Consultation-Liaison (CL) Psychiatry Fellowship

Dr. Joshua Leo earned his medical degree at Tulane University School of Medicine and Master’s in Public Health at Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. He completed his Adult Psychiatry Residency as part of the Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Program and completed a fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Clinically he is on the Consultation-Liaison Service at BIDMC and an Instructor in Psychiatry for Harvard Medical School. His interests and expertise include Neuropsychiatry, medical student and resident education, and collaboration across specialties and disciplines. He has been recognized for his excellence in teaching by the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry at BIDMC, the Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Program, and the Harvard Medical School Department of Medicine at BIDMC.

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Dr. Liz Dunn is a third generation Californian who attended college at Stanford University, got a Master’s degree at UC Berkeley with a thesis on metaphor in medical language, and earned her MD from UC San Francisco. Dr. Dunn directs the Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, seeing patients in the emergency room and on the medical and surgical floors. As a leader, her goal is to create a service defined by a spirit of collaboration, clinical excellence, and academic inquiry. She particularly enjoys collaborating with the multidisciplinary teams involved in the care of our complex patients.

Dr. Dunn teaches and mentors residents in the Harvard BIDMC Psychiatry Residency Program as well as Harvard medical students, focusing on interviewing and the patient-doctor relationship, while fostering trainees’ professional identities as physicians. Dr. Dunn is interested in the role of the humanities in encouraging professionalism, reflection, and empathy in physicians. She was honored to receive the Resident Teaching Award, the BIDMC Faculty Teaching Award, the APA Nancy Roeske Teaching Award, and the Harvard Medical School Cynthia Kettyle Teaching Award. She lives in the Boston area with her husband, two children, two cats, and one dog.

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Dr. Katiuska Ramirez is the Associate Director of the BIDMC Psychiatric Consultation-Liaison Service and an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She earned her medical degree from Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami, FL. She completed psychiatry residency training at Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program and fellowship training in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Her clinical and academic interests include psychiatric care in the context of complex medical illness, HIV/AIDS psychiatry, the care of Hispanic/Latinx patients, and social determinants of health. She is an active member of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry’s special interest groups in Hispano-American C-L Psychiatry and HIV/AIDS Psychiatry. In her clinical work, Dr. Ramirez focuses on medical education and has experience training psychiatry residents and C-L psychiatry fellows across multiple care settings.

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Dr. Marta Herschkopf earned her medical degree at Harvard Medical School, and a Master’s degree in Theology from the University of Oxford. She completed her Adult Psychiatry Residency at the NYU School of Medicine and her fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.

She serves as the Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry for the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry at BIDMC, and as an attending on the Consultation-Liaison Service. She also has a psychotherapy-oriented private practice in Cambridge, MA, and is affiliate faculty at the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics. Her interests include bioethics, psychodynamic theory, medical education, and religion/spirituality.

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Dr. Rohn Friedman graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed an Adult Psychiatry Residency at the Payne Whitney Clinic, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. He is the Vice-Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Part-Time, at Harvard Medical School.

Previously he was the Director of the Psychiatric Consultation Service at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and continues to teach and work on the service. He has longstanding interests in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, application of psychodynamic understanding in C-L Psychiatry, management of eating disorders in the general hospital, collaborative care, medical training, mentoring, medical ethics, and quality improvement.

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Dr. Jennie Davidow received her medical degree at New York Medical College. She completed her Adult Psychiatry Residency in the Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program and her fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry at the Mass General Brigham Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program.

She sees geriatric and adult outpatients on the Ambulatory and Consultation-Liaison services at BIDMC and is an Instructor in Psychiatry for Harvard Medical School. Her interests include examining the intersection of medical, neurologic, and psychosocial factors affecting mental health, bereavement, the management of behavioral symptoms of dementia, delirium, and resident and medical student education.

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Dr. Ryan Henner earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his Adult Psychiatry Residency at the Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program, where he was the Resident Chief of Education at Brigham & Women's Hospital.

Along with teaching as often as possible, his interests include Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy and incorporating spirituality with awareness practices into treatment. At BIDMC, he is on the Consultation-Liaison Service, the Collaborative Care team, and runs the Esketamine Clinic for Treatment-Resistant Depression.

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Dr. Stephen Nicolson earned his medical degree at Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California. He completed his Adult Psychiatry Residency at Emory University and his fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Before joining Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth, Massachusetts (BID Plymouth), he was the director of the Psychiatry Consultation Service and the Psychosomatic Medicine Fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

He sees patients at the Senior Behavioral Health Center, serves as the director of the Psychiatry Consultation Service and the Addiction Psychiatry Service at BID Plymouth, and is a part-time lecturer in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. His interests include bedside neuropsychiatric examination, global health, and addiction. He has published works in a variety of medical journals, including the American Journal of Psychiatry, Journal of Addiction Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Psychiatric Services, and Psychosomatics. He has written several book chapters, various studies, case reports, and review articles.

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Dr. Anthony Weiss, MBA, MSc, CPE, FAPA, is chief medical officer (CMO) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the course director of the Physician Leadership Program at BIDMC, and a member of the faculty of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Dr. Weiss received a BS in pharmacology and toxicology, with highest distinction, as well as an MD from the University of Wisconsin. He earned his MSc from HMS, and an MBA, Summa Cum Laude, from Babson College. Dr. Weiss did his residency through the joint Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/McLean Hospital program, and followed with a fellowship in consultation psychiatry at MGH as well as additional fellowships, including through the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology.

Dr. Weiss’s career has focused on enhancing health care delivery, initially in the area of mental health, and subsequently at the broader hospital/health system domain. He is proud that in his role as clinical leader for both the institution and Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC, he has been able to serve as a voice for physicians at a time where many feel disempowered. He sees patients and teaches residents and HMS students on the BIDMC C-L psychiatry service and is particularly interested in working with patients whose conditions are in the borderland between neurology and psychiatry. He is also a member of the Center for Bioethics at HMS and has a strong interest in the ethical implications of novel therapies in clinical neuroscience. His work has appeared in more than 70 publications, and he continues to serve as a peer reviewer for multiple scientific journals. Honors include the 2003 Young Investigator Award from the International Congress on Schizophrenia, the 2005 Young Investigator Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the Livingston Award and the Excellence in Teaching Award from HMS.

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Dr. Bernie Vaccaro earned his medical degree at Georgetown University. He completed his adult psychiatry residency at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center/Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Program and completed Fellowships in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Neuropsychiatry at the Behavioral Neurology Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

He has served many roles in the Harvard Longwood and Beth Israel Deaconess, now Beth Israel Lahey Systems. He has served as the consultant to Burn Trauma units, Comprehensive Epilepsy monitoring services, Centers of Excellence for Epilepsy, Movement Disorders, and the Center for Violence Prevention and Recovery. He has served as both interim and director of Psychiatric Consultation Service at Beth Israel, and Clinical Director of Neuropsychiatry at BIDMC. He has additional interests and training in psychotherapy of trauma and related disorders. He has received awards for his teaching at both Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association.

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Dr. Grace Chang is Professor and Head of the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry at VA Boston. She was educated at Yale College and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Chang completed her training in general adult psychiatry and a two-year fellowship in Psychiatry and Internal Medicine, both at the Yale University School of Medicine, where she earned a master’s degree in public health.

Dr. Chang has had extensive experience in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry with particular expertise in transplantation psychiatry and the management of the substance use disorders in the medically complex patient. A noted educator, she has received numerous awards for her teaching and mentorship of trainees.

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Dr. Talya Shahal earned her medical degree at the Tel Aviv University Sackler School of Medicine. Subsequently, she completed her medical internship at the Meir Medical Center and her Adult Psychiatry Residency at St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Michigan. She received her fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry at Mass General Brigham, working across multiple sites including McLean Hospital, Mass General Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

She is on the Consultation-Liaison service at the VA Boston Healthcare System and is an Instructor in Psychiatry for Harvard Medical School and Boston University. Her interests and expertise include dementia with behavioral disturbances, palliative pare in older adults, and education of trainees and nursing staff. She serves a site director for Harvard South Shore and Boston University Psychiatry residents and Mass General Brigham Geriatric Psychiatry fellows.

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Dr. Larkin Kao earned her medical degree at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. She subsequently completed residency in adult psychiatry at Boston University Medical Center and fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. She has worked as a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist with VA Boston since 2018 and is presently the Interim Director of the Consultation-Liaison service at West Roxbury.

She is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and a Part-Time Lecturer in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Medical Student Education Subcommittee and Site Director for Boston University Consultation-Liaison fellows and Psychiatry clerkship students at the West Roxbury VA. She has been recognized by Boston University School of Medicine for her contributions to clinical education. Her interests include medical education and the connections between psychiatry and spirituality/religion.

Fellows will rotate through inpatient and outpatient settings at BIDMC and the VA, with approximately six months at each site. Fellows will see patients admitted to Medicine, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Surgery, Oncology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Critical Care, and the Emergency Department. Fellows will also gain experience seeing patients while rotating on the Addiction Psychiatry Consult Service.

Fellows will rotate in outpatient subspecialty clinics throughout the year, e.g., VA Boston Memory Disorders Clinic and BIDMC Reproductive Psychiatry and Women's Mental Health Clinic. Fellows will also be able to teach and supervise trainees in the BIDMC Psychiatry Residency and Harvard Medical School students on core/elective rotations throughout the year.  

Four weeks of vacation (20 days) will be available over the year (i.e., two weeks at BIDMC and two weeks at VA) with flexibility for individual schedules.

Rotation Overview

Inpatient (full time)	Outpatient (one half-day/week)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Consultation-Liaison Service & Emergency Services (approx. 4 mo.) Addiction Psychiatry Consultation Service (1 mo.)	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Women's Mental Health/ Reproductive Psychiatry (6 mo.)
VA Boston Healthcare Consultation-Liaison Service (approx. 4 mo.)	VA Boston Healthcare Memory Disorders Clinic (6 mo.)

Sample Fellow Schedule

July 2023 – June 2024

• 4 months Inpatient C-L at BIDMC
• 2 weeks Vacation
• 1 month Inpatient Addiction Psychiatry Consultation Service at BIDMC
• 4 months Inpatient C-L at VA Boston
• 2 weeks Vacation
• One half-day a week for Outpatient Continuity Clinic throughout the year
• Weekly protected time for didactics & supervision throughout the year

No overnight call required.

Moonlighting opportunities available, not required.

The CL Psychiatry fellowship offers a nurturing academic environment supported by experts dedicated to providing comprehensive, compassionate care for those with addiction, medical issues, and psychiatric problems.

As one of only a small number of ACGME-accredited programs affiliated with a large tertiary academic center and a VA Healthcare System, fellows will benefit from collaborating with experienced professionals at BIDMC and the VA Boston Healthcare System who serve key liaison and educational roles in various settings.

Fellows will have time set aside for didactics and supervision each week. This ensures that fellows have the opportunity to work closely and study with around 10 core faculty across different areas of expertise including Neuropsychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, and Forensic Psychiatry. Upon successful completion, fellows will be eligible to apply for the ABPN Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Subspecialty Certification Exam.

Fellows will be appointed as Clinical Fellows in the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry.

Fellows will have the opportunity to help educate and supervise Harvard Medical School students and Psychiatry residents.

Fellows will participate in regular clinical seminars, case conferences, and close supervision with expert faculty in the Harvard Medical School Departments of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System.

Fellows will also have a stipend for professional development/education to support attendance at conferences, texts, and technology.

Learn more about Trainee Benefits and Resources via the BIDMC Office of Graduate Medical Education.

We are accepting ERAS applications July 2024 appointments.

Two PGY-5 positions are anticipated for 2024-2025. Applicants are required to submit the following:

• Completed Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Common Application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Three Letters of Recommendation: One Letter from Residency Training Director and two additional letters of recommendation
• Personal statement describing current interests, accomplishments, and professional goals (limit to one page)

We will participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

View the NRMP Psychiatry Match Calendar. 

To submit the completed ACLP Common Application and supporting materials, email the program director.

We will be accepting applications and offering interviews on dates to be determined for 2024-2025 appointments. 

Applicants: for ranking, use NRMP Program Code 1256409F0.

For further information, please contact:

Joshua R. Leo, MD, MPH
Program Director
Email Dr. Leo