencies, school districts, families, and individuals with disabilities. These services were designed to promote the full inclusion of individuals in all aspects of classroom and community life: an objective that remains at the core of her current work in behavioral health.
Job Titles:
- Communications Officer, Diversity & Inclusion
Jayinee Basu, D.O. is a PGY-2 in Psychiatry in the Medical Educator track at Zucker SOM at Staten Island University Hospital at Northwell. Born in Kolkata, she attended medical school at Touro University California, collaborated with the SCWG as a trainer, re-designed the structuralcompetency.org website, and helped organize a three-part webinar on structural innovations during COVID lockdown. She is also a writer and has published a book of poems, a novella, and is currently working on her first novel. She is interested in consultation-liaison psychiatry.
Job Titles:
- Accountant Assistant Emergency Medicine
Job Titles:
- Neurosurgery / Director of Communications
Job Titles:
- Director of Medical Education Administration
Jennifer manages the Office of Education and oversees the administration of the department's medical education programs with special responsibility for the psychiatry residency program.
Job Titles:
- Senior Communications Project Manager, YSM Comms
Job Titles:
- Design Manager, YSM Director of Communications Design, Yale School of Medicine Brand Manager, Yale School of Medicine Brand Manager, Yale Medicine
Appreciating design from a young age, Jennifer attended the University of Connecticut, obtaining a BS in Graphic Design in 1997. From there she nurtured her talent as a young designer at the New Haven Advocate, moving up the ranks from mere graphic designer to Art Director. From there, she moved on to work at several design agencies-before striking out to start 'Canvas' with business partner Tara Cantor, media planner. Jennifer began at Yale in 2008 and began to make her mark on the School of Medicine design. She is slowly taking over the design world-bit by bit.
Job Titles:
- Writer, Yale School of Medicine
Job Titles:
- Diagnostic Radiology / Director, IT / Read More
Job Titles:
- Managing Editor, Yale Medicine
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Surgery ( Oncology )
Jordan Sisson is a Communications and Faculty Affairs Officer for the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. In her dual role, Jordan crafts press releases, creates the monthly Psychiatry@Yale newsletter, and manages the department's social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. She also manages voluntary faculty appointments for the Faculty Affairs team. Prior to arriving at Yale, Jordan worked at the Hartford Courant, most recently as a content editor on the community and breaking news team, co-leading coverage of several high-profile stories. Before being promoted to editor, Jordan provided award-winning coverage as a reporter covering town news and religion for the paper. She also previously worked as a town news reporter at the Republican-American in Waterbury, Conn. She is a Connecticut native and lives in her hometown with her husband, two daughters, and cat, Cora. In her free time, Jordan enjoys reading, baking, and exploring local coffee shops, and feeds her wanderlust by moonlighting as a travel agent specializing in travel to Disney Destinations, Universal, all-inclusive resorts, and major cruise lines.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry
Job Titles:
- Development and Alumni Affairs / Communications Officer, YSM Development and Alumni Affairs
Julia Chianelli joined Yale University in February 2023 as the inaugural communications officer in the School of Medicine's Office of Development and Alumni Affairs and Office of Communications. She has 25 years of experience in marketing communications and has won numerous awards for innovation and excellence in communication. Prior to joining Yale, she served as director of development and alumni affairs communications at Quinnipiac University, director of advancement communications at Trinity College-Hartford, and manager of alumni communications at The University of Connecticut Foundation, Inc. She also held communications roles at Fortune 500 companies and was managing editor of a special-interest consumer magazine. Julia earned two bachelor of arts degrees at the University of Connecticut and studied at the Universität Mannheim and Goethe-Institut Mannheim in Mannheim, Germany. She holds a master of science in interactive media and communications at Quinnipiac University. While a graduate student at Quinnipiac, Julia was inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, the official honor society of the National Communication Association.
Job Titles:
- Internal Medicine / Associate Director, Communications
Julie Parry joined Yale School of Medicine and the Department of Internal Medicine in August 2018. She has outlined a communications strategy for the department to highlight its exceptional clinicians, educators, researchers, and staff. Julie and team create and write for 11 publications, showcasing a variety of topics to a range of internal and external audiences, along with creating and managing the department's social media accounts and website. Julie created the department's first annual report to accentuate the department's excellence in its tripartite mission, along with revitalizing the monthly newsletter, D[IM]ensions, and launching the department's alumni publication, D[IM] Digest. During her 20+ years of experience in communications, public relations, and marketing, Julie has worked in a number of industries such as sports and entertainment, technology, and healthcare.
Job Titles:
- Director / Senior Director, Communications Strategy and Technology
- Senior Director, Communications Strategy and Technology
Justin is responsible for communications technology and strategy for Yale School of Medicine. Within the Office of Communications, he leads the teams that create the systems, infrastructure, and technology that powers the school's websites (including medicine.yale.edu, publichealth.yale.edu, and YaleMedicine.org), as well as the team that provides support and editing services to internal stakeholders. He works to combine technology with business needs, continually refining tools, processes, and strategy to meet the ever-growing need for effective communications. Today, the team is particularly interested in using AI and automation to simplify processes and facilitate collaboration across the school and university. Its goal is create a more streamlined set of tools and a tighter alignment across the school's various communications mediums (web, print, digital and social). Justin is also responsible for the business side of communications technology at YSM, managing a team of 17 offshore developers, hiring and overseeing vendors, and managing the office's budget, revenue, and resources. Justin joined the School of Medicine's Office of Communications as a founding member of its web group in 2006, initially as the project manager in charge of creating the school's first standardized web template and then migrating more than 600 school organizations into the template. Today, the school is on its fourth iteration of the common template (T4), which launched in 2019. He led the charge for branding and web standardization at the school, purchasing and implementing the school's first web content management system (SDL Tridion). He also spearheaded the effort to create the the school's dynamic content system, Beatrix, which includes more than 25,000 profiles, 28,000 calendar events, 26,000 news articles, and the ability for faculty to create standardized CVs. In addition, he created and introduced standardized digital signage to the school's campus. Justin lives in Seattle with his husband, Rudy, and their child, Felix. He is an avid CrossFitter and home renovator. Revised November 2022
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean, Diversity and Inclusion Programs
Kathy Katella is an award-winning writer who has specialized in health and medicine for more than 15 years. She is a senior clinical writer for Yale Medicine, producing content about the practice's services in anesthesiology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics and surgery. Kathy previously served as communications manager, a position that included handling internal communications for Yale Medicine, producing newsletters and year-end reports, and providing general support for the CEO and other senior administrators.Before joining the Yale School of Medicine, Kathy was a general assignment feature reporter and later an editor for two daily newspapers in Connecticut. She published articles in the New York Times, Yale Medicine magazine and other publications, and wrote two books for middle-schoolers. She also provided freelance editorial services for a variety of clients, including Yale New Haven Hospital.
Kelly Ray Knight, Ph.D. is a medical anthropologist and Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) and has conducted qualitative research and harm reduction service provision for people who use drugs and experience homelessness since 1996. Her work centers the experiences of poverty and addiction in clinical and community settings; homelessness and health disparities; and, health conditions produced or exacerbated by structural violence. Dr. Knight is currently Principal Investigator (PI) of two NIDA-funded ethnographic studies: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study of Fentanyl-Stimulant Polysubstance Use Among People Experiencing Homelessness (R01 DA 057672) and Examining the Consequences of Reductions in Opioid Prescribing on Patients, Clinical Care, and Community Health (RO1 DA 043631), and has served as PI, or Co-I, on multiple federally-funded qualitative/ethnographic studies examining social and policy implications of mental health, substance use and homelessness. Dr. Knight has published 65 peer-reviewed journal articles and an awarding-winning, book-length ethnographic study of pregnant people who use drugs and live in single-room occupancy hotels, addicted.pregnant.poor (Duke University Press, 2015). She is a member of the Structural Competency Working Group in the Bay Area and a national leader on the development structural competency curricula and training. She serves as a Director of Qualitative Research for the UCSF Benioff Housing and Homelessness Initiative, Co-Director for UCSF Population Health and Health Equity, as a Core Curricular Liaison for the UCSF Anti-Oppressive Curricular Initiative, and as steering committee member for the REPAIR Project, a three-year initiative addressing anti-Black racism in science and medicine housed in the UCSF Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Research Scientist in Pathology Operations Manager, YSM Biobank
Job Titles:
- Senior Producer, Yale School of Medicine
Job Titles:
- Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry Co - Director, Science Fellows Program
Job Titles:
- Millstone Family Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Cognitive Science
Job Titles:
- Copy Link / Professor of Psychiatry Senior Policy Advisor, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Director, Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health
Job Titles:
- Communications Support Specialist
Laura joined Yale School of Medicine in 2000 and has had held many roles since then. Her current position as Communications Support Specialist allows her to showcase her skills in survey design, data storytelling, and pitch deck creation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Senior Program Leader and Relationship Manager
Lena started out as a Internet Specialist in communications for Yale Medicine in 2004, and in 2006 was promoted to have purview over the web for all of YSM. Within months she created the first iteration of the brain trust dedicated to the mission of a "world-class" web presence for YSM, which has now grown to a full web team. The group is dedicated to these goals: Beautiful, useful, consistently branded websites that as a unit speak to the excellence of YSM All faculty and organizations being able to promote their important work, regardless of whether or not they have resources Ease of accessibility for users and web editors Excellent communication with clients and administration Efficient use of accurate data across websites In 2016, Lena was promoted to be the Operations Director for the Yale School of Medicine Office of Communications, and in 2021 again to Senior Program Leader & Relationship Manager for YSM Communications.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, YSM Diversity Office Director of Educational Outreach Programs
Lindsey Leger is a video producer, working to create original video content highlighting innovative research and care at YSM. Prior to joining Yale, she was a freelance photographer and videographer working with editorial and humanitarian clients, including the Associated Press, UNICEF and USAID. She completed her BFA at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and is completing a MA at the University of Münster in Germany.
Job Titles:
- YCCI Communications Officer
Job Titles:
- Business Systems Analyst & Web Producer
Liz joined the Yale School of Medicine Web Group October 2011. After being with the team for over 10 years she was promoted to her current role as Business Systems Analyst & Web Producer. She manages all Web Support Help Desk Tickets submitted to ysm.editor@yale.edu for the entire School of Medicine and YaleMedicine.org. When she is not assisting in building or maintaining websites, she is programming the usability tests used for future enhancements to YSM websites and applications. Liz provides preliminary and basic support for staff using SDL Tridion and all YSM web applications, as well as providing support with utilizing the News and People Profile System. Liz lives in the shoreline community of Guilford with her wife Carissa, and when not hiking somewhere in New England or traveling abroad, she can be easily found working on her next home project.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Psychiatry, Child Study and Neuroscience
Dr. Potenza has significant expertise and experience in clinical research, leadership, administration and mentoring. Dr. Potenza's focuses on clinical research of substance and non-substance ("behavioral") addictions. His multifaceted, developmentally informed research program includes clinical trials, multimodal neuroimaging and genetic approaches and their integration. Major accomplishments include imaging and clinical trials studies that link pathological gambling with substance addictions, with such work in part leading to pathological gambling being reclassified with substance use disorders in DSM-5. He is currently PI on an R01 to investigate the neural correlates of cocaine use disorder and multiple PI on an R01 that focuses on understanding the neural correlates of treatments for obesity and binge eating disorder. Additionally, Dr. Potenza is co-Director of the Clinician Scientist Program, organizes and teaches in the core seminars, has chaired the CMHC Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee for approximately 20 years, and serves as research mentor for multiple trainees. He has mentored over 100 early career investigators, including over 12 individuals with entry-level NIDA or NIAAA K Awards (including 5 current individuals).
Job Titles:
- Principal Investigator / Professor of Psychiatry
Maria E. Restrepo-Toro is an Educator and Trainer at the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health. Maria is a Visionary Leader, Trainer and Researcher in the field of Latino Behavioral Health Recovery, Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Cultural Diversity. She has earned recognition as a leader in the field of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and received the USPRA 2012 Leroy Spaniol Educator Award. Maria is passionate about eliminating disparities, empowering people to recover, and gain equal access to behavioral health services. For the last 30 years, Maria she has been successfully trained bilingual professionals, administrators, peers, advocates and family members both nationally and internationally. She has a unique expertise in developing culturally appropriate recovery-oriented training materials designed to bring hope and to empower Spanish-speaking people and their families.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Director of Research
- Copy Link / Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicin
Maria O'Connell, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Research and Evaluation at the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH). Dr. O'Connell has provided oversight and quality assurance for collaborative research and evaluation projects conducted at PRCH since 2002. She has an extensive background in conducting research on recovery-related topics, including psychiatric advance directives, self-determination and choice, recovery-oriented services, housing and other community based programs, as well as expertise in the development of data management systems, statistical analysis, and program evaluation. Dr. O'Connell currently has an NIMH R01 examining the adoption and diffusion of person-centered and recovery-oriented practices among community mental health centers nationwide.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Medicine Clinical Program Leader, Liver Cancer Program Co - Director, Yale Liver Center, Internal Medicine
Job Titles:
- Director, Product and Web Services
Mark began working with Yale School of Medicine Communications in 2010 as the Manager for Web Training and Support. In this role, Mark fielded website editors' questions concerning YSM's content management system, SDL Web, along with other web applications used in conjunction with Tridion to maintain the school's web presence. In addition, with the help of the Web Group student team he created a library of support documentation for editors to learn the basics of SDL Web and how to create specific templates. Over the years, his role transitioned from being focused on supporting editors making website updates in the YSM environment to the development of the website applications themselves. Now, as Product and Web Services Director, Mark defines requirements and facilitates the development of web applications, leads the UI/UX design process for those applications to ensure they are user-friendly and accessible, and directs the Web Services team, a centralized group of professional editors who make the vast majority of the updates needed for the Yale School of Medicine and Yale Medicine websites.
Mark Costa, MD, MPH, is currently an Associate Research Scientist at the Yale Department of Psychiatry, Program for Recovery and Community Health. Dr. Costa served 18 years as a psychiatrist in Brazil, where he also completed his Masters in Public Health. Dr. Costa's research and practical interest relates to Integrated Health Care, Culture, Employment and Community Reentry for people with mental illness and substance abuse challenges.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Communications
- Yale School of Medicine ( YSM ) Administration in 2000 As Director of Strategic Planning and Marketing
Mary Hu joined the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) administration in 2000 as Director of Strategic Planning and Marketing for Yale Medicine. In 2004, she took on the responsibility of directing school-wide communications, including print and online publications, and managing the Yale School of Medicine brand. Mary serves as liaison between the Dean's Office and relevant university and hospital offices, including the Yale University Office of the Secretary, Office of Public Affairs and Communications, Office of Development, Alumni Affairs, Yale Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale New Haven Health System.
Job Titles:
- Copy Link / Director of Social Work, Connecticut Mental Health Center
Marίa Elena Oliva, LCSW is the Director of Social Work at the Connecticut Mental Health Center in New Haven, CT (DMHAS). She is currently a doctoral candidate at the Smith College School of Social Work where she is exploring the impact of bilingualism on supervision and clinical training of the bilingual social worker. As a child immigrant to the United States from Cuba, Marίa Elena has lived and been educated within the duet of two languages. She believes that it is these voices that always remind her of home, that speak to her in the language of the heart. Marίa Elena has presented on the impact of therapy in the second language at two NASW annual conferences, groups of psychotherapy practitioners, and to several university groups.
Job Titles:
- Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation As Its Communication Officer
- Director of Marketing, YSM
Matthew O'Rourke joined the Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation as its communication officer in July 2019. Prior to Orthopaedics, he spent five and a half years at the Yale School of Management working in international communications, collaborating and coordinating communications efforts with 30 schools in 25 countries through the Global Network for Advanced Management. A journalist by training, he oversees all of the department's web and social media strategies.Prior to Yale, O'Rourke worked as a reporter at the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper, covering two towns and developing an outdoors/environmental beat for six and a half years. While there, he was part of a team that won the national Society of Professional Journalists Sunshine Award, highlighting excellence in Freedom of Information Act requests and reporting. His work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and Boston Globe.
Maya joined as Visual Design Specialist for Yale School of Medicine in 2017. She provides design support for YSM Communications and their print publications.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Psychiatry Director of VA New England Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center ( MIRECC )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Communications Officer, YCC Media Relations & Audience Development
Job Titles:
- Copy Link / Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine / Co - Director, Program for Recovery and Community Health
- Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry Director, Citizens Community Collaborative, Yale Department of Psychiatry
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist and Director of the Connecticut Latino Behavioral Health System
- Copy Link
Michelle Silva is a licensed clinical psychologist and Director of the Connecticut Latino Behavioral Health System, an academic-community partnership designed to expand access to behavioral health services for the monolingual Spanish speaking community of greater New Haven. Dr. Silva's work bridges practice, education, and clinical research, and she engages in multidisciplinary collaborations designed to promote health equity among vulnerable and underserved communities. Based at the Hispanic Clinic of the Connecticut Mental Health Center, Dr. Silva provides clinical services to individuals affected by immigration-related trauma and supervises health professional students providing psychoeducational interventions through the Behavioral Health Program of the Yale HAVEN Free Clinic.
Mike Friscia joined the Yale School of Medicine in April 2017 as the Lead Technical Architect with responsibilities for systems and software design.Previously he worked in the Yale University Library for ten years managing a team of software engineers focused on digital asset management and discovery systems with emphasis on open source, community driven development. Prior to Yale, Mike was the lead software developer at Connecticut College where he worked primarily with student and alumni information systems. Mike enjoys collecting and programming vintage computers from the 1970's and 1980's and is an active participant in the International Game Developer Association working as a consultant on several open source projects.
Minsun Lee, PhD, is Assistant Professor and Co-Director of Training in the Counseling Psychology PhD program at Seton Hall University. She conducts research on the intersectionality of race, culture, and gender in the experiences of Asian Americans, and racial and cultural factors in psychotherapy. She teaches courses on theories and techniques in counseling psychology, practicum, group counseling, qualitative research, and race and racial identity in multicultural counseling. She is also Assistant Professor at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, where she teaches medical students. She is a licensed psychologist in the states of New York and New Jersey, with experiences providing psychological services to diverse populations. Dr. Lee obtained her PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Albany, State University of New York. She completed an APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at the Albany Psychology Consortium and a post-doctoral fellowship at Albany Medical Center/Albany Medical college. She is a 2021-2023 Asian American Psychological Association Leadership Fellow and serves on the Editorial Board of The Counseling Psychologist. Read More
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Job Titles:
- Professor and Vice Chair for Faculty Development, Diversity, Equi
Nadine J. Kaslow, Ph.D., ABPP is a Professor and Vice Chair for Faculty Development, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Emory University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Chief Psychologist, Grady Health System; and Director of Postdoctoral Residency Training, Emory University School of Medicine. She is also the Founder and Director of the Nia Project, a culturally responsive intervention program for abused and suicidal African American women, for which she was honored with the Atlanta Magazine's Women Making an Impact Award (2022). She is board certified in clinical psychology, clinical child and adolescent psychology, and couple and family psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology. Dr. Kaslow is Past President of the American Psychological Association (APA) (2014) as well as four of its divisions (12, 18, 29,43), the American Board of Clinical Psychology, and the American Board of Professional Psychology. She is the Former Chair and Board Member Emeritus of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). She has received numerous awards for her contributions as an educator, trainer, and supervisor including APA's Distinguished Contributions for Education and Training Award, APA Presidential Citation, APPIC's Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Training, Grady Health Foundation's Inspiring Mentor Award, and Distinguished Member of Psi Chi. The recipient of multiple federal and foundation grants, she has published over 350 articles and co-edited seven books including Supporting Students with Competence Problems: A Practical Guide for Psychology Trainers, Oxford Handbook of Education and Training in Professional Psychology, and Essential psychotherapies 4th edition. She is one of the authors of APA's Guidelines for Clinical Supervision in Health Service Psychology (2015). She has given countless local, regional, national, and international workshops on psychology education, training, and supervision; leadership development; suicide and depression; and family violence. A member of Rosalynn Carter's Mental Health Advisory Board, Dr. Kaslow is the psychologist for the Atlanta Ballet and a frequent media guest.
Nadya A. Fouad is the Mary and Ted Kellner Endowed Chair in Educational Psychology and a University Distinguished Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is the Training Director of the Counseling Psychology doctoral program and studies how people make work and career-related decisions, particularly in understanding the work choices for women and underrepresented minorities. She is the former Editor in Chief of the Journal of Vocational Behavior (2015-2022) and The Counseling Psychologist (2006-2013). She is past president of the Society of Counseling Psychology, past Chair of the APA Board of Educational Affairs, past chair of the APA Ethics Committee, past chair of the APA Competency Benchmarks Workgroup, and past co-chair of the 0222 Multicultural Guidelines Writing Group. She serves as Special Assistant to the Provost for Conflict Resolution and chair of the Ombuds Council for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Nancy J. Brown, MD, joined Yale School of Medicine as Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of Medicine and C.N.H Long Professor of Internal Medicine in February 2020. As dean, she oversees one of the world's leading institutions for biomedical research, education, and advanced clinical care.
Naomi Rogers, Ph.D. (She/Her) is Professor of the History of Medicine in the Section of the History of Medicine and the Program in the History of Science and Medicine at Yale University where she regularly teaches undergraduate, graduate, and medical students. At the School of Medicine, she regularly lectures on the history of AIDS, reproduction, health economics, eugenics, nutrition, disability and health activism. Her undergraduate courses include American Medicine and the Cold War, and Public Health in America. At the graduate level, she teaches seminars on disability and on health and body politics. She is the Director of Graduate Studies for the 2022-23 academic year. Her historical interests are in 20th and 21st century history of medicine, health inequities and social justice. Her research focuses include gender and health; disease and public health; disability; feminism; alternative medicine; health policy; and health activism. Professor Rogers has published in numerous medical, public health and history journals including American Journal of Public Health, Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Journal of Medical Humanities, Radical History Review, Social History of Medicine and Women and Health. She is the author of three books: Polio Wars: Sister Kenny and the Golden Age of American Medicine (Oxford, 2014) (which received the AAHN's Lavinia L. Dock Award for Exemplary Historical Research); An Alternative Path: The Making and Remaking of Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital of Philadelphia (Rutgers, 1998); and Dirt and Disease: Polio Before FDR (Rutgers, 1992). In 2017, she presented the AAHM's Garrison Lecture: "Radical Visions of American Medicine: Politics and Activism in the History of Medicine." Since then her recent works have included: (with Zoe Adams) "Services not Mausoleums: Race, Politics, and the Concept of Community in American Medicine," Journal of Medical Humanities, 41 (2020): 515-529; "Resistance to Polio Vaccines in Mid-Twentieth-Century America: The Role of the March of Dimes, Community Skepticism, Racial Inequalities, and Medical Politics," Nursing History Review 31 (2022, forthcoming); and "Radical Visions of American Medicine: Politics and Activism in the History of Medicine," Bulletin of History of Medicine (Winter 2023, forthcoming). Her current book project, Health Radicalism and the Humanization of American Medicine (under contract with Oxford), examines critics of medical orthodoxy since 1945 including civil rights, consumer and feminist activists. Other ongoing projects include a study of antisemitism in American medicine in the decades before and after the Second World War. She has been a consultant for a number of documentaries, including "The Polio Crusade" (PBS), "On the Basis of Sex" (Focus Features) and "War on Science" (in process). Her perspectives on COVID-related topics have appeared in various news media including BBC Radio, CNN, Huffington Post, National Public Radio, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Professor Rogers has taught at Yale since the mid-1990s. Since joining Yale's Program in the History of Science and Medicine in 2001 she has served as Chair of the Women's Faculty Forum; Liaison to the Committee on Status of Women in Medicine; and Director of Medical Students for the Section in the History of Medicine. She has served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences since 2018 and is a manuscript reviewer for numerous journals. In addition to her service as Director of Graduate Studies, Rogers is currently a member of the Medical School's OBGYN "Dobbs" Sessions Planning Committee, which has organized a series of webinars for the Yale community, and was a co-organizer of a special history-themed session "Rooted in History: Abortion, Law and American Health Care." Professor Rogers holds courtesy appointments in the History Department and the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program.
Natalia is a Psychiatrist graduated from CES University (Medellín, Colombia) who from the beginnings as a general practitioner was drawn to work with community mental health. Natalia completed a master's degree in psychosocial rehabilitation in mental health at the Autonomous University of Psychiatry, in Barcelona, Spain, where she is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Psychiatry. She has deepen the knowledge in the area of psychosocial rehabilitation in mental health at the Peré Mata Institute, in Reus, Spain. She begins the exercise of psychiatry with a view to applying rehabilitative interventions in her country managing a Foundation for this purpose, and conducts psycho-educational groups for patients and family members with severe mental illness. She has some publications in local magazines about rehabilitation interventions in Colombia.
Job Titles:
- Director of Product Development and Implementation at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Nicole (Nikki) Elbertson is the director of product development and implementation at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. In various research and training roles at the Center for over 20 years, she has managed and coordinated several projects focused on the development, implementation, and evaluation of RULER from early childhood through high school. Nikki has contributed to the design and publication of the Center's research studies and curricula, and she is the co-author of several scholarly articles, papers, and book chapters. Currently, she focuses on the strategic development, alignment, and distribution of the Center's content and serves as a RULER trainer and coach. Outside of her work at the Center, she is a certified group fitness instructor and health coach.
Job Titles:
- Executive Editor
- Chief Communications Officer Senior Director for Content Strategy & Development, Office of Communications
Job Titles:
- Video Post - Production Specialist
- Video Producer / Editor
Noah Golden is a video producer/editor who has been at Yale School of Medicine since 2013. Over that time, Noah has produced hundreds of videos for Yale School of Medicine and Yale Medicine, including the 4 Things series, The Exam Room series, profiles of the Second Year Show, the Yale Medical Orchestra, Match Day and a large number of Yale Medicine physician bios. He ran Yale School of Medicine's Facebook page for two years and continues to work on social media strategy. His work has won an award from LabTV and been featured in the New Haven Documentary Film Festival. In his spare time, can often be found playing music, creating/watching/writing about theater or eating.
Patrick Riley is the Psychology Section Administrator in the Yale School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry Psychology Section. Patrick received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Public Health from Marymount Manhattan College. Patrick served as a Lead Research Assistant in the Developmental Psychology Lab at Marymount Manhattan College, where he managed research projects on topics related to disabilities, mental health, and pro-social development, in addition to presenting at research conferences and co-authoring publications. Patrick completed clinical internships at the Child Mind Institute and the Quad Preparatory School, supporting children and adolescents with behavioral and learning differences. Patrick worked for the Clinton Foundation as a Program Associate for Too Small to Fail, the Foundation's Early Childhood Initiative. At the Clinton Foundation, Patrick supported the initiative in advancing public awareness and action campaigns to support early brain and language development, coordinated research evaluations, managed communications, and developed Foundation partnerships. Most recently, Patrick was an Admission Counselor at Marymount Manhattan College, supporting students through the college application and enrollment process. As a Psychology Section Administrator, Patrick collaborates with the Department of Psychiatry Faculty and works with the Psychology Section team to manage the Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience and Director, Scientific Operations, Department of Neuroscience
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder, GROW Initiative / Associate Professor of Psychiatry Director, Peer Support & Family Initiatives, CMHC
Job Titles:
- Director of Content Strategy, YSM
Job Titles:
- Senior Administrative Assistant Business Manager, Office of Communications
Job Titles:
- Managing Editor, Medicine@Yale
Rob Forman arrived at Yale School of Medicine in August 2016, after work as a writer and media relations professional for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where he was chief of news services, and then Rutgers University. Prior to working in higher education, Rob was a producer, writer, reporter, and manager for CBS News, with varied assignments covering politics, business, international affairs, and many other subjects, including five years as a medical producer. Before CBS he worked in Connecticut radio-including WELI in New Haven, where he was a news anchor, reporter and sports talk host.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Translational Research and Professor
Job Titles:
- Professor of Psychiatry and of Health Policy Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator
- Coordinator of the Long Term Care Clinic
Ross is the coordinator of the Long Term Care Clinic (LTCC), the residency program's virtual psychotherapy clinic. He coordinates clinical rotation evaluations in MedHub, manages the electives program, and organizes the PGY-2 Core Skills Course and the PGY-3/PGY-4 Annual Clinical Exam with Dr. Esperanza Diaz.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Psychiatry Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Dean 's Office Deputy Chair for Career Development, Psychiatry
Job Titles:
- Director of the Digital Education Office
- Senior Director, Digital Education
Sara Epperson is the Director of the Digital Education office within the Poorvu Center. Since joining in September 2013, Sara has worked with faculty to bring their online education initiatives to life on various dissemination platforms. From Yale SOM's Global Network for Advanced Management programs, to a summer math course called ONEXYS, to newly formed non-degree programs from professional schools, to an executive online degree program from the School of Public Health, Sara has worked on a variety of large scale projects that are available for both Yale students on campus and beyond. Further, Sara and her team help create and support Coursera MOOC courses available to the public. The team works on every stage of the project, including ideation, outlines, learning objectives, production, editing, promotions, launch and operations. Sara has contributed as both a project manager and consultant on these projects, and is eager to step in for assistance in a variety of ways. She is excited to see more partnerships within the Poorvu Center develop as more material is placed online and accessible to more audiences than ever before, and is thrilled to be a part of these newly formed relationships across the University.
Job Titles:
- Director, YSM Exec. & Internal Communications
Sara joined Yale School of Medicine in March of 2023 as senior director, executive and internal communications. In addition to providing executive communication support to the leadership team, she is responsible for amplifying YSM's strategic goals and priorities and informing and inspiring the medical school community. Prior to joining Yale, Sara worked for more than 20 years in the healthcare and financial services industries, holding a variety of communication roles at a Connecticut-based health system and multiple Fortune 200 and Fortune 500 companies. Throughout her career, she has led comprehensive communication strategies that have driven measurable results in connecting employees to organizational cultures, brands and business goals. Sara holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and a master's degree in corporate communication from DePaul University.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Psychiatry Clinic Director, Outpatient Addiction Recovery Service ( OARS ), VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Job Titles:
- Communications Officer, YSM Social Media and Audience Development
Job Titles:
- Communications Officer for the Department of Internal Medicine at Yale
- Internal Medicine / Communications Officer
Serena Crawford is a communications officer for the Department of Internal Medicine at Yale. Prior to joining the department, she served as director of communications for the Liman Center at Yale Law School, where she led the production and coordination of the center's e-newsletters, website content, and annual report, among other projects. She holds a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from the University of Oregon.
Silvia Abad-Merino (Ph.D. in Applied Psychology) is a Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Córdoba, Spain. Her research is focused on the systematic study of how subtle forms of bias maintain structural disadvantage for ethnic minorities and women; the evaluation of inequitable outcomes of different vulnerable populations in educational and health settings; and the enhancement of equity development, inclusion and effective cross-cultural communication in global intercultural societies. Her academic and research trajectory show a deep commitment to issues of social justice and empowering members of traditionally disadvantaged groups through education and community involvement.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry and Director, Division of Substance Abuse Research
Dr. O'Malley's research focuses on behavioral pharmacology, clinical trials of psychosocial and behavioral interventions with substance abusers, and studies of risk for alcoholism and nicotine dependence. Dr. O'Malley is co-Director of the Clinician Scientist Program, teaches in the core seminars, holds a Senior Scientist and Mentoring K05 and has mentored multiple past and current trainees and other junior faculty members including many women who are now internationally renowned addictions researchers. Dr. O'Malley has made seminal contributions to addiction treatment, including having conducted initial investigations of naltrexone, including one of the two pivotal studies used in the FDA approval of naltrexone for alcohol dependence and the development of a laboratory alcohol self-administration model that has been used by NIH, pharma and academic investigators to evaluate several compounds for alcoholism. She has made substantial contributions to tobacco research through her leadership of the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center at Yale, funded by NIDA, NCI and NIAAA. She has an exceptional track record of leadership within the Department of Psychiatry as the Director of the Division of Addictions (DA), as the President of the Research Society on Alcoholism, and as a leader of multi-site clinical trials and transdisciplinary research.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Psychiatry Chief of Psychology, VA CT Healthcare System
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor Tenure Associate Professor, Neuroscience Member, Kavli Institute for Neuroscience
Job Titles:
- STEM Diversity Programs Research Associate
Susan began her career at Yale in the Department of Pathology, where she served as the Residency Program Coordinator for 6 years. She then moved to the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, in Internal Medicine, where she worked as the Human Resource and Operations Manager for four years. Upon the advice of her Lead Administrator, she shifted to the Geriatric Medicine section in order to gain a couple of years of accounting experience. However, Susan found she preferred interacting with people, rather than crunching numbers, so she accepted a position in the Chair's office in the Department of Neurology. In Neurology, Susan served as an Assistant Administrator for nine years. During this time, she managed the Chair's Office, the Education Office, and Faculty Affairs for the department. The faculty tripled in number during her time there and she gained critical supervisory experience during this phase of her career. In 2020, she embarked on a new role as an Administrative Assistant in the YSM Department of Communications.
Administrator with primary responsibility for overseeing the Medical Student Education Program, which includes the Psychiatry Clerkship, PA Program and the Electives Program for US and International students. In addition, also works closely with the Residency Program. View Full Profile
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Communications Officer
Terry Corcoran is an Associate Communications Officer working mostly with the Department of Pathology and also with the Yale Cancer Center, producing written, photographic and videographic content. Among his responsibilities are producing a monthly internal newsletter for the Pathology Department, managing its social media accounts, and assisting faculty, students and staff with their communications needs. Before coming to Yale, Terry worked for more than two decades in daily journalism in Connecticut and New York. He served as an assistant to Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary, a writer and editor for the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, and a senior staff writer for the Hartford Business Journal.
Job Titles:
- Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and in the Child Study Center
Job Titles:
- Physician Marketing Specialist, Yale Medicine
Job Titles:
- Lead and Technical Project Manager
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor Director of Informatics, Laboratory Medicine Director, CORE Center for Computational Health, Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation ( CORE )
Job Titles:
- Business Systems Analyst & Web Producer