Psychiatry

HemOnc photoshoot 3/24/21

617.414.4238

Select your language:

Welcome to the Boston Medical Center and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. We provide addiction treatment, emergency psychiatric services, child and adolescent services, adult services, integrated behavioral health services and global and local research programs. Our faculty, clinicians and staff are deeply committed to providing excellent care to the diverse populations served by Boston Medical Center, the Boston Veterans Administration Health System, and our community health center partners.

Our programs focus on mitigating the social determinants of health and providing culturally sensitive care, training, and research. Explore our department, its outstanding clinical services, and world-class research and training opportunities below.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health-related crisis reach out to the BEST 24hr call center: 1-800-981-HELP (4357). Telehealth is also available!

Contact Us

850 Harrison Ave (follow signs for Dowling) Boston, MA 02118
9th Floor
Dowling Building 617.414.4238
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m; Tuesday, Thursday: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Specialty Clinics

Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic

BMC’s Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic provides outpatient treatment for a full range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic issues, bipolar, psychosis, substance use disorder, and more.

BEST Partnership For Behavioral Health, Racial, And Social Justice

The BEST Partnership aims to improve outcomes for individuals with behavioral health challenges who are involved in the criminal justice system. We partner with the City of Boston, Boston Police Department, various court systems, and others to provide evaluation and treatment programs, with the goals of diverting arrests, reducing incarceration, and fostering recovery.

Boston Medical Center Emergency Services Program (BMC ESP)

We have three emergency service programs that provide comprehensive evaluation, intervention, and treatment for people in psychiatric crisis in the community. BEST provides these services to the community in the City of Boston, while other three programs provide emergency services in Cambridge, Somerville, and Fall River.

Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights

The Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights (BCRHHR) is a key program of the BMC Immigrant & Refugee Health Center (IRHC), a cross-departmental Center at BMC that provides one central place through which BMC's immigrant and refugee patients can get connected with the physical, mental and social services they need to heal and thrive.

Bridge Clinic

The Bridge Clinic is an urgent behavioral health clinic located within Adult Outpatient Behavioral Health. The Bridge Clinic uses a referral-based, open access model of care - one where referred patients do not need a pre-scheduled appointment - in order to address the urgent mental health needs of BMC patients, thus preventing unnecessary visits to the emergency department for urgent but non-emergent behavioral health issues.

Brockton Behavioral Health Center

As part of BMC’s mission to provide comprehensive, holistic care, and to help fill an important unmet need in Massachusetts, BMC Brockton Behavioral Health Center provides innovative care to people with substance use disorders and mental illness.

Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology – Family Support Center

The Family Support Center provides support for families of BMC COVID-19 patients through counseling, activities, and connections to needed services. In addition to support and bereavement groups, clinicians are available seven days a week to provide psychological support to those whose families have been impacted by COVID-19.

Criminal Justice Mental Health Programs

Boston Medical Center’s Criminal Justice Diversion programs include three mental health court sessions, the Boston Outpatient Assisted Treatment program, and a growing Boston Police Co-Responder program. BMC’s Emergency Services Programs also support improved outcomes for individuals who come into contact with the criminal justice system, through partnerships such as one with the Town of Winthrop’s Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery (CLEAR) program and regular participation in mental health trainings for police, court staff, and other first responders.

Integrated Behavioral Health

Our integrated behavioral health (IBH) service provides trauma-informed, culturally responsive, evidence-based behavioral health services to patients seen in outpatient medical practices. The IBH team, a diverse group of social work clinicians, psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychiatrists, works in general internal medicine, family medicine, OBGYN, geriatrics, infectious disease, nutrition, transplant, neurology, pulmonology, the Center for Digestive Disorders, and the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery.

Psychiatric Consultation and Liaison Service

Our team is available 24 hours a day to provide consultation, evaluation, and treatment recommendations for patients with psychiatric symptoms on the medical, pediatric, and surgical units at BMC.

Psychiatry Emergency Services

This standalone unit within Boston Medical Center’s Emergency Department evaluates and treat adults, children, and adolescents with emergency psychiatric needs.

Recovery Learning Community and Peer Support Services

We provide free peer-to-peer services, including peer support, advocacy, education, and career coaching, for individuals in recovery from mental health and/or substance abuse issues. Services are available in Greater Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and the Southeast region.

Smoking Cessation

Boston Medical Center’s Division of Psychiatry offers a medically supervised Smoking Cessation Program for patients and staff. The program is an eight week, one hour per week classroom model with a curriculum that includes pharmacotherapy, nicotine replacement (gum and patches), stress reduction training, cognitive therapy, social support, and relapse prevention counseling.

Spiritual Care

The Spiritual Care Department works collaboratively to help patients, family members, and staff address emotional, spiritual, and religious needs. Our multi-faith team provides inclusive spiritual care and can help you explore how your own sense of faith and spirituality may be a healing, comforting resource.

Our Team

Leadership Team

Natalija Bogdanovic, MD

Director of Outpatient Psychiatry

Special Interests

Evidence-based psychopharmacology, Expert second opinion

Kevin M Donnelly-Boylen, MD

Psychiatrist, Consultation-Liaison Service

Special Interests

Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety, LGBTQ+ Mental Health

Placeholder image for doctor

Cara H Fuchs, PhD

Psychologist

Special Interests

Integrated Behavioral Health; Healthy equity; Trauma-informed care

Richy C. Villa, LICSW

Director of Training and Social Work Development

Special Interests

Trauma, LGBTQ individuals and families

Placeholder image for doctor

Michael A Dawes, MD

Addiction Psychiatrist and Vice-Chair for Addiction Psychiatry

Special Interests

Addiction Psychiatry; Population Health as it relates to Patients with SUD and Co-occurring mental health disorders

Adult Psychiatrists

Isidore L Berenbaum, MD

Associate Director of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry

Special Interests

Physician Wellness, Geriatric Psychiatry, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry

Michael A Dawes, MD

Addiction Psychiatrist and Vice-Chair for Addiction Psychiatry

Special Interests

Addiction Psychiatry; Population Health as it relates to Patients with SUD and Co-occurring mental health disorders

Barbara J Horner, MD

Psychiatrist, Consultation-Liaison Service

Special Interests

Consultation- Liaison psychiatry, OB(Women’s health), Renal patients and Transplantation psychiatry

Linda A Piwowarczyk, MD, MPH

Psychiatrist, Director, Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights, Senior Advisor, Immigrant Refugee Health Center

Special Interests

Treatment for refugee trauma

Wendy Qiu, MD, PhD

Psychiatrist

Special Interests

Geriatric Psychiatry, Adult Psychiatry

Nurse Practitioners

Chenelle Christian, NP

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Special Interests

Depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, substance use disorders

Nancy Crouse, PCNS

Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist

Special Interests

Adult, Chronically Mentally Ill, Dual Dx, Geri

Jennifer A Kushmerek, RN, PCNS

Advanced Practice Nurse, Adult Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist

Special Interests

Personality Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Perinatal Psychiatry, Holistic healthcare

Placeholder image for doctor

Sokhira C Yang, NP

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Special Interests

Psychiatry and Nephrology

Placeholder image for doctor

Adult Psychologists

Santia Berberena, PsyD

Clinical Health Psychologist

Special Interests

adult mental health, bariatric medicine, health psychology and stress management techniques, interventions in clinical hypnosis, trauma informed interventions and care, Latino and Afro-Caribbean mental health, immigrant mental health, Native American mental health, cognitive and personality assessment

Eric G Devine, PhD

Psychologist

Special Interests

Addiction, anxiety, depression, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy

Emily Ruth Kline, PhD

Psychologist

Special Interests

Psychotic Disorders, First Episode Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Substance Use Disorders, Adolescents, Young Adults

Sarah E Valentine, PhD

Clinical Psychologist

Special Interests

Cognitive behavioral therapies for mood, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders; sexual and gender minority (“LGBT”) health; discrimination-related stress

Adult Therapists and Clinical Social Workers

Victoria Chenevert, LCSW

Clinical Social Worker, Psychotherapist

Special Interests

Trauma, Gender, Sexuality, LGBTQ, Shame, Race-based trauma and stress, social justice and equity 

Placeholder image for doctor

Kendra Harris, LCSW

Clinical Social Worker

Special Interests

Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, PTSD and Substance Use Disorders 

Placeholder image for doctor

Claire M Madden, LICSW

Clinical Social Worker/Psychotherapist, Adult Outpatient Behavioral Health, Geriatrics Integrated Behavioral Health
Placeholder image for doctor

Jessica McCaffery, LCSW

Outpatient Social Worker, Psychotherapist

Special Interests

Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, PTSD, Shame, LGBTQ+, Social Justice and Equity, Self-Care

Placeholder image for doctor

Maud Paul-Honore, LSW

Social Worker

Special Interests

Youth Involved in the Legal System/ Trauma Related Disorder

Placeholder image for doctor

Child Therapists

Ashley Jackson, LCSW

Social Worker

Special Interests

Trauma-focused and cognitive-behavioral therapies; Parenting skills training; Assessment and treatment of special populations (children and adolescents in foster care), Special Education assistance.

Child Psychiatrists

Natalija Bogdanovic, MD

Director of Outpatient Psychiatry

Special Interests

Evidence-based psychopharmacology, Expert second opinion

Micaela B Owusu, MD

Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist

Special Interests

Culture, Identity, Immigrants, LGBTQ+

Stephanie Kuntz, DO

Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

Special Interests

Psychopharmacology, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Transitional ages

Dana S Rubin, MD

Psychiatrist

Special Interests

Neurodevelopmental disorders; Psychopharmacology; Assessment and treatment of special populations (children and adolescents with physical illnesses and developmental delays); Mental health education and consultation to pediatric specialty care

Child Psychologists

Lovern R Moseley, PhD

Psychologist

Special Interests

Trauma/stressor-related, depressive, and disruptive behavior disorders; Trauma-focused and cognitive-behavioral therapies; Parenting skills training; Assessment and treatment of special populations (children and adolescents in foster care, families of Caribbean descent); Mental health education and consultation to the child welfare system; Christian counseling

Physician Associates

Research Overview

Through research, the Department of Psychiatry seeks to advance our understanding of the causes of and risk factors for psychiatric illnesses; to facilitate the development of more effective diagnostic, treatment, and prevention strategies for a wide array of psychiatric disorders; and to improve the quality and accessibility of our mental health services. We conduct a wide range of research that include:

  • basic science
  • clinical trials
  • implementation science
  • health services research
  • qualitative and mixed-methods research
  • epidemiologic research
  • epigenetic research
  • community-based participatory research
  • biobank initiatives

Our research initiatives encompass a wide variety of specialties, including maternal and child mental health, veterans’ health, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction psychiatry, Alzheimer’s disease, refugee health, global psychiatry, depression, and serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

We apply a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the complex mental health needs of our patients, in both global and local contexts. We are engaged in research projects in more than 15 countries in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East.  

Global & Local Center for Mental Health Disparities

The Global & Local Center for Mental Health Disparities aims to improve the mental health of global communities through clinical, research, and training initiatives. The Center works both locally in Boston and globally to build the capacity of our partners to provide mental health care, conduct research, and build the next generation of mental health professionals, all while ensuring our work is culturally informed.

Africa Global Mental Health Institute (AGMHI) 

The Africa Global Mental Health Institute works to equip mental health professionals in Africa with the tools they need to effectively care for those with mental illnesses, through training and education programs, research, and partnerships with key stakeholders.

Residency and Fellowship Information

The Department of Psychiatry is deeply committed to providing education for the next generation of psychiatric and clinical care providers. With our exceptionally diverse patient population and wide array of clinical services and research, we offer a unique place for providers to learn. We provide training opportunities for:

Learn more about the educational programs by clicking on the links above and by visiting the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine website.

Instagram Takeover

Tune in for a day in the life of Dr. Natasha Nazari, one of our star psychiatry residents!

Dr. Nazari introduces her fellow residents and answers questions on all things psychiatry and residency.

Boston Medical Center Instagram page

Affiliations

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Logo

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

As the principal teaching affiliate of Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center is devoted to training future generations of healthcare professionals.  Learn more about Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.

Latest from HealthCity