Melissa A. Nishawala, MD

As a child, I often accompanied my mother, a special education teacher for developmentally delayed young adults, and spent time helping in her classroom. Watching the difference she made in her students’ skills, confidence, and well-being left a lasting impression on me. It was an early and powerful lesson in how thoughtful, compassionate care can transform lives. By the time I entered medical school, I knew I wanted to become a psychiatrist and focus my career on supporting children, adolescents, and their families.

What drives me every day is the opportunity to help people—both children and families—function better and live fuller lives. I am endlessly fascinated by each patient’s unique story and deeply committed to working with them in a way that fosters meaningful progress. Building trust is an essential part of this process. I listen carefully, create a nonjudgmental, supportive environment, and take time to truly understand a family’s concerns, strengths, and goals. I see families as essential partners in care and work collaboratively with them to design thoughtful and individualized treatment plans.

I specialize in treating a range of psychiatric conditions in children and adolescents, with particular expertise in feeding and eating disorders and autism spectrum disorder. I serve as the clinical director of the Feeding and Eating Disorder Service and as medical director of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Research and Clinical Program. In these roles, I lead multidisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive, evidence-based care that is tailored to meet the specific needs of each child and family. Additionally, I have developed expertise in diagnosing and treating co-occurring conditions, including ADHD and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents with autism, taking a careful and collaborative approach to address overlapping symptoms and create highly personalized care plans.

For me, the foundation of excellent care is ensuring that patients and families feel heard and understood. I take a compassionate, developmentally informed approach to treatment that respects each child’s needs and integrates families into every step of the process. My goal is always to help families understand their options, feel supported in their decisions, and ultimately find effective solutions that align with their child’s and their own goals.

In addition to my clinical work, I am deeply engaged in research focused on adolescent depression and psychopharmacology. My publications have explored topics such as immune system dysregulation in adolescent major depressive disorder, cytokines in suicidal and non-suicidal adolescents with major depression, and SSRI prescribing practices in adolescents. This research reflects my ongoing commitment to advancing our understanding of child and adolescent psychiatric conditions and using evidence-based knowledge to improve patient care.

Teaching is another cornerstone of my professional work. I have twice been honored to receive the Teacher of the Year Award from second-year child and adolescent psychiatry fellows. Many of the fellows I’ve mentored have gone on to lead child psychiatry services and multidisciplinary teams, which has been a source of great pride and fulfillment for me. Additionally, I serve as vice chair of Institutional Review Board C at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where I provide expertise in the protection of human subjects in research, including children and adults who may lack capacity.

My approach to care centers on compassion, collaboration, and evidence-based practice. Above all, I aim to ensure that each child and their family receive the understanding, support, and individualized treatment they need to thrive.