Training program leadership
Matthew Biel, MD, MSc
Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Pediatrics
Dr. Biel is Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Training Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Pediatrics. Dr. Biel has clinical and research interests in autism spectrum disorders, mood, and anxiety disorders in children and families. He also has research interest trauma and PTSD, reducing health care disparities, and exploring the relationships between physical illnesses and psychiatric symptoms in children.
He is a core faculty member in MedStar Georgetown's Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, General Psychiatry, and Psychosomatic Medicine training programs. Dr. Biel received a B.A. in Spanish and History at Amherst College before attending medical school at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where he also received a Master of Science in community medicine. He then trained in both general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine. He is board certified in general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry.
Email: MGB101@gunet.georgetown.edu
Swati Chanani, MD
Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist
Assistant Program Director of Child and Adolescent Residency Training Program
Dr. Chanani has clinical interests in adolescent and young adult mental health as well as in eating disorders. She completed a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at The Johns Hopkins University and a psychiatry residency at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Chanani received her medical degree from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Prior to that, she graduated magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis earning an A.B. in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology.
Colin Stewart, MD
Training Director for the Child and Adolescent Residency Training Program
Clerkship Director for the Georgetown School of Medicine’s Psychiatry Clerkship
Colin Stewart, MD, is the Training Director for the Child and Adolescent Residency Training Program as well as the Clerkship Director for the Georgetown School of Medicine's psychiatry clerkship. He also provides clinical care; including seeing individuals and families for psychotherapy and directing a clinic dedicated to assessment and treatment of ADHD and affect dysregulation.
Dr. Stewart both teaches and supervises medical students, psychiatry residents, and child and adolescent psychiatry fellows at Georgetown as well as at Mary's Center, a non-profit community health center that serves a primarily indigent, immigrant population. He is also very interested in promoting diversity and inclusion in medical education and has served on the AAMC's Group for Diversity and Inclusion and AACAP's Diversity and Culture Committee.
CAP division leadership
Dionne Coker-Appiah, PhD
Director of Research, CAP Division
Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center
Dionne Coker-Appiah has engaged in a focused program of research and training experiences over the past decade. Each research phase has consistently and strategically informed subsequent phases to build a comprehensive ADV research program. Dr. Coker-Appiah's research program focuses on using community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches to study adolescent health, more specifically, adolescent dating violence, adolescent mental health, and adolescent sexual health among rural African Americans.
She has collaborated on several federally and non-federally funded research projects. It has been well documented that there are ADV disparities among rural African Americans, therefore, a thorough understanding regarding how to design, conduct, and evaluate culturally and geographically appropriate interventions for this population is critical. Further, with an understanding of the intersecting public health disparities that often co-exist with ADV, Dr. Coker-Appiah has chosen to also focus on appropriate and effective ways to integrate health implications into ADV prevention interventions.
Overall, her research program is designed to (a) prevent adolescent dating violence and the associated health implications among rural African Americans, (b) build effective and sustainable community partnerships that build rural communities' capacity to address these issues, (c) reduce health disparities and promote health equity among rural youth of Color. In addition, Dr. Coker-Appiah has received NIH training in adolescent neuropsychology in the Section on Affective and Cognitive Neuroscience at NIMH (Mentor: Dr. James Blair). She is specifically interested in exploring the neuropsychology of both adolescent perpetrators and victims of dating violence.
Areas of Research: Adolescent dating violence, Adolescent mental health, Adolescent sexual health, Child/Adolescent exposure to interpersonal violence, Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), Low income and minority populations, Adolescent Neuropsychology
Sean Pustilnik, MD
Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Consultation Liaison, CAP Division
Sean Pustilnik, MD, has interests in psychosomatic medicine, collaboration with pediatric primary care, ADHD, and anxiety disorders. He provides clinical care and supervision in the inpatient consult and outpatient settings, as well as phone consultation to pediatric providers through the DC MAP program.
Karimah Ware, Psy.D
Clinical Psychologist Director of Wellbeing in School Environments (WISE), CAP Division
Dr. Ware has a particular interest in working with youth, whom research has indicated, as being at an increased risk for development of mental disorders. Her areas of specialty are school mental health; conducting various psychological assessments; facilitating individual, group, and family therapy; providing supervision and training; crisis management; and teacher, psychiatric, and parent consultation. Dr. Ware has worked with patients diagnosed with disorders such as anxiety, depression, bereavement, trauma, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
Dr. Ware, who holds a Psy.D. from the American School of Professional Psychology, has worked in settings ranging from schools to community mental health centers to psychiatric hospitals. In addition, Dr. Ware has facilitated various workshops, to include effective classroom management, depression in youth, and parenting trainings, to name a few. She has a passion to train and supervise others entering the mental health field and has formed great working relationships with other local universities, as she has had the opportunity to supervise and train clinical psychology externs, interns, associates, and other licensed psychologists. Dr. Ware successfully completed post-licensure, advanced training at the Washington School of Psychiatry in its two-year child and adolescent psychodynamic psychotherapy training program.
Corey Williams, MA, MD
Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, CAP Division
Dr. Williams recently completed the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program at University of Pennsylvania-Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He is a former Washington, DC public school teacher and received a Masters in Teaching from American University. He then received an MD from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed his adult psychiatric residency training at the Yale University Psychiatry Residency Program, where he served on the Departmental Diversity & Inclusion Committee and received recognition for patient advocacy. Dr. Williams is a former APA/SAMHSA Minority Fellow where he conducted research on racial bias in physician recruitment. In addition to providing clinical care in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division’s outpatient programs, he will be a part of the Early Childhood Innovation Network and the Center for Wellness In School Environments. Dr. Williams will also dedicate time to research – his interests are focused on examining the ways in which racism shapes medical practice and developing antiracism curriculum for medical trainees.
CAP Fellowship Faculty Members
Emily Aron, MD
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Emily Aron, MD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with clinical interests in child and adolescent trauma, infant mental health, disruptive behavior disorders, and school-based mental health. She enjoys participating in resident education, supervising residents, and teaching didactics. She also works with the school-based mental health team at KIPP charter schools providing psychiatric services once a week.
Nauf Latef Azad, DO, MSc
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Adult Psychiatrist
Dr. Azad has clinical interests in infant and early childhood mental health, perinatal mental health, trauma, transitional age youth, eating disorders, school-based mental health, and collaborative care. She enjoys working with families in a collaborative 2-generation clinic based in the Appletree Schools providing care and support for underserved families. She also provides care for children of all ages in the Georgetown outpatient clinic.
Dr. Azad is not just a clinician, but an advocate and educator. She strives to help each patient recognize their full potential by performing comprehensive evaluations that includes identifying strengths and weaknesses and then formulating individualized plans that connect everyone to the pertinent tools that will allow them to live their best life possible. Her goal is to help optimize function in the simplest and most parent-driven way with the primary goal to help empower the parent and child to build resiliency and to increase the overall thriving of the family system.
Dr. Azad completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and South Asian Studies at Wellesley College and then pursued a Master of Science in Global Health at The University of Edinburgh in Scotland prior to obtaining a medical degree at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-NY. She completed both her general psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship training at Georgetown University Hospital and has most recently transitioned to faculty within the department of psychiatry in 2019.
Denisha Carter, PsyD
Dr. Denisha Carter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from East Carolina University, a Master of Science degree in Psychology from Virginia State University, and a Doctoral degree (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology from The American School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Carter’s experience includes but is not limited to: providing therapeutic support to traumatized children and adolescents, building capacity in support systems (specifically parents and families), facilitating client-centered, consultee centered and administrative consultation, conducting professional development workshops for mental health providers, psychology externs, psychiatry residents, and school-based staff, and supervising doctoral level clinical trainees.
Dr.Carter is the Associate Director of Clinical Training and a member of the clinical staff at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Wellbeing in School Environments (WISE). She utilizes trauma-based and family systems-oriented treatment approaches to support children, adolescents and families. Her clinical background includes work in non-profit agencies, community mental health organizations, and juvenile justice court systems in California, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, and DC. She enjoys wine tasting, visiting with family and friends, playing spirited games of Monopoly, and anytime on or near a beach!
William Cohen, MD
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Dr. Cohen joined the Department of Psychiatry at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in 2016. He provides clinical care for adults on the inpatient psychiatric unit at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital and for children, adolescents, and adults in the outpatient clinic. He teaches and provides clinical supervision for Georgetown medical students, psychiatry residents, and child psychiatry fellows.
Dr. Cohen completed a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Georgetown University. He completed a psychiatry internship and residency in The Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia, and he earned his M.D. from Jefferson Medical College. Prior to medical school he earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Wesleyan University and then worked in Utah as a wilderness therapy field instructor for adolescents. Areas of clinical and research interest include mood and anxiety disorders, emergency and disaster psychiatry, and adolescent and transitional aged populations.
Aronica Cotton,MD
Aronica Cotton, MD is a double Board-Certified Adult, Child, and Adolescent Psychiatrist. She completed her adult training in the combined Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/McLean Hospital Adult Psychiatry Program, where she served as a chief resident. She completed her Child and Adolescent Psychiatry training in the combined University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt Child Psychiatry Fellowship Program. Dr. Cotton is interested in integrated care between behavioral and medical services, with a special focus in rendering psychiatric care to underserved and minority populations.
Celene Demetrovich, PhD
Dr. Domitrovich is a member of the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at Georgetown University located in the Center for Child and Human Development and a Senior Scientist at the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). She maintains professional affiliations with the Prevention Research Center at Penn State University and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
Dr. Domitrovich is a prevention scientist who is interested in the development and evaluation of interventions that promote children's adjustment and reduce the negative effects of exposure to risk. Her area of specialty is social and emotional learning. Dr. Domitrovich is interested in creating systemic intervention approaches that include the necessary supports to ensure the high-quality implementation of evidence-based interventions at scale.
Areas of Research: Enhancing Outcomes of an Evidence-Based Social-Emotional, Enhancing Outcomes of a School Support Model to promote social, and Emotional Learning
Kurt W. Ela, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
Assistant Professor of Outpatient Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
Dr. Ela provides individual psychotherapy to adults and adolescents. Specific areas of focus include mood and anxiety disorders, relationship challenges, and issues related to grief and loss. He also specializes in group therapy, which he teaches at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. Ela received his Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College and his doctorate in psychology from The George Washington University. He completed his internship at Pennsylvania Hospital within the University of Pennsylvania Health System, where he worked with adult, adolescent, and pediatric patients.
Mel English, PsyD
Dr. English is a Licensed Psychologist at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, where they provide services within Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. English holds a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Chestnut Hill College, where they also received an M.S. in Clinical Psychology. Dr. English completed their predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship training with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (SOM) and the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), where they were primarily positioned in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Unit.
Dr. English is passionate about implementing evidence-based practice with adolescents and caregivers in acute care settings. They are active in the integration of gender-affirming approaches to interdisciplinary care as well as supporting LGBTQ+ youth and facilitating opportunities for family acceptance. Dr. English’s research interests include addressing barriers to effective acute care services, including reducing the risk of readmission to psychiatric inpatient care.
Email: Mel.S.English@MedStar.net
Olivia Hamrah, MD
Olivia Hamrah, MD was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. She attended the University of Virginia for undergraduate school where she earned both a B.S. in Chemistry and B.A. in Physics. She then returned to D.C. to teach physics and math to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students at a local charter school before completing her medical degree at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. It was at Georgetown that Olivia discovered her passion for psychiatry and health advocacy.
She completed her residency training in adult psychiatry at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. Her interests include community psychiatry, first-episode psychosis, medical education, and mental health advocacy. In addition to her husband, son, family, and friends, she loves running, art, dogs, and the Washington Capitals.
Anna Jesseman, LICSW
Anna Jesseman is a clinician and consultant with the Medstar Georgetown Center for Wellbeing in School Environments. Her focus is on teacher wellbeing and trauma-informed teaching practices. She is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and holds masters degrees in Social Work from Columbia University, and the Science of Teaching from Pace University. Anna has worked to coach and support teachers throughout her career, both through her most recent role as the Director of Student Support and Mental Health at Washington Latin Public Charter School, and in her previous work as the Partner Engagement Director at Teach For All, a non-profit organization that supports social entrepreneurs in building programs to recruit, train, and place teachers in schools of high need all over the world. She began her career teaching Middle School Special Education at CIS 339 in the South Bronx.
Kathy S. Katz, PhD
Pediatric Psychologist
Dr. Katz provides evaluation and treatment of children with problems with emotional regulation, anxiety, sleeping, and feeding. Previously the director of psychology training in Georgetown's Center for Child Development, she has long experience in the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. Her more recent work has included helping children deal with parent separation and divorce. Dr Katz's research focuses on improving developmental outcomes for children with various medical and social risk factors.
Dr Katz is an associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Georgetown. She teaches and supervises child and adolescent psychiatry fellows, pediatric residents and medical students. Dr Katz received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and her doctorate in clinical psychology from Rutgers University. She completed a clinical child psychology internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard-affiliated Judge Baker Children's Center and Boston Children's Hospital.
Megan McCormick, PhD
Dr. McCormick is the Director of Programs and Research of the WISE Center. Her interests include large-scale program development and implementation aimed at improving public health outcomes for youth. She has worked extensively within community-based organizations to improve public health causes and advocate for youth mental health issues within the Washington DC metro area. Her research background has focused on psychological factors that impact health outcomes, such as pain management and medication adherence, as well as the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral interventions to improve access to mental healthcare in primary healthcare settings and prevent adverse medical outcomes in pediatric chronic illness populations. She is the co-founder and former Co-Executive Director of InSite Solutions and is also a faculty member within the Department of Psychiatry at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. McCormick is a licensed Child Psychologist in Washington, DC.
Michael Morse, MD, MPA
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Michael Morse, MD, MPA, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist whose clinical interests include ADHD across the lifespan and whose research and education interests include global mental health. He is the Executive Director of the Palestinian Medical Education Initiative (PMED), a non-governmental organization founded by Dr. Morse while he was a student at Harvard Medical School in 2007. PMED works to support Palestinian society through international partnerships in medical education, clinical program development, and policy planning. He is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and in addition completed a Masters in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Megan Polanin, PhD
Megan Polanin, PhD, is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at the WISE Center at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. She earned her doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology at Loyola University Chicago and completed postdoctoral training at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Polanin has extensive experience working with children and families within schools, medical clinics, and community mental health centers. Her clinical interests focus on preventative and strengths-based approaches to mental health care and partnering with teachers to integrate trauma-informed and mindfulness practices in the classroom.
Shy Porter, PhD, LMFT
Child & Adolescent Psychologist
Dr. Shy Porter is a relationship scientist with expertise in couple relationships, perinatal mental health, and the intersection of the two. As a clinician, she specializes in work with couples; pregnant and postpartum women (alone or with their partners) contending with perinatal mental health concerns; and adolescent and adult individuals. As a researcher, she studies mental health conditions associated with the preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods and works to develop clinical intervention strategies to bring psychological relief to women and their partners. She also studies romantic relationship development, maintenance, and dissolution processes for adolescents and adults. Race, culture, racial/ethnic health disparities, and the experiences of racial/ethnic minorities are central components of her research.
As a clinical supervisor, Dr. Porter enjoys working with trainees who care deeply about issues related to identity, privilege, and navigating interpersonal relationship dynamics. Adolescent and young adult supervision cases are of particular interest.
Dr. Porter is clinically trained as a marriage and family therapist and holds a PhD in Family Science (the study of close interpersonal relationships and all of the micro- and macro-level factors that influence them) with an emphasis in maternal and child health.
Research Interests: Psychopathology, trauma, couple relationship processes, parenting, and co-parenting. Perinatal mental health, maternal health, pregnancy outcomes, adverse reproductive health conditions, and issues related to preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum processes for adolescents, adult individuals, and couples. Racial/ethnic health disparities in adolescent and adult sexual and reproductive health.
Aaron Rakow, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
Aaron Rakow, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Rakow's professional background focuses on improving access to empirically supported mental health interventions via training and dissemination efforts within school systems and primary care offices. His teaching and clinical emphasis focuses on cognitive behavioral therapy for child and adolescent anxiety disorders. He also provides supervision in the child and adolescent fellowship program.
Michelle Sobon, PsyD
Dr. Sobon trained in Ohio earning her doctorate in clinical psychology at Wright State University, School of Professional Psychology, and completed her internship and post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Child Psychology. As a supervisor and graduate adjunct faculty member at Trinity Christian College, she's enjoyed training and equipping the next generation of mental health professionals. Through her work in schools, clinics, and pediatric nonprofits, she has helped struggling children and teens feel more successful and the adults in their lives better understand how to support them.
Jacob Swartz, MD
Jacob Swartz, MD is a child/adolescent psychiatrist who primarily focuses on improving mental health within schools through the Wellbeing in School Environments (WISE) program and stabilizing adolescents in crisis through the adolescent inpatient program at Medstar Montgomery Medical Center. Dr. Swartz has clinical interests in mood and anxiety disorders, developmental disorders, autism spectrum disorders, trauma, substance use disorders, and global mental health. Dr. Swartz studied psychology and philosophy as an undergraduate at Georgetown University before obtaining his medical degree from Medical College of Georgia. He completed his residency and then Child Psychiatry Fellowship at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital.
Marilou G. Tablang-Jimenez, MD
Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
Dr. Tablang-Jimenez, who is board certified in both General Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, has clinical interests in developmental disorders, eating disorders, disruptive and impulse control disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, and psychosis. She is a core faculty member in MedStar Georgetown's Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and General Psychiatry training programs.
Dr. Tablang-Jimenez received a B.S. in Psychology at University of Maryland College Park and M.D. at De La Salle University. She then trained in General Psychiatry at Georgetown University and in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University. She is the Medical Director of the Montgomery County Crisis Center in Maryland, as well as the Group Practice that bears her name.
Amalia Londoño Tobón, MD
Dr. Londoño Tobón is an Assistant Professor at MedStar Georgetown. She is a bilingual, board-certified psychiatrist and researcher with expertise in perinatal, childhood, family, and cultural aspects of mental health. Her research interests include understanding and addressing health disparities in perinatal and early childhood mental health. She has authored several scientific publications in academic journals and presented at numerous national and international venues. She is passionate about advocating for mental health and disseminating scientific information through various media outlets.
Dr. Londoño Tobón received her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from Stanford University. She completed her psychiatry residency and child psychiatry fellowship at Yale University. Dr. Londoño Tobón completed a postdoctoral clinical and research fellowship in perinatal mental health at Brown University, and a research fellowship at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
CAP Individual Psychotherapy Supervisors
Dr. Blair Bunting
Blair Bunting, MD is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in private practice in McLean, VA, who serves as a clinical psychotherapy supervisor for Georgetown CAP fellows. He graduated Dartmouth Medical School and trained in adult and child psychiatry at the University of Virginia, and in psychoanalysis at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. Clinical experience includes directing and providing intensive long-term (2 to 4 years) residential treatment of boys struggling with various developmental disorders (attachment trauma, atypical and complex development, autism spectrum, bipolar, organic, prodromal conditions), as well as providing intensive psychotherapy and medication management and psychoanalysis for outpatients aged 4 and older. His theoretical interests and orientation have evolved towards an intersubjective/relational approach informed by attachment theory, mentalization theory, infant observation and research, and more recent findings in the fields of neurobiology and neuropsychoanalysis. Findings in these fields clarify, strengthen and elaborate upon classical psychoanalytic theory, and give guidance towards more effective treatment. In supervision, Dr. Bunting takes a collaborative approach, and is interested in working supportively with fellows as they develop child psychiatric and psychotherapeutic skills.
Dr. Michael Brendler
Dr. Brendler graduated from Amherst College and obtained his doctorate in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology with an emphasis on family systems theories and therapies. He completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship and Pre-Doctoral Internship at Children’s Hospital in Oakland California in the Department of Psychiatry, where he served as the Chief Resident. Dr. Brendler has been in private practice since 2006. He has taught at both Georgetown University School of Medicine and at the University of San Francisco. He’s worked in hospital settings (inpatient and outpatient), community based clinics and schools. He has provided consultations to school administrations, faculty, and school communities. He specializes in working with families and individuals who are confronting life and family conflicts that often include disruptive behavior, school problems, family conflict, depression, and/or anxiety.
Dr. Hector Prada
I am a psychiatrist who works with children, adolescents, and young adults at my private practice in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and the John L. Gildner Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA) in Rockville, MD, in Maryland.
I specialize in treatment and consultation for patients with Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and Pervasive Development Disorders (including Autism spectrum disorders). I provide psychotherapy and family therapy and work with international children, families, and immigrants.
I started my career overseas 25 years ago as a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Santiago, Chile, where I combined an academic career and private practice. Later, I moved to the United States and completed an adult psychiatry residency at George Washington University in Washington, DC, and child and adolescent psychiatry training at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. After completing my training in 2001, I joined the staff at Massachusetts General Hospital and held a faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School.
I am board certified in both psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry by the American Board of Medical Specialties.
My clinical and research interests have focused on psychopharmacology, consultation with pediatric practices, multicultural psychiatry, and international and immigrant children. My extensive training and work experience in two of the top psychiatric institutions in the country have given me ample cutting-edge expertise in psychopharmacology.
At the same time, I have an extensive background in family and individual psychotherapy that allows me to take an eclectic approach to diagnosing and evaluate patients. I consider patients’ biological, psychosocial, dynamic, and family contexts.
I have a comprehensive experience with all types of children, teenagers, young adults, and families, and I enjoy working collaboratively with psychologists, pediatricians, and social workers. At Massachusetts General Hospital, I was part of a pilot project that provided clinical consultation and supervision to pediatricians. Once established in the Washington DC area, I created and led an international exchange program for Child and Adolescent psychiatric trainees from Chile and the USA in collaboration with Dr. Biel from Georgetown Child Psychiatry, Dr. Edelson from JLG-RICA, and Dr. Duenas from the University of Valparaiso (Chile).
I consider myself a clinician and educator. I work with my patients and families with the dedication and professionalism that I expect from other clinicians if I were a patient myself.
Dr. Uchenwa Okoli
I am a Cornell and Harvard educated psychiatrist with board certifications in both child/adolescent and adult psychiatry. I have also completed extended training in clinical neurology, which I find helpful in my approach with your care. I have experience working in a variety of settings (inpatient, outpatient, residential and school based) with very diverse patient populations. I've held faculty appointments at Harvard University, Albert Einstein Medical College and Georgetown University.
I have a warm, empathetic and compassionate style in my treatment approach using a variety of therapeutic modalities and psychopharmacology, if indicated. I closely collaborate with other providers involved in your care to determine an effective, individualized treatment plan. I have experience treating a variety of psychiatric conditions including mood and anxiety disorders, ADHD, transitional age/college mental health, racial/cultural identity and women's mental health. Feel free to contact me for a phone consultation and learn more about my services.
Dr. Brenda Terry-Leonard
Brenda Terry-Leonard, Ph.D., is a psychologist who earned her doctorate from Howard University. She has extensive experience providing clinical services to children and families across the developmental spectrum. She has practiced in a range of settings including a public school, a private full day special education placement, out-patient mental health centers, and a residential facility. Dr. Terry-Leonard has also served at local universities as an adjunct faculty providing instruction for a child and adolescent mental hygiene course and as a clinical coordinator for practicum and internship students. As a clinical psychologist with the Center for Wellbeing in School Environments (WISE),
Dr. Terry-Leonard provides integrated trauma-informed mental health services at an area public charter school along with Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) at various Apple Tree Early Learning Public Charter Schools. In addition, she has been a collaborator with the Early Childhood Innovation Network (ECIN). Dr. Terry-Leonard is guided by Family Systems Theory and a Cognitive Behavioral orientation and is a collaborator in clinical care. As a supervisor, she utilizes a strengths-based approach - encouraging on-going self-reflection and attention to professional identity development.
National Institutes of Medical Health faculty
Joyce Chung, MD
Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Joyce Y. Chung, MD, received her Bachelor of Science and medical degree from Northwestern University. She completed her psychiatric residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and then a research fellowship in medical anthropology at Harvard Medical School. Her research interests include the study of sociocultural barriers to mental health care, treatment interventions for mental health problems in minority populations, ethnographic and qualitative research methods, and patient-provider discourse and communication. She is the recipient of several research grants.
Dr. Chung has also been active in the area of HIV psychiatry through her clinical practice, educational lectures and published articles about psychiatric complications associated with HIV and AIDS. She helped formulate and was the chief writer for the American Psychiatric Association's Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Patients with HIV/AIDS. During her eleven-year affiliation with Georgetown, Dr. Chung has served as chief of the Consultation-Liaison service at the Washington VA and as medical director of the Mental Health Care Unit at Georgetown University Hospital. She is a member of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, American Anthropological Association and Alpha Omega Alpha.
Maryland Pao, MD
Chief of Psychiatry Consultation Liaison Service
Clinical and Deputy Scientific Director of Intramural Research
A native of Bethesda, MD, Dr. Pao attended Wellesley College before completing a Bachelor of Arts/Medical Degree Program at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed pediatric and psychiatric residency training as well as a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Pao was the director of the Pediatric Consultation Liaison Service in the Children's Center of Johns Hopkins Hospital as well as the director of pediatric consultation liaison and emergency psychiatric services at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., She is board-certified in general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and psychosomatic medicine. Dr. Pao is a past recipient of the NIMH Outstanding Resident Award (1991) and has received teaching awards both during her time at Johns Hopkins and at Children's National Medical Center. She also received the NIMH Hannah Cashman Memorial Award for Excellence in Psychiatric Consultation Liaison Service (2003).
Dr. Pao's clinical and research interests are in the complex interactions between somatic and psychiatric symptoms in chronic diseases of childhood such as HIV, other primary immune disorders, and pediatric oncology. Dr. Pao is Co-Chair of the Physically Ill Child Committee in the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and councilor of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. She was elected to the American College of Psychiatrists in 2010. She has written more than 120 papers and chapters and served as a senior editor for the Quick Reference for Pediatric Oncology Clinicians: The Psychiatric and Psychological Dimensions of Pediatric Cancer Symptom Management, Oxford University Press (2015). She helped develop the ASQ™ (Ask Suicide-Screening Questions), a suicide screening tool for pediatric emergency departments, and Voicing My CHOICES™, an advance care planning guide for adolescents and young adults. Dr. Pao is recognized for her leadership and training in pediatric psychosomatic medicine.
Haniya Raza, DO, MPH
Medical Officer of Psychiatry Consult
Clinical and Deputy Scientific Director of Intramural Research
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Adult Psychiatry
Dr. Raza serves as Associate Director of the Psychiatry Consultation Liaison Service in the Hatfield Clinical Research Center. Dr. Raza previously was the Medical Director of the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children's National Health System from 2010 to 2018 and focused her clinical work on treatment of comorbid psychiatric disorders in children, adolescents and young adults with developmental disabilities, and complex medical conditions. She was also involved in teaching medical students, residents and fellows.
Dr. Raza completed three years of general psychiatry residency training at Georgetown University. She subsequently did her fourth year of psychiatry residency, focusing on psychosomatic medicine, in the OCD at NIMH. She next pursued Psychosomatic Medicine fellowship training in a joint program with Georgetown University and NIMH. Dr. Raza did a second fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship at Children's National. She is board certified in General Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine.
Her research interests are in topics related to psychiatric disorders presenting in children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and complex medical illness. She is the recipient of Washingtonian Magazine's Top Doctor Award in 2016 and 2017, as well as the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellows Distinguished Teacher Award in 2015. Dr. Raza is on the executive council of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Society of Greater Washington, serving as Secretary since 2016.
Volunteer faculty
Luis Alberto Dueñas, MD
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Dr. Dueñas completed his medical degree at the University of Santiago in Santiago, Chile, where he also completed his training in child and adolescent psychiatry. After practicing in southern Chile for several years, he relocated to the Valparaiso/Vina del Mar region as one of the few child psychiatrists in the area. He built a busy clinical practice and consulted to hospital and primary clinics throughout the region. He then sought out to develop a new training program in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Valparaiso, and he successfully launched only the seventh such program in the country in the early 2000's. Through his immense effort and collaborative spirit, Dr. Dueñas has built a strong and durable training program and has developed a wide-ranging clinical program in child and adolescent psychiatry in Valparaiso that spans from outpatient care and consultation/liaison psychiatry at Van Buren Hospital in downtown Valparaiso, to both inpatient and outpatient services at El Salvador Hospital outside Valparaiso, and to a system of in-person and telephone consultation to primary care clinics throughout the Valparaiso/Vina del Mar region. He has trained an entire generation of child and adolescent psychiatrists in his program, has built a strong faculty of practicing clinician/educators, and has elevated the visibility of child mental health services in his region.
Dr. Dueñas works closely with Drs. Biel and Stewart to both send his trainees to Georgetown for training each year as well as to send Georgetown students, residents, and fellows to Valparaiso for clinical rotations lasting one to four weeks. In addition, four members of our faculty have traveled to Valparaiso, and Dr. Dueñas has joined us as a visiting scholar at Georgetown once. One of our current residents, in close collaboration with Dr. Dueñas, has designed a clinical research project investigating patient experiences and clinical outcomes on Dr. Dueñas' inpatient unit at El Salvador.