Jane L. Rosenthal, MD

For as long as I can remember, I accompanied family members on Sunday morning hospital rounds to check in on patients after surgery. Also, at meal times and holidays I listened to their fascinating conversations about psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy. These experiences exposed me to medicine from a very young age. It was no surprise that my professional interest arose at this junction—I practice psychiatry with a firm footing in the field of medicine. I chose this specialty because I wanted to pursue a career that would continue to fascinate me throughout my life.

I joined NYU Langone in 2008. When I first started working here, I founded and directed the consultation liaison psychiatry service at Tisch Hospital, providing psychiatric consultation to medical and surgical inpatients. Since 2015, I have worked at Perlmutter Cancer Center, where I now serve as medical director of psychosocial services. We provide supportive and compassionate care for people who are struggling with cancer diagnoses and treatment.

When I work with patients, I discuss their goals of care and how their diagnosis and treatment impacts their lives and identities. To help them cope, I provide medication to reduce symptoms and one-on-one and family psychotherapy. My goal is to help promote patients’ resilience by encouraging healthy behaviors, suggesting approaches for stress mitigation, and enhancing physical and emotional flexibility so that they can best face whatever lies ahead.