About me
Dionne Smith Coker-Appiah, PhD, MAED, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. She is affiliated with the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and provides clinical care for adolescents and emerging adults. Dr. Coker-Appiah has also engaged in a focused program of research that has focused on Rural Adolescent Dating Violence Prevention and Rural Adolescent Mental Health. Her research program has enabled her to build a comprehensive, domestic and international, Adolescent Dating Violence (ADV) Prevention research program, utilizing community-based participatory research approaches. More specifically, her research program is designed to: (a) prevent ADV and the associated health implications (mental, sexual, physical) among rural African Americans and international youth of Color, (b) build effective and sustainable community partnerships that build community capacity to address these issues, and (c) design culturally and geographically appropriate ADV prevention interventions. She directs the Adolescent Dating Violence Prevention Laboratory, which, in addition to conducting research, provides training and mentoring to numerous students (undergraduate, graduate, medical) and fellows. Her research has been funded by both federal and non-federal grants. Dr. Coker-Appiah’s most recent research has focused on building community partnerships to promote mental health and prevent ADV in rural North Carolina (Project LOVE) and Ghana, West Africa (GEAR UP-Ghana). She is also currently exploring, from an intergenerational and key stakeholder perspective, knowledge, perceptions and beliefs about mental health in rural communities (Minding Our Business). Dr. Coker-Appiah has dedicated her career to engaging in innovative research designed to prevent ADV and promote the mental health of youth in rural communities of Color. She is passionate about using her clinical skills and research and prevention efforts to ensure that all adolescents are mentally healthy and able to live healthy, violence-free lives.
Clinical areas of focus
- Behavioral Disorders
- Bipolar Disorder
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Depression
- Mental Health
- Mood Disorders
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Psychopharmacology
- Psychosis
- Psychotherapy
- Suicidal Ideation
- Women's Mental Health
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Acute Stress Disorder
- Addiction Disorders
- Adjustment Disorder
- Agitation
- Alcohol Addiction
- Alcohol Dependency
- Anger Issues
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Antisocial Personality Disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Autism
- Behavioral Disorders
- Behavioral Issues In Dementia
- Bereavement
- Bipolar Disorder
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Brief Psychotic Disorder
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Complicated Bereavement Disorder
- Compulsive And Addictive Behaviors
- Conversion Disorder
- Cyclothymic Disorder
- Delusional Disorder
- Dependent Personality Disorder
- Depression
- Disruptive Behavior
- Dissociative Disorders
- Dual Diagnosis
- Dysthymia
- Eating Disorders
- Executive Function Disorder
- Gender Dysphoria
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Grief
- Hallucinations
- Hoarding Disorder
- Hypochondriasis
- Hypomania
- Impulse Control Disorders
- Intermittent Explosive Disorder
- Mania
- Mental Health Disorders
- Mood Disorders
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Panic Attack
- Paranoia And Delusional Disorders
- Perinatal Mental Health Disorders
- Perinatal Mood Disorders
- Persistent Depressive Disorder
- Personality Disorder
- Phobia
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
- Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
- Psycho Oncology
- Psychopharmacology
- Psychosis
- Psychosomatic Disorders
- Schizoaffective Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Self Harming Behaviors
- Somatic Symptom Disorder
- Somatoform Disorders
- Substance Addiction
- Substance Dependence
- Suicidal Ideation
- Suicide Attempt
- Thought Disorder
- Trichotillomania
Procedures I perform
- Adult Psychiatry
- Anger Management
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Men's Mental Health
- Mental Health
- Neuropsychiatry
- Psychotherapy
- Transplant Psychiatry
- Women's Mental Health
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- United Healthcare Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO, GEHA, Compass Rose)
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans/ UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans HMO, POS, PPO
- Blue Choice Advantage & Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select (aka Senior Advantage)
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv/Special Needs Plans
- UHC Community Plan of MD
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- Medicare Fee for Service
- Kaiser Virginia Premier
- Kaiser PermanenteSelect-Added Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS
- Kaiser MD Medicaid MCO
- CFBCBS Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- CFBCBS EPO
- Aetna Innovations: HMO & EPO Plus
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Aetna HMO
- Open POS II
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Open EPO Plus
- Opoen HMO Option
- Open HMO
- Innovation Health: POS
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- BlueChoice Open Access
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- HealthyBlue PPO
- CFBSBC Blue Preferred PPO
- Choice Fund PPO
- PPO and PPO Plus
- CIGNA EPO
- POS OA & OA Plus
- Network OA
- CIGNA HMO Open Access (OA)
- United Healthcare Choice
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- MedStar Select (MedStar Associates' Plan)
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- First Health PPO
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund) Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- Tricare Prime
- Tricare for Life (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- FIRST HEALTH
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- CFBCBS Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- CIGNA Indemnity
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- CFBCBS Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- United Student Resources
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- CFBCBS BlueChoice HMO
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- CFBCBS (NCA) Indemnity
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
Education
Fellowship Program: National Institute of Health - NIMHD (2013)
Fellowship Program: Johns Hopkins Hospital (2006)
Graduate Education: University of Tennessee- Knoxville (2004)
Internship Program: The Ohio State University (2004)
Fellowship Program: UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health ()