FACULTY
Yuval Neria, PhD is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology at Columbia University, a Research Scientist and the Director of Trauma and PTSD Program at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He received his doctorate in psychology from Haifa University, Israel, in 1994, and subsequently served on the faculty of Tel Aviv University until his recruitment to Columbia University after the attacks of 9/11, 2001.
Dr. Neria’s research has been focused on the mental health consequences of exposure to extreme traumatic events, with a particular focus on war veterans and survivors of disasters and terrorism. He is also involved in the development of novel treatment modalities for traumatized populations with PTSD and complicated grief.
Dr. Neria’s scientific work has been inspired by his experience in combat. He was injured in the Yom Kippur 1973 War and was awarded the Medal of Valor, equivalent to the Congressional Medal of Honor. He has authored or co-authored more than 70 publications in the area of trauma related disorders including PTSD, depression, and bipolar illness. He is the lead editor of two books: “9/11: mental health in the wake of terrorist attacks” (Cambridge University Press, 2006) and “The Mental Health Consequences of Disasters” (Cambridge University Press, In Press). His research projects have been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and NARSAD. He is the 2007 recipient of the Klerman NARSAD Award for outstanding Clinical Research, Honorable Mention.
John Markowitz, MD is a Research Psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and Adjunct Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City. Dr. Markowitz received his medical degree from Columbia in 1982 and completed psychiatric residency training at the New York Hospital-Payne Whitney Clinic in 1986. He received training in cognitive behavioral therapy at the Center for Cognitive Therapy in Philadelphia and in interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) from the late Gerald L. Klerman, M.D. at Cornell.
Since residency Dr. Markowitz has conducted clinical research involving mood, anxiety, and personality disorders, psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. He has collaborated with James Kocsis, M.D. on chronic depression research and with the late Drs. Klerman and Samuel Perry on HIV-related research at Cornell. Since moving to Columbia and New York State Psychiatric Institute in 2001, he has also focused on personality disorders, working with Andrew Skodol, M.D., and posttraumatic stress disorder. In April 2008 he received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health for a five year grant to study the efficacy of psychotherapies for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Markowitz has received grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, NARSAD, and other foundations. He has lectured widely on IPT and other topics. Dr. Markowitz is the author or co-author of 15 books and more than two hundred peer-reviewed articles and chapters.
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Franklin Schneier, MDAssociate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Research Psychiatrist, Anxiety Disorders Clinic New York State Psychiatric Institute Office: 212-543-5368 frs1@columbia.edu
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Franklin Schneier, MD is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Research Scientist in the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Schneier is a graduate of Yale College and Cornell University Medical College, and he completed his residency in psychiatry at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. He came to the Anxiety Disorders Clinic in 1987 as a research fellow, later serving as associate director of the clinic and currently as a research psychiatrist. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.
Dr. Schneier’s research has focused on the diagnosis and treatment of social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. He has conducted clinical trials establishing the efficacy of medication treatments and combined treatments with cognitive-behavioral therapy, and he has studied using brain imaging techniques of SPECT, PET, and fMRI to evaluate brain function in anxiety disorders. He is currently principal investigator of grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NARSAD. He is author of more than 100 scholarly publications and a book for the general public, The Hidden Face of Shyness.
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Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Office: 212-543-5723
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Smit S. Sinha MD is Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. He is also Attending Psychiatrist in the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Sinha received his MD degree and completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Alberta. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCPC) in 1999. Subsequent to his psychiatric residency he entered a NIMH sponsored research fellowship in Anxiety and Affective Disorders at Columbia University.
Dr. Sinha has a Clinical Scientist Career Development Award (K23) from the NIMH focusing on the neuroendocrinology of panic disorder. His research involves a systematic investigation of the role of the endogenous opioid system in the pathogenesis of this disorder and its relationship to treatment responsivity. One novel aspect of this study is that the hypotheses were derived primarily from preclinical work.
Dr. Sinha’s other major research focus has been on the emerging link between traumatic events and the development of clinically significant insomnia. He is Principal Investigator of a randomized, placebo controlled trial of eszopiclone (Lunesta) in the treatment of insomnia that has been induced by trauma. The study will hopefully establish an effective pharmacotherapeutic strategy as well as determine important biological correlates of the trauma-sleep interface.
Dr. Sinha is also a psychiatrist and clinician for the trauma division evaluating and treating a wide range of patients who have experienced the breadth of traumatic experience.
Larry Amsel, MD Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology Department of Psychiatry Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Research Psychiatrist, Anxiety Disorders Clinic New York State Psychiatric Institute Office: 212-543-5367
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Greg Sullivan, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Research Psychiatrist New York State Psychiatric Institute Office: 212-543-6760
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Gregory M. Sullivan, MD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. His areas of expertise include the diagnosis, treatment, and neurobiology of anxiety and mood disorders.
Dr. Sullivan received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and in 1992 he received his medical doctorate from the College of Physicians & Surgeons at Columbia University. He remained at Columbia for residency training in psychiatry, completed a two-year NIH-sponsored research fellowship in anxiety and affective disorders, and, in 1999 he joined the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Sullivan has a particular interest in translational studies of anxiety and depressive disorders, incorporating the knowledge base of brain functioning identified through basic neuroscience research. His studies focus on the use of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for determination of key circuitry and neurochemistry underlying anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and comorbid depression and anxiety. Dr. Sullivan has authored or co-authored over 25 articles and chapters. He is a recipient of faculty research grants from the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, and the Dana Foundation; and he was awarded K08 career award from the National Institute of Mental Health to pursue PET studies in panic disorder.
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Research Scientist, Anxiety Disorders Clinic New York State Psychiatric Institute Office: 212-543-5312 rk159@columbia.edu
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Ronit Kishon, PhD is a Research Scientist in the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at NYSPI, Columbia University Medical Center. She is currently working on several studies within the Trauma and PTSD Program, which examine the use of complicated grief therapy for the treatment of prolonged grief to help 9/11 bereaved and soldiers after serving in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dr. Kishon received her doctorate in Psychology from Columbia University in 1995 and specialized in the area of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the National Center for PTSD at the West Haven Veterans Affairs Medical Center, CT where she participated in the development and evaluation of treatment programs for Vietnam veterans and their families in both inpatient and out patient settings.
Upon her return to Israel in 1996, she continued working in the area of trauma with the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Brill Center for Trauma and Human Development. After graduating from a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Tel-Aviv University, Department of Psychology she served as an adjunct professor at the Department of Psychology at Tel-Aviv University where she taught and supervised students on trauma related issues. During the years 1998-2004 together with the Ministry of Education and the National Center for Research in Behavioral Science, Dr. Kishon initiated a project that identifies and treats children and adolescents who suffer from domestic traumas and trains existing clinicians and educational people in the community for that cause.
In January 2006 she joined the Trauma and PTSD Program at the New York Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons working with Yuval Neria on various research and clinical projects.
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J. Arturo Sanchez-Lacay, MDAssistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry College of Physicians and Surgeons Research Psychiatrist, Anxiety Disorders Clinic New York State Psychiatric Institute Office: 212-543-6521 arturo@nyspi.cpmc.columbia.edu
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J. Arturo Sanchez-Lacay, MD is a Research Psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New YorkCity. Dr. Sanchez-Lacay completed General Psychiatric residency and a Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of
Puerto Rico and Affiliated Hospitals. He also completed a Master degree in Psychiatric Epidemiology from the School of Public Health at Columbia University.
Dr. Sanchez-Lacay joined the Anxiety Disorders Clinic in 1992 and has worked extensively in all research protocols and clinical projects, including trauma, depression and anxiety disorders.
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Eun Jung Suh, PhD Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology Department of Psychiatry Research Scientist, Anxiety Disorders Clinic New York State Psychiatric Institute Office: 212-543-5376
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Eun Jung Suh, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physician and Surgeons and a Research Scientist in the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at New York State Psychiatric Institute.
Dr. Suh received her Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at McGill University in 2000 and completed NIMH Postdoctoral Fellowship in Psychiatric Epidemiology at Columbia University in 2002. She was a research fellow at the Asch Center for Ethnopolitical Conflict at University of Pennsylvania and received formal training in cognitive behavioral therapy at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research.
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Leo Sher, MD Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry College of Physicians and Surgeons Research Psychiatrist, Anxiety Disorders Clinic Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology New York State Psychiatric Institute Office: 212-543-6240
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Leo Sher, MD is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University, and a Research Psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology. His areas of expertise include the diagnosis, treatment and neurobiology of depression, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder. Dr. Sher is interested in the psychobiology of suicidal behavior and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr. Sher graduated summa cum laude from the Ukrainian National Medical University in Kiev, Ukraine. He did his residency in Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Glen Oaks, New York, and the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Sher also completed a Research Fellowship in psychobiology of mood disorders at the National Institute of Mental Health. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Dr. Sher is the principal investigator on a study of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function in depressed patients with or without a history of suicidal behavior, and healthy volunteers. He is also the principal investigator on a study of the effects of acute tryptophan depletion on impulsivity in suicide attempters and non-attempters with alcohol dependence. Dr. Sher was the first researcher in North America who introduced the use of the combined dexamethasone suppression - corticotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test for psychiatric purposes. Dr. Sher has proposed the concept of posttraumatic mood disorder that was met with significant interest by experts in the field.
Dr. Sher is involved in a high-risk study of suicide attempters with bipolar disorder; a treatment study of suicidal and self-injurious behavior in borderline personality disorder; and a number of other research studies examining the neurobiology of mood disorders and suicidal behavior.
Dr. Sher has authored or co-authored over 350 scientific publications and is a peer reviewer for a number of medical journals. He is an editor of the book, "Adolescence and Alcohol: An International Perspective" published in 2006 and the book, “Alcohol and Suicide: Research and Clinical Perspectives” published in 2007. He is also the editor of the book "Research on the Neurobiology of Alcohol Use Disorders" published in 2008. Dr. Sher is the recipient of several Awards including the Charlotte Marker Zitrin, M.D. Award from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Long Island Jewish Medical Center for the Best Scientific Paper (1997) and the International Award for Excellence in Published Clinical Research in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (2004). Dr. Sher is also the recipient of two grants from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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Helena Rosenfeld , BA Research Coordinator Office: 212-543-6747 helena@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
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Helena Rosenfeld, BA is the Research Coordinator for the Trauma and PTSD program in the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. She joined the Anxiety Disorders Clinic in 2000 and has worked extensively coordinating research protocols and clinical projects aimed at providing treatment for a range of anxiety disorders with a focus on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Helena received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University in California in 1999.
Within the Trauma and PTSD Program, she currently coordinates the Combination Treatment of PTSD Among 9/11 Victims protocol, the Psychotherapies for Chronic PTSD protocol and the Treatment of Chronic Insomnia Induced by Trauma protocol. Helena also provides editorial support for research publications and was the Editorial Coordinator in New York City for the recently published book titled "9/11: Mental Health in The Wake of Terrorist Attacks" (Cambridge U. Press, 2006). She is fluent in Spanish and provides medical interpreter services in the Anxiety Disorders Clinic as well as at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
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Donna Vermes, MS, NPP, BC Research Administrator Office: 212-543-6534 donna@nyspi.cpmc.columbia.edu |
Donna Vermes, MS, NPP, B.C. is the Administrator of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), and Instructor in Clinical Nursing in the Department of Nursing at Columbia University School of Nursing. Donna graduated from Columbia University School of Nursing Graduate School in 2000. Donna has been working in the Anxiety Disorders Clinic since 1993. She was involved in conducting training workshops for clinicians in the treatment of PTSD. She is a therapist for Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Cognitive Behavior Group Therapy (CBGT) groups for Social Phobia, Individual Psychotherapy, and Problem Gambling Behavior Therapy.
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Maggie Haynes , MA Trauma and PTSD Program Volunteer Anxiety Disorders Clinic |
Maggie Haynes, MA is a Research Assistant at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Trauma and PTSD Program. She recently completed her Masters coursework in the Clinical Psychology program at Teachers College Columbia University. She received her Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from Northwestern University in 2002. At Teachers College she participated in Dr. George Bonanno’s Emotions, Stress, and Relationships research lab. She is also currently an online counselor for RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network). Within the Trauma and PTSD Program, Maggie is currently working on recruitment for treatment of prolonged grief to help 9/11 bereaved and Posttraumatic Stress after serving in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
