Leadership and Faculty

Yael Belinkie, PhD

Director of Clinical and Business Affairs, Substance Abuse Treatment Program, New Directions Recovery Center and Wakefield Recovery Center, Montefiore Medical Center

Dr. Yael Belinkie is a licensed clinical psychologist and a graduate of Montefiore’s Clinical Psychology Pre-doctoral training program. She has held supervisory and leadership positions at Montefiore’s Substance Abuse Treatment Program 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 the use of Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Dr. Belinkie received her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Yale University where, under the mentorship of Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, Ph.D., 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.

Yash Bhambhani, PhD

Attending Psychologist, Substance Abuse Treatment Program, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Yash Bhambhani, PhD is an Attending Psychologist at Montefiore'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 from Montefiore-Einstein's Psychology Internship program, from the Adult Specialization Track. He found his work to be so meaningful that he had to come back! Dr. Bhambhani specializes in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, 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 externs and interns, mentoring, and teaching didactic lectures. His area of research specialization is also focused on ACT and how ACT can be used to improve well-being for people with minoritized experiences (e.g., gay, and bisexual men of color).

Sidney Brinson, PsyD

Limited Permit Psychologist, Montefiore Medical Center, Substance Abuse Treatment Program

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

Jairo Arce-Morales, PsyD

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Montefiore Medical Center, Substance Abuse Treatment Program

Dr. Arce-Morales is a graduate of Albizu University in Puerto Rico, where he trained as a health service psychologist. During his training, Dr. Arce-Morales engaged in psychologist-led consultation and liaison teams at general hospitals, provided psychology services in primary care settings in underserved areas of Puerto Rico and Indiana, and offered support to survivors of natural disasters. He completed a pre-doctoral internship focused on Integrated Primary Care and Health Psychology at the Bowen Center in Indiana and is currently completing Montefiore’s Addiction Psychology Post-Doctoral Fellowship. He provides psychotherapy services in both Spanish and English, with treatment addressing depression, anxiety, trauma, and other presenting concerns utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 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.

Brett Simpson, PsyD

Attending Psychologist, Consultation –Liaison Psychiatry Service, Psychologist, Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Montefiore Medical Center/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Brett Simpson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine. He serves as an Attending Psychologist on the Psychiatry Consultative & Liaison service and works on the abdominal transplant team within the Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation. He completed his doctorate in clinical psychology with a specialization in Health Psychology at Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Simpson completed his internship in adult & pediatric health psychology at Broward Health Medical Center and his post-doctoral fellowship at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Medical Center specializing in C&L psychology. His research interests include medical trauma and efficacy of early psychological interventions with medically admitted patients. Dr. Simpson currently serves as a Member on the APA’s Division 38 Public Health Policy Committee.

Lisa Teh, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Montefiore Medical Center/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Teh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine 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, internship in adult/health psychology at Geisinger Medical Center, and post-doctoral 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 relapse to alcohol following liver transplantation, and decreasing health disparities in access to solid-organ transplantation and outcomes. Dr. Teh currently serves as a Member at Large on the Executive Committee of the American Society of Transplantation’s Psychosocial and Ethics Community of Practice.

Christine Cho, PsyD

Attending Psychologist, Pediatric Abdominal Solid Organ Transplantation

Dr. Cho is a faculty member and 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. She completed her masters 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, 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, posttraumatic stress disorder, disruptive behavior disorders, and emotion dysregulation in youth and young adults.

Andrea Kondracke, MD

Director of the Division of Psychiatry and Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center

In her role, Dr. Kondracke oversees and integrates psychiatric consultation services for people admitted to medical and surgical services at Montefiore’s Moses campus, as well as oversees Montefiore’s specialized psychiatric consultation services for transplant surgery and for addiction medicine. After earning her BA in Philosophy at Boston College and MD at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Kondracke completed residencies in both Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at New York Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center. After training, she joined the faculty at 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 on a regular basis 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 times.

Sandra S. Pimentel, PhD

Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Associate Director of Psychology Training, and Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine

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 held the position of 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 treatments (CBT) 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 the dissemination of evidenced-based interventions for child and adolescent disorders and the evaluation of 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.

Maria C. Alba, PsyD

Attending Psychologist, Assistant Clinical Director of the Adolescent DBT Program, Montefiore Medical Center, Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division

Dr. Maria Alba is an Attending Psychologist and Assistant Clinical Director of the Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program at the Montefiore Moses Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at Rutgers University. Dr. Alba completed her pre-doctoral internship in the Child and Adolescent Specialization at Montefiore Medical Center and her postdoctoral fellowship at the Eating Disorders Program at Montefiore and the Adolescent DBT Program. Her research interests include the dissemination and implementation of dialectical behavior therapy and creative psychosocial interventions for medically ill youth.

Lauren B. Yadlosky, PhD

Attending Psychologist, Montefiore Medical Center, Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division Clinical Director, Eating Disorders Program at Montefiore

Dr. Yadlosky is an attending psychologist and clinical director of the Eating Disorders Program at Montefiore. She completed her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Marquette University. Dr. Yadlosky completed her pre-doctoral internship in the child/adolescent track at Montefiore Medical Center and a postdoctoral clinical/research fellowship at McLean Hospital. She is particularly interested in providing high-quality, evidenced-based services to chronically underserved populations and balancing flexibility and fidelity, particularly with eating disorder treatments and dialectical behavior therapy.

Lisa Teh, PhD

Lead Psychologist, Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Montefiore Medical Center/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Teh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine 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, internship in adult/health psychology at Geisinger Medical Center, and post-doctoral 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 relapse to alcohol following liver transplantation, and decreasing health disparities in access to solid-organ transplantation and outcomes. Dr. Teh currently serves as a Member at Large on the Executive Committee of the American Society of Transplantation’s Psychosocial and Ethics Community of Practice.

Brett Simpson, PsyD

Attending Psychologist, Consultation –Liaison Psychiatry Service, Psychologist, Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Montefiore Medical Center/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Brett Simpson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine. He serves as an Attending Psychologist on the Psychiatry Consultative & Liaison service and works on the abdominal transplant team within the Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation. He completed his doctorate in clinical psychology with a specialization in Health Psychology at Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Simpson completed his internship in adult & pediatric health psychology at Broward Health Medical Center and his post-doctoral fellowship at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Medical Center specializing in C&L psychology. His research interests include medical trauma and efficacy of early psychological interventions with medically admitted patients. Dr. Simpson currently serves as a Member on the APA’s Division 38 Public Health Policy Committee.

Christine Cho, PsyD

Attending Psychologist, Pediatric Abdominal Solid Organ Transplantation

Dr. Cho is a faculty member and 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. She completed her masters 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, 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, posttraumatic stress disorder, disruptive behavior disorders, and emotion dysregulation in youth and young adults.

Andrea Kondracke, MD

Director of the Division of Psychiatry and Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center

In her role, Dr. Kondracke oversees and integrates psychiatric consultation services for people admitted to medical and surgical services at Montefiore’s Moses campus, as well as oversees Montefiore’s specialized psychiatric consultation services for transplant surgery and for addiction medicine. After earning her BA in Philosophy at Boston College and MD at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Kondracke completed residencies in both Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at New York Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center. After training, she joined the faculty at 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 on a regular basis 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 times.

Regina Musicaro, PhD

Regina Musicaro, Ph.D. Director, Trauma, Healing and Resilience in Vulnerable Environments (T.H.R.I.V.E.) Assistant Professor, Psychiatric Research Institute of Montefiore Einstein (P.R.I.M.E.)

Dr. Musicaro is the director of THRIVE and an Assistant Professor at the Psychiatric Research Institute for Montefiore Einstein (P.R.I.M.E.) in the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Musicaro completed her undergraduate degree at SUNY New Paltz and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Suffolk University. During her doctorate she trained at several teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical School, 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 pre-doctoral 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 is the recipient of 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.

Yash Bhambhani, PhD

Attending Psychologist, Substance Abuse Treatment Program, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Yash Bhambhani, PhD is an Attending Psychologist at Montefiore'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 from Montefiore-Einstein's Psychology Internship program, from the Adult Specialization Track. He found his work to be so meaningful that he had to come back! Dr. Bhambhani specializes in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, 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 externs and interns, mentoring, and teaching didactic lectures. His area of research specialization is also focused on ACT and how ACT can be used to improve well-being for people with minoritized experiences (e.g., gay, and bisexual men of color).

Allison Glasgow, MD (she/her)

Attending Psychiatrist, Ambulatory Consults Urgent Treatment & Evaluations (ACUTE) Psychiatry and Montefiore-Einstein Psychiatry Associates (MEPA)

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

Melissa E. Platt, PsyD (she/her)

Attending Psychologist, Montefiore Einstein Psychiatry Associates (MEPA) Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Melissa E. Platt, Psy.D. (she/her) 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 followed by a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA. 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), 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.

Rubiahna Vaughn, MD, MPH

Rubiahna Vaughn, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is the Director of Psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center – Einstein Division and the Director of the Division of Women’s Mental Health. Dr. Vaughn also serves as the program director for the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship at Montefiore. 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.

Brett Simpson, PsyD

Dr. Brett Simpson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine. He serves as an Attending Psychologist on the Psychiatry Consultative & Liaison service and works on the abdominal transplant team within the Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation. Dr. Simpson earned a Master of Science in Marriage & Family Therapy and had the honor of being supervised by Salvador Minuchin, MD. He also attended graduate school at Nova Southeastern University where he completed his doctorate in clinical psychology with a specialization in Health Psychology. Dr. Simpson completed his internship in adult & pediatric health psychology at Broward Health Medical Center and his post-doctoral fellowship at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Medical Center specializing in C&L psychology. His research interests include medical trauma and efficacy of early psychological interventions with medically admitted patients. Dr. Simpson currently serves as a Member on the APA’s Division 38 Public Health Policy Committee.

Matthew R. Schneider, MD

Matthew Schneider MD is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is Vice Chair of Clinical Services for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Services at Montefiore Medical Center and is Medical Director for ACUTE Psychiatry. Dr. Schneider completed undergraduate studies at Cornell University, attended medical school at SUNY – Downstate in Brooklyn, New York and completed his psychiatry residency at Montefiore.

Kahlil DuPerry, PhD

Kahlil C. DuPerry, Ph.D. is a graduate of Boston College with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and completed his Pre-doctoral Internship here at the Montefiore Medical Center on the Adult Track. He has worked in a variety of settings including with college students, veterans, and those with co-occurring major mental illness and problematic sexual behaviors. His practice is largely integrative of Psychodynamic and Cognitive Behavioral theories, along with a critically conscious systems and patient-centered focus. Kahlil's research interests center around matters of 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. Following the completion of his Fellowship in Montefiore’s Ambulatory Consults Urgent Treatment & Evaluations (ACUTE) and Consultation/Liaison Services, Kahlil will return in a position as an Attending Psychologist on the ACUTE team and in the Moses Psychiatric Observation Suite.

Candace Hatten-Powell, MD

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 life-long New Yorker, completing her B.S. 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 SUNY Upstate Medical University and completed residency at Montefiore Medical Center 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 teaching role, providing individual psychotherapy supervisions, served as a mentor for junior trainees and helped with the general administration of the residency training program, including recruitment and curriculum planning. She completed her Consultation & Liaison psychiatry fellowship training at NYP- Columbia Irving Medical Center. She has special interests in cultural psychiatry, trauma informed care, bariatric psychiatry and disorders of gut-brain interaction.

Andrea Kondracke, MD

In her role, Dr. Kondracke oversees and integrates psychiatric consultation services for people admitted to medical and surgical services at Montefiore’s Moses campus, as well as oversees Montefiore’s specialized psychiatric consultation services for transplant surgery and for addiction medicine. After earning her BA in Philosophy at Boston College and MD at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Kondracke completed residencies in both Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at New York Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center. After training, she joined the faculty at 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 on a regular basis 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 times.

Meghana Medavaram, MD

Meghana R. Medavaram, MD, is 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 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 which 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 PGY3 and the Ali Mamun Award for Excellence in Geriatric and Community Psychiatry as a PGY4. Following her residency training, Dr. Medavaram completed her fellowship in psycho-oncology/ consultation-liaison psychiatry at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. During her tenure at Montefiore, she has also received teaching award from the AECOM. She also serves as a mentor to medical students and residents.

Kavita Vani, MD

Kavita Vani, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health at Montefiore Medical Center. She received her undergraduate and Doctor of Medicine degree 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 Medical Center/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine and stayed on to formally join the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division as the Director of Fourth Trimester/Postpartum Services. Her interests include health care delivery research, particularly as it pertains to providing postpartum care and support for women with high-risk pregnancies. She recently implemented a pilot “Fourth Trimester” Clinic at Montefiore that utilizes care coordination to provide comprehensive postpartum care for those with high-risk pregnancies and allow for 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.

Julia Vileisis, MD

Julia Vileisis, MD is the Director of Reproductive Psychiatry for Montefiore Einstein Psychiatry Associates and an Assistant Professor. She sees outpatients for ongoing psychiatric care during pregnancy and postpartum as well as for specialty consultations when patients are already connected to care. Dr. Vileisis attended medical school at Virginia Commonwealth School of Medicine in Richmond, Virginia and completed her psychiatry residency at Montefiore in 2021. During medical school and residency, her interest in perinatal and reproductive psychiatry grew as she recognized that this time period is both complex and critical for maintaining and establishing good mental health in both the parent and infant. She has completed a Women's Mental Health Fellowship at Women and Infants Hospital/Brown University.