Ilan Melnick

Dr. Sasidhar Gunturu is a distinguished psychiatrist, educator, and healthcare leader currently serving as Vice Chair for Education, Research, and Faculty Development and Director of the Psychiatry Residency Training Program at BronxCare Health System, a role he has held since June 2021.<br><br>

Dr. Gunturu completed his medical education at NTR University of Health Sciences in India before pursuing psychiatric training in the United States. He completed his General Psychiatry Residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Bronx Lebanon Hospital), followed by a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a Public Psychiatry Fellowship at Columbia University. He is a board-certified Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and holds academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Clinical Associate Professor and Clerkship Site Director at St. George's University Medical School, and Adjunct Professor of Clinical Medicine and Clerkship Site Director at the American University of Antigua Medical School. <br><br>

Beyond academia, Dr. Gunturu serves as Medical Director for Psychiatric Integrated Services & Community Psychiatry at BronxCare and Consulting Chief Behavioral Health Officer at Essen Health Care, overseeing behavioral health delivery for underserved South Bronx populations. <br><br>

Nationally, Dr. Gunturu serves as President-Elect of the APA's Bronx District Branch and is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. His committee work includes the APA Council on Healthcare Systems and Financing, the APA Psychiatric Services Award Selection Committee, the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry's Guidelines and Evidence-Based Medicine and Research Subcommittees, and the Curriculum Committee of the American Academy of Directors in Psychiatry Residency Training. Institutionally, he chairs BronxCare's Wellness Committee and serves on its Medical Executive Committee, Credentialing Committee, IRB, Ethics Committee, and GME Committee. <br><br>

An accomplished scholar, Dr. Gunturu has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, delivered over 90 conference presentations, and holds editorial and peer-review roles with leading psychiatric journals. His honors include the Outstanding Resident of the Year Award from the American Psychiatric Association and the BronxCare Teacher of the Year Award. He previously served as Chief Resident in the Department of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, an early marker of his leadership trajectory.<br><br>

Widely regarded as a mentor to emerging psychiatrists, Dr. Gunturu remains focused on research innovation, faculty development, and expanding equitable mental health access. His breadth spanning residency education, community psychiatry, and national leadership makes him an authoritative voice on the future of psychiatric training. Outside of medicine, he enjoys traveling, Scuba diving, jet skiing, and spending time with his dog.

Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, attended medical school at the University of Calcutta in India. He then attended graduate school at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, where he was awarded a “National Institute/Center for Disease Control Competitive Traineeship”. His research thesis focused on impact of substance abuse. He graduated from the School of Public Health in 1987 with a Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree.

Dr. Jain served a three-year residency in Psychiatry at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He followed that by obtaining further specialty training, by undergoing a two-year fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In addition, Dr. Jain completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Research Psychiatry at the University of Texas Mental Sciences Institute, in Houston. He was awarded the “National Research Service Award” for the support of this postdoctoral fellowship.

Ilan Melnick, MD, is the primary psychiatrist in two outpatient clinics in the Miami, Florida area, as well as a staff psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at Passageway Residences of Miami-Dade County. In addition, Dr. Melnick is a staff psychiatrist and Medical Director for Jewish Community Services and performs independent medical and psychiatric evaluations for Miami-Dade County police, fire, transit and aviation departments.

Dr. Melnick received his medical degree in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and went on to do his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital.He continues to be involved in education as an Assistant Professor at Florida International University School of medicine. He continues to be involved in education through his role giving grand rounds at major universities and hospitals around the world.

Ilan Melnick, MD, is the primary psychiatrist in two outpatient clinics in the Miami, Florida area, as well as a staff psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at Passageway Residences of Miami-Dade County. In addition, Dr. Melnick is a staff psychiatrist and Medical Director for Jewish Community Services and performs independent medical and psychiatric evaluations for Miami-Dade County police, fire, transit and aviation departments.

Dr. Melnick received his medical degree in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and went on to do his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital.He continues to be involved in education as an Assistant Professor at Florida International University School of medicine. He continues to be involved in education through his role giving grand rounds at major universities and hospitals around the world.

Peter J. Weiden, M.D.
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Stony Brook University
Principal Investigator, CNS clinical trials, Richmond Behavioral Associates (RBA)

Peter J. Weiden MD has devoted his professional career to improving clinical outcomes for people with schizophrenia. He received his MD at SUNY Stony Brook and his psychiatry residency at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. During residency he developed expertise in drug-induced movement disorders, ultimately becoming Editor-in-Chief of the DSM-IV section on drug-induced movement disorders. His early research career included other aspects of treatment of schizophrenia including relapse prevention and CBT adapted for psychotic disorders. Dr. Weiden established comprehensive programs for schizophrenia and other serious disorders at four academic medical centers, including New York Hospital/Cornell and St Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan, SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, and UIC Medical Center in Chicago.

In 2016 Dr. Weiden joined the pharmaceutical company Alkermes to focus on new drug development for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, including clinical development of the LAI aripiprazole lauroxil (ARISTADA) and an oral combination of olanzapine/samidorphan approved as Lybalvi. From 2020-2023 he joined Karuna Therapeutics’ Phase 3 clinical program on the novel muscarinic activator KarXT (now COBENFY). In 2023 Dr. Weiden returned to academic teaching at SUNY Stony Brook and as a principal investigator of new drug development for mental health indications at Richmond Behavioral Associates located in Staten Island, New York.

Dr. Cherian Abraham Karunapuzha ( Ka-ru-nah Poo-rah) or Dr K completed his training in adult neurology and movement disorders at the UT Southwestern Dallas. He was previously faculty and chair of movement disorders at the University of Oklahoma. Through a grassroots initiative funded by community donations, he then founded & currently directs the Meinders Center, a center of excellence for Oklahoma that provides access to clinical trials and integrative multidisciplinary care for movement disorders. His current research interests include hyperkinetic disorders such as TD, Huntingtons, Botulinum Toxins and DBS. Through speaking, he raises money for his yearly mission trips and for creating free instructional content for patients across various media.

Presently, Dr. Mark Matta completed his medical degree at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and went on to a residency in general adult psychiatry at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. He is a second-generation psychiatrist following his father as the CEO and Medical Director of Psych Med Associates, P.C. in New Castle, PA. He is also the medical director of People in Need and Community Alternatives, two community mental health clinics in New Castle. Chatham University has awarded Dr. Matta as the psychiatric preceptor of the year 2012 and clinical preceptor of the year in 2013. He has also been awarded Best of the Best Psychiatrist by the New Castle News from 2009-2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2026 and “Elected as Distinguished Fellow” with the American Psychiatric Association in 2020.

He is the 2026-2027 president of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society and previously served as the president of the Pittsburgh Psychiatric Society for the 2021-2022 year and presently sits on the Lawrence County Mental Health Advisory Board. Dr. Matta was selected as one of the inaugural recipients of the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s 40 Under 40 Award.

Ilan Melnick, MD, is the primary psychiatrist in two outpatient clinics in the Miami, Florida area, as well as a staff psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at Passageway Residences of Miami-Dade County. In addition, Dr. Melnick is a staff psychiatrist and Medical Director for Jewish Community Services and performs independent medical and psychiatric evaluations for Miami-Dade County police, fire, transit and aviation departments.

Dr. Melnick received his medical degree in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and went on to do his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital.He continues to be involved in education as an Assistant Professor at Florida International University School of medicine. He continues to be involved in education through his role giving grand rounds at major universities and hospitals around the world.

Ilan Melnick, MD, is the primary psychiatrist in two outpatient clinics in the Miami, Florida area, as well as a staff psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at Passageway Residences of Miami-Dade County. In addition, Dr. Melnick is a staff psychiatrist and Medical Director for Jewish Community Services and performs independent medical and psychiatric evaluations for Miami-Dade County police, fire, transit and aviation departments.

Dr. Melnick received his medical degree in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and went on to do his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital.He continues to be involved in education as an Assistant Professor at Florida International University School of medicine. He continues to be involved in education through his role giving grand rounds at major universities and hospitals around the world.

Jose M. Rubio, MD, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He is a board-certified psychiatrist and physician-investigator. Dr. Rubio obtained his MD and PhD from the Universitat de Valencia and Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) respectively, and psychiatry residency at the Zucker Hillside Hospital – Hofstra University (New York). His work focuses on relapse prevention, treatment resistance, and antipsychotic effects in schizophrenia. He has received funding from industry and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to lead multiple research projects, and has received recognition by multiple organizations including the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP) or the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS). He is an associate member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).

After completing residency in 2017, he obtained a Career Development Award by the National Institutes of Health to study biomarker development and relapse in schizophrenia.

As an early career investigator, Dr Rubio has published over 50 articles, focusing on the application of evidence-based interventions in the real world, neuroimaging biomarkers, and prevention of relapse in schizophrenia. Some of the phenomena that he studies is the underutilization of long acting injectable antipsychotics and clozapine, and the neurobiological mechanisms leading to relapse or decrement in antipsychotic efficacy over time.

Dr Rubio regularly lectures on the treatment of schizophrenia in a variety of academic and industry settings. In addition, he supervises residents in a specialized psychosis clinic and co-leads the research track at the Zucker Hillside Hospital psychiatry residency program. Dr. Rubio has received various awards, including the early career investigator travel award for the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) and the Alkermes Pathways Award for Junior Investigators.

Ilan Melnick, MD, is the primary psychiatrist in two outpatient clinics in the Miami, Florida area, as well as a staff psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at Passageway Residences of Miami-Dade County. In addition, Dr. Melnick is a staff psychiatrist and Medical Director for Jewish Community Services and performs independent medical and psychiatric evaluations for Miami-Dade County police, fire, transit and aviation departments.

Dr. Melnick received his medical degree in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and went on to do his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital.He continues to be involved in education as an Assistant Professor at Florida International University School of medicine. He continues to be involved in education through his role giving grand rounds at major universities and hospitals around the world.

Dr. Howard Pratt is a board-certified psychiatrist and child and adolescent psychiatrist whose career bridges clinical practice, healthcare administration, and health policy. He serves as medical director of psychiatric services at Community Health of South Florida Inc as well as in his private practice, maintaining an active clinical role across both adult and pediatric populations.

He is graduate of Northwestern university Kellogg School of Management and serves as a physician executive, a dual role that allows him to inform organizational and operational decision-making with clinical expertise while remaining engaged in day-to-day psychiatric practice. This combination of administrative and clinical perspective has positioned him as a valued voice on questions of care delivery, quality, and systems design within psychiatric health.
He serves on the National Boards, contributing to the credentialing and policy frameworks that help establish national standards of practice across the field, and holds committee appointments with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), where his work centers on expanding access to behavioral health services within underserved and community-based populations. This reflects a sustained professional interest in community health and health equity as core components of psychiatric care.
In addition to his clinical and administrative responsibilities, Dr. Pratt provides consulting services to healthcare organizations and community health systems, advising on the integration of behavioral health into broader care models and the development of sustainable approaches to psychiatric service delivery. His work consistently reflects a commitment to aligning clinical excellence with practical, system-level solutions.

Marc E. Agronin, MD, is a board-certified adult and geriatric psychiatrist and currently works as the Chief Medical Officer for the Frank C. and Lynn Scaduto MIND Institute and for Behavioral Health at Miami Jewish Health. He is an Affiliate Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Agronin is a graduate of Harvard University, summa cum laude, and the Yale School of Medicine. He completed his residency training in adult psychiatry at Harvard University's McLean Hospital and then a geriatric psychiatry fellowship at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. Dr. Agronin is the 2008 recipient of the "Clinician of the Year" award from the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) and is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the AAGP. Dr. Agronin is a national expert in Alzheimer's disease and geriatric mental health, and is the author of the acclaimed books "How We Age: A Doctor's Journey into the Heart of Growing Old" (2011) and "The End of Old Age: Living a Longer, More Purposeful Life" (2018). Dr. Agronin has written nine other books and hundreds of articles, including "The Dementia Caregiver: A Guide to Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurocognitive Disorders" (2015). He has been published in The New York Times and writes regular articles on aging, health and retirement issues for The Wall Street Journal.

Patricia Junquera, M.D., is Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. She is a board-certified psychiatrist with specialized training in adult and geriatric psychiatry and extensive experience in academic medicine, clinical leadership, medical education, and the development of innovative behavioral health programs.

Dr. Junquera completed her psychiatry residency in Miami and pursued fellowship training in Geriatric Psychiatry. Throughout her career, she has held leadership positions across diverse clinical settings, including academic medical centers, the Veterans Affairs system, correctional health, inpatient and outpatient services, and graduate medical education. She has played a key role in developing psychiatric training programs, consultation-liaison services, and standardized approaches to mental health care.

At FIU, Dr. Junquera leads initiatives focused on expanding access to high-quality psychiatric care, strengthening medical education, supporting faculty development, and advancing innovative treatments. She has been instrumental in developing neuromodulation services, including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and esketamine treatment for treatment-resistant depression, while supporting the expansion of additional interventional psychiatric services.

Her clinical and academic interests include geriatric psychiatry, depression, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, neuromodulation, mental health innovation, and emerging technologies in psychiatry. Dr. Junquera is also deeply committed to reducing mental health stigma and increasing community education. Through leadership, mentorship, clinical innovation, and public engagement, she works to strengthen behavioral health services while preparing the next generation of physicians and mental health professionals.

Ilan Melnick, MD, is the primary psychiatrist in two outpatient clinics in the Miami, Florida area, as well as a staff psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at Passageway Residences of Miami-Dade County. In addition, Dr. Melnick is a staff psychiatrist and Medical Director for Jewish Community Services and performs independent medical and psychiatric evaluations for Miami-Dade County police, fire, transit and aviation departments.

Dr. Melnick received his medical degree in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and went on to do his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital.He continues to be involved in education as an Assistant Professor at Florida International University School of medicine. He continues to be involved in education through his role giving grand rounds at major universities and hospitals around the world.

Brittany Albright, MD, MPH, is a Harvard-trained, triple board-certified psychiatrist with expertise in interventional psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and obesity medicine. She completed her adult psychiatry residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital, followed by fellowship training in Addiction Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She currently serves as an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at MUSC.

Dr. Albright is the Founder and CEO of Sweetgrass Psychiatry, South Carolina’s largest physician-owned psychiatry practice, with three locations and a multidisciplinary team of 25+ clinicians. A leader in advancing access to innovative care, Sweetgrass Psychiatry was the first practice to launch esketamine in South Carolina in 2019 and has since developed a comprehensive interventional psychiatry program incorporating esketamine, ketamine, long acting injectables, and transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Her academic work includes numerous abstracts presented at national meetings and peer-reviewed publications spanning innovative psychiatric treatments and medical education. A nationally recognized speaker and consultant, Dr. Albright serves as President of the South Carolina Psychiatric Association and holds multiple leadership roles with Psych Congress, including Co-Chair of Psych Congress Elevate. She also created the Private Practice Summit, a national educational program focused on advancing independent psychiatric practice.

Her clinical approach integrates psychodynamic psychotherapy, mentalization-based therapy, and motivational interviewing with evidence-based pharmacologic and interventional treatments. She enjoys treating patients across the spectrum of psychiatric illness, with particular interests in complex mood and psychotic disorders and substance use disorders. She is trained and certified in transcranial magnetic stimulation and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

Ilan Melnick, MD, is the primary psychiatrist in two outpatient clinics in the Miami, Florida area, as well as a staff psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer at Passageway Residences of Miami-Dade County. In addition, Dr. Melnick is a staff psychiatrist and Medical Director for Jewish Community Services and performs independent medical and psychiatric evaluations for Miami-Dade County police, fire, transit and aviation departments.

Dr. Melnick received his medical degree in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and went on to do his residency in psychiatry and fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital.He continues to be involved in education as an Assistant Professor at Florida International University School of medicine. He continues to be involved in education through his role giving grand rounds at major universities and hospitals around the world.

Dr. Zinzuvadia is the founder and director of Park Avenue Wellness Center and is board certified in both Adult and Geriatric psychiatry. He directs the psychiatric services of several residential treatment facilities while also managing a comprehensive outpatient practice in Manhattan's Upper East Side.

He received his M.D. from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine and completed his residency training in psychiatry at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY. He completed fellowship training in geriatric psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.

He has implemented programs using long acting antipsychotic injections to decrease hospital readmission rates for treatment resistant schizophrenic patients across New York. He has an expertise in treating elderly patients both in the office setting and using in-home visits. He has been able to work with families to keep patients stable and at home instead of being placed into nursing facilities.

Dr. Zinzuvadia's research and clinical interests include the use of long acting antipsychotics in treatment resistant patients, cognitive dysfunction and treatment resistant depression in older adults, and the role of novel psychopharmacological agents including ketamine infusions in treatment resistant mood disorders. He is also helping to pioneer the use of technological interventions to increase access to quality psychiatric care. He directs a program for treatment resistant depression at the Park Avenue Wellness Center using a combination of comprehensive assessment and psychopharmacology, IV Ketamine infusions, and psychotherapy.