Susan Kweskin | Group Editorial Director
How does a psychiatrist tell a good psychiatric app from one that could harm a patient? Where to turn for guidance about MOC? Or for help with the tough ethical and clinical calls? How can psychiatrists keep abreast of the truly important clinical studies? Where does an early career psychiatrist become financially literate and learn about setting up his or her own practice? Where can a solo practitioner turn for expert “how I do it” guidance that’s concise and down to earth—not ivory tower?
These are just some of the editorial ideas our newly convened advisory board—made up of 7 early career psychiatrists—came up with recently . . . ideas this group will help us translate into published work in the coming months.
It’s my pleasure to introduce these extraordinarily accomplished young physicians, who were hand-picked by our editors in chief—Drs. Allan Tasman and Michelle Riba—from a pool of applicants. After reviewing their resumes, Allan and Michelle commented, “These young psychiatrists are amazing! It is wonderful to welcome them to our team with their innovative and interesting ideas.”
We asked each advisory board member to write a short “bio” to tell readers a little about themselves. I think you’ll enjoy the read.
Welcome, Drs. Awais Aftab, Noel Amaladoss, Kristel Carrington, Ralph de Similien, Jessica Gold, Desiree Shapiro, and John Torous!
Awais Aftab, MD
Awais Aftab, MD
I am a PGY4 and Chief Resident for Education and Research at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. I am an APA Leadership Fellow, and a fellow member of the APA Council of Research and have received fellowship awards from AADPRT as well as the Association of Academic Psychiatry. I have authored more than 2 dozen peer-reviewed publications and am the principal investigator for a Practice Based Research Network study investigating how the experience of psychiatric hospitalization affects trust and relationships with outpatient psychiatric providers. I’m also involved in an RCT investigating pioglitazone as a treatment for bipolar depression.
I am keenly interested in the myriad ways in which psychiatry is subject to philosophical inquiry and have developed a 6-part didactic course on the intersection of philosophy and psychiatry, which I have taught to psychiatry residents. The course covers topics such as the nature of mental disorder with regards to the debate between naturalism and normativism, the antipsychiatry movement, pluralism in psychiatry, and philosophical issues in psychiatric nosology. I am the founder and chief curator of the resident-led newsletter Research Watch, which has been featured by APA’s Ohio district branch, and received the 2017 CWRU Scholarship in Teaching award.
In my spare time, I listen to indie pop/indie rock music on Spotify, enjoy fiction and non-fiction (most recently The Stormlight Archive fantasy series and a biography of Philip K. Dick), peruse the Sunday New York Times, and binge-watch on Netflix.
Noel Amaladoss, MD
Noel Amaladoss, MD
Dr. Amaladoss is Assistant Professor at McMaster University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, and a Staff Psychiatrist at the Advanced Mind Clinic in Burlington, Ontario, whose main clinical interests are medical education, anxiety disorders, ADHD, psychopharmacology, and physician and corporate mental health. He earned his MB and ChB degrees from the University of Stellenbosch, Tygerberg Medical School, in Cape Town, South Africa, completed a psychiatry residency at Queens University in Ontario, and his fellowship at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
