IN THIS ISSUE: FACLP Awards | Webb Fellowship Awards | CLP 2024 Posters | BOPs | What’s on the Web | A&E Abstracts
Academy honors more members with Fellowship accreditation
The Academy has honored a further seven members with the FACLP fellowship accreditation. The new FACLPs will receive their awards at a CLP 2024 ceremony this month. They are:
Morgan Faeder, MD, PhD, assistant professor, University of Pittsburgh Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology
Sponsor Andrea DiMartini, MD, FACLP, has known Dr. Faeder for the past nine years—as a C-L Psychiatry fellowship trainee at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre (UPMC) and then as faculty.
“As a C-L fellow, Dr. Faeder demonstrated substantial clinical acumen in Psychiatry and Neurology,” says Dr. DiMartini. “He used his knowledge and skills to create and expand an integrated outpatient neuropsychiatry program at UPMC and now serves as the medical director of the UPMC C-L Neuropsychiatry Clinic. The multidisciplinary program is an essential part of the C-L Psychiatry fellowship rotation, teaching fellows especially how to conduct an extensive neurological examination.”
Since 2019, Dr. Faeder has also been co-director of the UPMC Huntington’s Disease Society of America Center of Excellence, and in 2024 was named co-director of the Lewy Body Disease Association Research Center of Excellence. His expertise was recognized by the Huntington’s Disease Society of America who chose him to represent the society in testimony at a 2023 congressional briefing on suicide in chronic illness.
At ACLP, Dr. Faeder served on the Fellowship Education Subcommittee for two years, he is a member of the Neuropsychiatry SIG, and more recently is a founding member of the LGBTQIA2S+ SIG.
“I believe Dr. Faeder embodies the qualifications we are looking for in our ACLP Fellows,” says Dr. DiMartini. “He is an excellent clinician, and a dedicated educator and scientist, promoting the field of psychosomatic medicine.”
Priya Gopalan, MD, FACLP, says she first worked in earnest with Dr. Faeder when he rotated with the C-L Psychiatry service as a PGY2 many years ago.
“Little did I know at the time that I would have a long and deep working relationship with him where I would watch in awe as he conducted his tremendous work. Since becoming faculty in our department, Dr Faeder has thrived with his excellence spanning all areas: educational, clinical, and administrative/leadership. He has never wavered in his poised approach and has been a steady member in his clinical fields of C-L Psychiatry and Neurology.
“He is highly sought after as an expert in the interface between Neurology and Psychiatry, and his waitlist for patients seen in his clinic for a new evaluation is 9-10 months at any given time.”
Larkin Kao, MD, medical director, West Roxbury C-L Psychiatry Service, VA Boston Healthcare System
Dr. Kao is chair of the Academy’s Medical Student Education Subcommittee of which she has been a member since 2018. Sponsor David Kasick, MD, DFAPA, FACLP, praises Dr. Kao’s leadership and mentorship skills: “I have watched her rapidly grow and transform the influence of this group…Her commitment to improving the recruitment and outreach efforts of our Academy subcommittee has improved medical student attendance at our annual meeting.
“She has also organized major revisions of the medical student section of the ACLP website; developed new webinars and programs with national medical student interest groups; fostered the expansion of ACLP’s social media presence by targeting learner engagement and recruitment; actively promoted mentorship and subcommittee membership among trainees; and has strengthened our connection with other professional organizations focused on psychiatric medical education.
“Dr Kao’s diligence and humanism as a physician, strong interpersonal communication skills, evolution as an academic leader, and skills in driving interprofessional teams are reflected across her accomplishments.”
Beyond ACLP, Dr. Kao has strengthened mentorship and trainee outreach through multiple projects with PsychSIGN, the national network of medical student psychiatry interest groups, and has renewed the Academy’s connection with ADMSEP, the national organization of psychiatric medical student educators.
Dr. Kao is currently leading a project team with members of ACLP and ADMSEP to capture the current state of education in C-L Psychiatry through surveying psychiatry clerkship directors in the US—“a substantial undertaking with significant implications for post-pandemic curricular development and identification of opportunities for further educational growth in our subspecialty,” says Dr. Kasick.
Sejal Shah, MD, FACLP, says she has known Dr. Kao since she interviewed for a C-L Psychiatry fellowship position at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Dr. Shah was the fellowship program director at the time). “Her enthusiasm, curiosity, and warmth were evident from that first time I met her during her interview. We were thrilled when Dr. Kao matched with us.”
Shruti Mutalik, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine; attending psychiatrist and transplant psychiatrist, C-L Psychiatry Service, Mount Sinai Hospital
Dr. Mutalik leads the Living Donor Subcommittee of the Transplant Psychiatry SIG as well as the SIG’s Rare Transplants Subcommittee. She is a member of the Palliative Medicine and Psycho-Oncology SIG and also vice-chair of the International Medical Graduates SIG.
Sponsor William Breitbart, MD, has known Dr. Mutalik for more than a decade. “She was an outstanding clinical fellow and chief fellow in our fellowship training program in psychosomatic medicine and psycho-oncology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.”
Since graduating the fellowship, Dr. Mutalik completed a Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship and then held an academic faculty position in the US Military. She was chief of the Psychiatric Liaison Service at the Walter Reed Medical Center from 2017-2019.
Since January 2020, she has been an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and attending psychiatrist, C-L Psychiatry Service, at Mount Sinai Hospital where she has led the Solid Organ Transplant C-L Psychiatry Program.
“Dr. Mutalik is an outstanding clinician, teacher and academician,” says Dr. Breitbart. “She lives up to what I believe is the standard of clinical and training excellence that deserves recognition by the Academy with the granting of her status as an ACLP Fellow.”
Yesne Alici, MD, first met Dr. Mutalik on the fellowship program at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/Weill Cornell Medical College. She says: “As noted by all her supervisors at the time, Shruti’s ability to teach, lead, collaborate, and provide clinical care was above and beyond her level of training at the time. She was awarded the Jimmie Holland Award for excellence in clinical fellowship during that year in recognition of her achievements.”
Dr. Mutalik is triple-boarded in Psychiatry, C-L Psychiatry, and Geriatric Psychiatry. “Her CV is reflective of her dedication to and excellence in teaching of all disciplines, her strong clinical acumen, her commitment to writing, publishing, and her being a member in great standing within the C-L Psychiatry community,” says Dr. Alici.
Cristina Montalvo, MD, MBA, MBS, division chief, Consultation-Liaison and Psychiatric Emergency Service, Tufts Medicine; chief of C-L Psychiatry and Emergency Services, Tufts Medical Center; chief of psychiatry, Lowell General Hospital
Sponsor Kewchang Lee, MD, FACLP, has known Dr. Montalvo since 2017, when he joined the ACLP Fellowship Education Subcommittee (FES), and she was serving as its first C-L Psychiatry fellow member.
“She has an unwavering commitment to education which is demonstrated by her years of service on the FES as both a member and a consultant,” says Dr. Lee, “and I have always been impressed by her ability to make consistently thoughtful, engaging, and practical contributions to our work. I was also extremely fortunate to participate with her on the ACLP Branding Task Force and to have her as a member of the ACLP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force under my leadership.” Dr. Montalvo is also vice-chair of the Networking Subcommittee.
At her home institutions, Dr. Montalvo has served in many educational leadership roles, including as West Roxbury VA site director for the Boston University C-L Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Fellowship Programs; C-L site director for the Adult Psychiatry and Neurology Residency Programs at Tufts Medical Center; and medical student C-L site director for the Tufts University School of Medicine—“exceptionally notable for a junior faculty member,” says Dr. Lee.
She has been the chief or division chief of C-L Psychiatry and Emergency Services at Tufts Medical Center since 2020 and, this past January, she was appointed chief of psychiatry at Lowell General Hospital, a 445-bed facility at two inpatient hospital campuses with four urgent care locations and a full range of specialty care services.
“Her appointment reflects her openness to new challenges, her well-honed skills as a leader and systems-thinker, and her superb ability to collaborate successfully with stakeholders, both within and outside of the clinical world,” says Dr. Lee. Dr. Montalvo is also a champion of enhancing opportunities for traditionally underrepresented minorities in psychiatry, serving, for example, as mentor and PI for a recent awardee of the APA’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Minority Grant, which she herself received in 2015.
Sejal Shah, MD, FACLP, has also worked with Dr. Montalvo through FES as well as the Networking Subcommittee (to which she appointed her upon its inauguration). “In these roles, it is remarkable to witness her enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work. Her passion is contagious and allows other members to feel included and excited about the work.”
Kamalika Roy, MD, MCR, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University
Sponsor Durga Roy, MD, FACLP, says: “Dr. Roy is well positioned to transition to her next phase in the Academy as Fellow given her standing as a strong clinician, educator, and scholar.”
As program director of the C-L Psychiatry Fellowship Program at OHSU, Dr. Roy has served in clinical education and administrative and leadership roles. She leads the psycho-oncology program at Knight Cancer Institute and as a supervisor of the longitudinal mandatory rotation for C-L fellows; leads a project on the collaborative care model at OHSU with the goal of implementing CoCM in psycho-oncology and other departments; and runs several didactics for current C-L fellows in her program which include courses on introduction to C-L Psychiatry, obesity and psychiatry, delirium and catatonia.
Dr. Roy is a member of the Academy’s Neuropsychiatry SIG, past chair and now consultant to the Academy’s Fellowship and Awards Subcommittee, and advisor to the Academy’s mentorship activities. She is also a member of the Palliative Medicine & Psycho-Oncology SIG, the Critical Care Psychiatry SIG, and the C-L Psychiatry Fellowship Program Directors Forum. In past years, Dr. Roy has served on the Research Subcommittee.
Beyond ACLP, Dr. Roy has served in many leadership roles in the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Medical Association (AMA). She served as chair and the alternate delegate of the AMA International Medical Graduates Section, where she represented C-L Psychiatry in the AMA House of Delegates and Reference Committees. As the AMA IMG section chair, she collaborated with the AMA Center for Health and Equity on policymaking for underserved patient populations and AMA’s strategic priorities on advancing equity. Most recently, she was elected as the alternate delegate of the AMA Academic Physicians Section.
She serves on the APA Board, representing minoritized psychiatrists, including seven minority and underrepresented caucuses, and she chairs APA’s Structural Racism Accountability Committee.
Iqbal Ahmed, MD, FRCPsych, says: “Dr. Roy’s dedication, passion, leadership, scholarship, and engagement in C-L Psychiatry, ACLP, and excellence beyond ACLP are evident. She is a very deserving candidate for ACLP Fellowship.”
Andrew Siegel, MD, associate professor of clinical psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Sponsor Henry Bleier, MD, MBA, FACLP, says: “Dr. Siegel is one of the three most-talented bedside practitioners I have trained in the last 25 years, and since completing his fellowship has developed the most as an academician.
“His service at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is a virtual mini-institute of C-L Psychiatry, hosting on any given rotation: two or three PGY II residents, 2-4 medical clerks, a psychiatry fellow, a psychologist, a medical sub-I and a senior neurology resident taking a required elective in C-L. He is the clerkship director, C-L Sub-I director, and in 2019 was appointed associate director of the C-L Fellowship program and chairs its educational and curriculum subcommittees.”
Dr. Siegel, he says, manages this large educational portfolio “with skill, grace, and aplomb.” His excellence as a teacher was recognized in only his third year as an attending by his receipt of the prestigious PGY III and IV resident teaching award, chosen annually by the residents and given to one of the ‘best teachers’ they have had in the residency program.
Robert Weinrieb, MD, FACLP, says Dr. Siegel has been the keystone for the training of scores of future generations of physicians, neurologists, and psychiatrists. “He possesses a special gift for the training of C-L psychiatrists. He has taken the lead and completed many improvement projects in our fellowship including vastly expanding and diversifying our educational curriculum, modernizing and updating our website, policies and procedures guidebook, and our rising fellow orientation materials. He is a self-starter who is unfailingly diligent and dependable, regardless of the role he takes on.”
At ACLP, Dr. Siegel is a recipient of the 2015 William Webb Fellowship and was an early career psychiatrist rotating co-chair of the Bioethics SIG. He currently serves on the Fellowship Education Subcommittee.
Joji Suzuki, MD, director of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Sponsor Sejal Shah, MD, FACLP, DFAPA, has known Dr. Suzuki since she began her psychiatry career at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“Dr. Suzuki was instrumental during my residency and fellowship as a valued educator on the C-L service,” she says. “He has been such a valued teacher and mentor followed by colleague, collaborator, and friend. It is difficult to understate his impact on the field of C-L Psychiatry in the realm of treating patients with substance use disorders in the medical setting… a pioneer at the intersection of addiction and hospital-based psychiatry.
“He has been instrumental in his groundbreaking work involving initiation of buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder in hospital settings—an issue now even more pressing given the interference of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. This work has become a benchmark for many institutions across the US.”
At ACLP, Dr. Suzuki is a member of the Research SIG, the Research Committee, and the Addiction & Toxicology SIG. He has served as a research mentor to numerous C-L Psychiatry fellows whose research projects have led to ACLP presentations followed by publications.
“It is my absolute pleasure to recommend Dr. Suzuki to be a Fellow of the ACLP as he embodies the core values and mission of ACLP,” says Dr. Shah. “His deep involvement in our field, contributions to the management of our patient populations, and unwavering dedication to the mentorship and education of our trainees and colleagues is deserving of this prestigious recognition.”
ACLP president (2009-2010) David Gitlin, MD, FACLP, has also known Dr. Suzuki from his earliest days as a psychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Dr. Suzuki and his team have been providing medical inpatient addiction consultation when the vast majority of hospitals had no such service, actually creating a subspecialty service within the larger C-L Psychiatry service. I am eager for him to continue contributing to the advancement of C-L Psychiatry as a Fellow.”