Benjamin R. Smoak, MD

Medicine was always in the cards for me. I’ve loved science and teaching since childhood and knew that I wanted to pursue a career that aligned with these interests. I gravitated toward psychiatry as the specialty that most allowed me to both treat and help educate people along the way.

At NYU Langone Psychiatry Associates, I work with people who have general psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, mood disorders, and trauma, but also have a special interest in addiction and co-occurring psychiatric and medical conditions—a specialty known as psychosomatic medicine—in particular, HIV. As a physician and psychiatrist, I work to ensure that a medical condition is not causing psychiatric symptoms or making treatment more difficult.

While I do some talk therapy, I mainly evaluate and coordinate care with other healthcare providers, including primary care doctors, psychotherapists, and any specialists. In a way, I’m like a coach, overseeing and guiding treatment. I typically manage a person’s medications, while working closely with their psychotherapist. My interest in integrative health allows me to recommend appropriate holistic options—acupuncture, mindfulness techniques, and yoga, for instance—often in conjunction with, but sometimes in place of, medications.

Our team has a diverse range of training and expertise, so we can meet almost any mental health need. If the assessment reveals that I’m not the right person to treat particular issues, I will work to find someone who is. We also strive to accommodate people’s busy lives and schedules, and for some patients I am able to offer online doctor visits through the NYU Langone Health app.

I enjoy working with adults of a variety of ages and from a range backgrounds, and I have many years of experience working with veterans and the LGBTQ+ community.

I also train NYU Grossman School of Medicine residents, the next generation of psychiatrists, which is an endeavor I find gratifying and also useful—I learn from them all the time.