With over 35 years of delivering and supervising care for thousands of children and adolescents facing behavioral and mental health challenges, I bring a deep understanding to my role as chair of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Langone.
As an expert in systems innovation and the treatment of behavioral and mental health issues in children and adolescents who have experienced complex trauma, I have dedicated my career to advocating for those affected by child abuse and violence. My focus has been on consistently improving mental health services for children and families.
I have actively participated in national efforts to enhance psychiatric emergency care for children and adolescents and contributed to numerous city and state mental health initiatives. In 2004, I opened the world’s first dedicated psychiatric emergency program for children at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Subsequently, I introduced trauma-informed care across the child emergency and inpatient services at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, expanding their acute child psychiatry service into one of the nation’s most comprehensive integrated care systems. I continue to oversee Bellevue’s acute care system, including New York State’s only 24-hour Children’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program.
Mental health conditions now account for the majority of morbidity and mortality in young people, and early identification greatly improves treatment outcomes. We need to advance our models to emulate those of pediatric healthcare, where prevention is the norm. At NYU Langone, our diverse team of mental health professionals offers a wide range of services for children, adolescents, young adults, and families in the New York metropolitan area. We are committed to advocating for prevention and early intervention, as the sooner treatment begins, the greater the impact.
NYU Langone is one of only two pediatric academic medical centers in the country with an independent child and adolescent psychiatry department. Our dedication to training future leaders in mental healthcare, combined with our integrated approach to research and clinical services, defines our excellence in the field. We remain focused on providing high-quality mental healthcare to children in need while continuing to collaborate with community partners to drive systematic change and address the youth mental health crisis at every level.
