The year 2023 was transformative for Mount Sinai’s impact on mental health in New York City. In June, we opened the doors of the Mount Sinai-Behavioral Health Center (MSBHC) in Lower Manhattan. This center reinforces our Department’s commitment to fostering breakthrough clinical research and patient health by co-locating and integrating mental health, substance use, and primary care. The Center also reimagines behavioral health care delivery and breaks down barriers among programs to the benefit of the patients we serve in New York City.
In every aspect of its core mission, the Mount Sinai Department of Psychiatry is revolutionizing the road ahead. Last year saw multiple studies from faculty in the Department of Psychiatry that will help shape our approach to understanding addiction, weight disorders, and other mental disorders. For instance, the Center of Excellence in Eating and Weight Disorders launched a five-year study to test a family therapy method for patients with anorexia, which could keep more patients in the comfort of their homes as they receive treatment.
Our residency program continues to expand its offerings and excel in producing the next generation of psychiatrists and researchers. Across our cohorts, four residents in our Physician-Scientist Residency Program embody excellence in care and research. I invite you to learn more about them in this year’s specialty report.
The Department has other exciting developments underway, such as the Center for Psychedelic Therapy Research securing a location for a dedicated psychedelic research, treatment, and educational center in New York City. This first-of-its-kind center will provide a home base for our research of MDMA for PTSD and groundbreaking clinical trials. Our researchers at the Depression and Anxiety Center are also expanding our understanding of the mechanistic and clinical effects of ketamine, including determining the impact of combining ketamine treatment with psychotherapy and testing ketamine in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
We are proud of how we’re leading the way in improving clinical care for those most in need, and we will continue to explore ways to achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients and push the envelope in research that will reimagine psychiatric and behavioral health care.
Featured
René S. Kahn, MD, PhD
Esther and Joseph Klingenstein Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health