Angela A. Coombs, MD

The initial wave of COVID-19 flooded New York City hospitals with patients who urgently needed medical attention. Despite the potential dangers, psychiatrists and other physicians rushed to their aid. There were examples of inspiring teamwork and mutual support everywhere. At the same time, many physicians found themselves in new and unfamiliar roles, sometimes without the necessary mental health resources to cope with what they were seeing and doing.

, hosts Angela Coombs, MD, and Jennifer Sotsky, MD, talk to 

, about their experiences in the early days of the pandemic.

Many physicians have undergone traumatic experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you or anyone you know needs mental health resources, consider contacting the 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

’s national hotline (800-662-HELP) or the 

is an anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine Fellow at University of California, Los Angeles Health

is a PGY 3 resident and co-chair of the Psychiatry Residents Diversity Alliance at Columbia University Medical Center.

is a board-certified psychiatrist and assistant professor in Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. She serves as the medical director and team psychiatrist at ONTrackNY Washington Heights Community Service clinic. She completed her public psychiatry fellowship and adult psychiatry residency at Columbia University where she was a chief resident and co-organized the curriculum on racial/ethnic mental health disparities. In addition to her clinical work in the public sector, she also works in Columbia's psychiatric emergency room and has a private practice in Upper Manhattan.

is a fellow in consultation-liaison psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center with a part time private practice. She was formerly a chief resident at Columbia’s psychiatry residency program. Before medical training, she received an MS in Narrative Medicine, an interdisciplinary field that studies illness through a humanities lens. She is co-author of

Conquering Lyme Disease: Science Bridges the Great Divide

and has interests in medical education, psychotherapy, and medical humanities.

Thanks to Columbia University Department of Psychiatry for allowing us to present the Breakthrough Session podcast with experts in the field of psychiatry

Podcasts

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians were thrust into unfamiliar roles, where they sometimes had to make life and death decisions. Here are a few of their stories. 

Teamwork and Trauma: a Conversation With Kasey Grewe, MD, and Niesha Voigt, MD

During the first wave of COVID-19 cases in New York City, physicians of all kinds took on unfamiliar roles and, in many cases, potentially risked their lives to help their patients.

, a quartet of doctors remember the early, uncertain days the pandemic. Hosts Angela Coombs, MD, and Jennifer Sotsky, MD, talk to 

, about their personal experiences, how the challenges of the pandemic have evolved over time, what has kept them going throughout the year, and why preexisting social inequalities made the pandemic even deadlier in some communities.

is assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and program director of its fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine

is associate professor of medicine and program director of the Internal Medicine Training Program at Columbia University Medical Center.

Thanks to Columbia University Department of Psychiatry for allowing us to present the Breakthrough Session podcast with experts in the field of psychiatry.

When COVID-19 hit New York City, psychiatrists and other clinicians braved uncertainty and danger. Hear their stories on the PsychPearls podcast. 

Facing the First Days of the Pandemic: A Conversation With David Chong, MD, and Sara Nash, MD

 and the Columbia University Breakthrough Session, hosts Angela Coombs, MD, and Jennifer Sotsky, MD, discuss the possibilities and promise of psilocybin to treat psychiatric disorders and in enhancing everyday experiences with 

. Landmark studies and new research about the use of hallucinogens includes potential to treat:

Posttraumatic stress disorder
Substance use disorders


Psilocybin Revisited: The Science Behind the Drug and Its Surprising Therapeutic Potential

Psilocybin (mushrooms) and other hallucinogens from plants and some animal life generate perceptual changes and hallucinations, altered physical sensations, strong emotional reactions, and even dissolution of self.

The question is whether these are 

 or trips and whether they can result in lasting changes in the patient. Over time, some of the brain connections may become disrupted and new circuits may become activated.

Dr Hellerstein is a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University and is conducting clinical trials of psilocybin. His books include 

Heal Your Brain: How the New Neuropsychiatry Can Help You Go from Better to Well

is a board-certified psychiatrist and assistant professor in Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. She serves as the medical director and team psychiatrist at ONTrackNY Washington Heights Community Service clinic. She completed her public psychiatry fellowship and adult psychiatry residency at Columbia University where she was a chief resident and co-organized the curriculum on racial/ethnic mental health disparities. In addition to her clinical work in the public sector, she also works in Columbia's psychiatric emergency room and has a private practice in Upper Manhattan.



is a fellow in consultation-liaison psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center with a part time private practice. She was formerly a chief resident at Columbia’s psychiatry residency program. Before medical training, she received an MS in Narrative Medicine, an interdisciplinary field that studies illness through a humanities lens. She is co-author of 

 and has interests in medical education, psychotherapy, and medical humanities.



Columbia University Department of Psychiatry

 for allowing us to present the Breakthrough Session podcast with experts in the field of psychiatry.


Research on psilocybin, LSD, and other hallucinogens as psychiatric treatments are in their renaissance, transitioning from banned and illegal to potentially useful in changing life for the better in some patients. More in this podcast.

David Hellerstein, MD: Psychedelic Treatments for Psychiatric Disorders



In this installment of PsychPearls and the Columbia University Breakthrough Session, hosts Angela Coombs, MD, and Jennifer Sotsky, MD, discuss anxiety with 

Anxiety as cultural phenomenon vs individual illness

Help-seeking as a sign of strength and self-knowledge


Dr Albano is professor of medical psychology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University and director of the 

Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders

 (CUCARD). She is a clinical psychologist and board-certified in clinical child and adolescent psychology. In addition to serving as director of CUCARD, she also conducts research and trains residents, fellows, and psychology postdoctoral fellows and interns. Her research is focused on the development and testing of psychosocial treatments for anxiety and mood disorders, and in understanding the impact of these disorders on the developing youth. Dr Albano devotes her career to the study and treatment of anxiety and mood disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults. She is an expert diagnostician and cognitive-behavioral therapist. Dr. Albano co-developed a cognitive behavioral treatment program for adolescents with social phobia. She has published more than 90 articles and chapters and is the coauthor of several cognitive behavioral treatment manuals, including 

Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS-IV) Child and Parent Interview Schedules.

is a board-certified psychiatrist and assistant professor in Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. She serves as the medical director and team psychiatrist at ONTrackNY Washington Heights Community Service clinic. She completed her public psychiatry fellowship and adult psychiatry residency at Columbia University where she was a chief resident and co-organized the curriculum on racial/ethnic mental health disparities. In addition to her clinical work in the public sector, she also works in Columbia's psychiatric emergency room and has a private practice in Upper Manhattan. 

 is a fellow in consultation-liaison psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center with a part time private practice. She was formerly a chief resident at Columbia’s psychiatry residency program. Before medical training, she received an MS in Narrative Medicine, an interdisciplinary field that studies illness through a humanities lens. She is co-author of 

Thanks to Columbia University Department of Psychiatry for allowing us to present the Breakthrough Session podcast with experts in the field of psychiatry.



A discussion with professor of medical psychology and director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders.

Anne Marie Albano, PhD: A Conversation on the Spectrum of Anxiety

What is addiction, and how can psychiatrists best respond to the opioid (and other drug) epidemic? What have we done wrong about it in the medication and other effective treatments for addiction? What does addiction do to the brain?

Lloyd I Sederer, MD, a psychiatrist, public health expert, and writer provides key insights on what we can do to save more lives from overdose deaths.

Dr Sederer is adjunct professor at the Columbia University School of Public Health; director of Columbia Psychiatry Media; Chief Medical Officer of 

. He has been chief medical officer of McLean Hospital; affiliated with Harvard; Mental Health Commissioner of New York City; and Chief Medical Officer of the New York State Office of Mental Health, the nation’s largest state mental health agency. The mission of 

 is to find the causes of and cures for mental illness.

Ink Stained for Life: Coming of Age in the 1950s. A Bronx Tale

How can we save more lives and prevent overdose deaths? Lloyd I Sederer, MD, a psychiatrist, expert in public health, and author provides insights.

Lloyd Sederer, MD: A Conversation About Addiction and the Opioid Epidemic

Dr Drew Ramsey discusses the role of diet and nutrition in brain and mental health, promising areas of nutrition, and the importance of evidence-based treatment with food. Good nutrition is not a contest between zucchini and medications.



 is assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. His clinical work focuses on the treatment of depression and anxiety with a combination of psychotherapy, diet and lifestyle modification, and psychopharmacology. From 2005 to 2008, he directed the Audubon Continuing Day Treatment Program, a bi-lingual service for the severely mentally ill located in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan; a program of New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia Psychiatry.



 and has interests in medical education, psychotherapy, and medical humanities.

In this podcast, Drew Ramsey, MD, an nutritional expert and psychiatrist discusses the importance of diet and nutrition in mental health and wellness.

Angela A. Coombs, MD

Articles

Teamwork and Trauma: a Conversation With Kasey Grewe, MD, and Niesha Voigt, MD

Facing the First Days of the Pandemic: A Conversation With David Chong, MD, and Sara Nash, MD

David Hellerstein, MD: Psychedelic Treatments for Psychiatric Disorders

Anne Marie Albano, PhD: A Conversation on the Spectrum of Anxiety

Lloyd Sederer, MD: A Conversation About Addiction and the Opioid Epidemic

A Conversation With Drew Ramsey, MD, on Nutrition and Mental Health