The American Psychiatric Association Foundation today welcomed 125 early-career psychiatrists into its 2024 class of fellows, who join 80 other participants who are currently in the program. The APA Foundation Fellowships Program accompanies the residency in psychiatry, providing participants with hands-on learning opportunities, professional development, and a holistic introduction to the practice of psychiatry. This year’s cohort breaks the previous year’s record enrollment and marks the first time that the APA Foundation has crossed the threshold of 200 fellows.
The incoming class of resident trainees represent 71 medical institutions from 30 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., and Canada. Seventy-four percent of the 2024 class are people of color, 55% are women, and 25% are LGBTQ+ individuals. Nineteen percent of the fellows are International Medical Graduates (IMGs). The APA Foundation offers nine different fellowships on subspecialties ranging from public psychiatry to child and adolescent psychiatry, some of which place fellows in health care deserts to increase access to care.
“The mental health crisis is growing, and we must meet the moment for today’s and future generations,” said APA Foundation Executive Director, Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq. “Much of the emerging health care survey data suggests a clarion call for a new generation of relatable physicians who truly understand the lived experiences of patients and family caregivers. The APA Foundation is committed to expanding the pipeline for future careers in psychiatry, including expanded outreach to historically underrepresented clinicians who can help improve overall health care outcomes for patients and the communities where they live.”
In her role as the APA Foundation’s Director of Fellowships, Mentorship, and Medical Education, Vedrana Hodzic, M.D., oversees the recruitment of new fellows and supports each individual as they progress through their two-year fellowship terms. “As a physician, the choices you make in residency inform the next several decades of your career,” Hodzic said. “We’re honored that these new fellows have chosen the APA Foundation to lay the groundwork for the rest of their professional lives.”
As APA Foundation fellows, medical residents serve on APA Councils and Committees, attend national gatherings of leaders in psychiatry, and deepen relationships with mentors – many of whom are Fellowships program alumni. Many APA Foundation fellow alumni have gone on to serve in leadership roles at the APA, the World Psychiatric Association, and other prominent psychiatric organizations. The fellow alumni community provides a networking resource to psychiatrists for the remainder of their careers.
On the heels of celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program at the APA Annual Meeting in New York City, we are proud to welcome our 2024-25 cohort of residents, medical students and undergraduates who will no doubt serve as future leaders in psychiatry and continue the longstanding tradition of leading efforts to ensure that all patients have access to and receive culturally sensitive, high quality mental health care,” said Regina James, M.D., Chief of the APA’s Division of Diversity and Health Equity. “We are very excited to continue to provide training, educational and networking opportunities that will help prepare our future leaders to address mental health inequities that face marginalized and minoritized communities through medical practice, research, education and administration.”
To learn more about the APA Foundation Fellowships program, visit www.apaf.org/fellowships. See below a full list of the 2024 class of fellows.
2024 APAF Leadership Fellows
Ali Diab, M.D., University of Colorado
Matthew Becker, M.D., Ph.D., University of Washington
Michael Boring, M.D., Gateway CSB Gateway Psychiatry Program
Phillip Bradshaw, M.D., University of Pennsylvania
Yaakov Green, M.D., M.B.A., New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia Campus/New York State Psychiatric Institute
Max Guan, D.O., Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Ragda Izar, M.D., University of California, Los Angeles Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
Poojajeet Khaira, M.D., Metro Health – Case Western Reserve University
Samia Nawaz, M.D., University of Utah
Chaden Noureddine, M.D., Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel
Julio Nunes, M.D., Yale University
Mario Padron, D.O., J.D., M.P.H., MHL, Indiana University School of Medicine
Jacquelyn Paquet, M.D., University of Alberta
Gaelle Rached, M.D., MSc, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Danielle Rivera, M.D., University of New Mexico
Karthik Sarma, M.D., Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco
Mary Shen, M.D., M.S., Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Abdallah Tom, M.D., New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell
David Wiercigroch, M.D., M.P.A., University of Toronto
Richard Zhang, M.D., M.A., University of Connecticut
2024 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellows
Temitope Adedolapo, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern
Sydnee Akubuiro, M.D., Emory University School of Medicine
William Baumel, M.D., University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Biobele Braide, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital
Frederick Burton III, M.D., University of California, Los Angeles Psychiatry: Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital
Krystal Del Castillo, M.D., University of Illinois at Chicago
Ari Gao, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Rahoul Gonsalves, M.D., MetroHealth – Case Western Reserve University
Jad Hilal, M.D., Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Dahlin Jackson, D.O., University of Minnesota
Daniel Laor, M.D., BM, New York University Langone
Anna Lauchnor, M.D., Naval Medical Center San Diego
Chris Lea, M.D., University of Pennsylvania
Anisha Lewis, M.D., Boston University/Boston Medical Center
Chioma Onyejiaka, M.D., New York Presbyterian – Columbia University
Natalie Stern, M.D., New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Mary Sun, M.D., MSCR, M.A., Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Talitha West, M.D., J.D., Hackensack Meridian Ocean University Medical Center
Jeremy Wortzel, M.D., M.P.H., MPhil, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Phillip Yang, M.D., M.A., University of California, San Francisco
2024 Diversity Leadership Fellows
Akpene Agamah, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., Loyola University Medical Center
Monica Feliz Castillo, M.D., M.S., University of California, San Diego
Farzaneh Farhadi, M.D., University of Washington
Janelle Forrest, M.B.B.S., Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University
Andres Fuenmayor Mago, M.D., Duke University
Sandy Juste, M.D., MSc, Meharry Medical College
Marija Kamceva, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital
Palika Kohli, M.D., MSc, University of Toronto
Yang Lee, M.D., Yale University
Komal Nathani, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Seena Ounsinegad, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern
Sarah Qadir, M.D., Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Abibat Saliu, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern
Avneet Soin, M.D., New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Alvaro Teixeira Filho, M.D., University of Miami
Jennifer Tu, M.D., M.T.S., University of California, Los Angeles Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
Maria Velez Florez, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital
Monique Waltman, M.D., University of California, Davis
2024 Community Diversity Fellow
Xing (Ellie) Hou, MD from LSU Health New Orleans
2024 Jeanne Spurlock Congressional Fellows
Waliah Ajisafe, M.D., Howard University Hospital
Evgenia Royter, D.O., Tower Health
2024 Public Psychiatry Fellows
Emily Aarons, M.D., Duke University
Omar Abbas, M.D., University of California, Riverside
Matthew Abrams, M.D., University of California, San Diego
Safiya Aijazi, M.D., M.P.H., Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Yash Bhatia, M.D., University of Kentucky Medical Center
Noorin Damji, M.D., Duke University
Max Ellithorpe, M.D., M.A., University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Enrique Guzman van Dyken, M.D., M.P.H., University of Washington
Zachary Jacobs, M.D., Stanford Healthcare
Logan Kinamore, M.D., LSUHSC Baton Rouge Psychiatry Residency Program
Aafreen Mahmood, M.D., M.S.P.H., University of California, Irvine Health
Nadine Michel, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Violeta Osegueda, M.D., University of California, Los Angeles/VA Greater Los Angeles
Thomas Pak, M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas Southwestern
Maxmoore Potkin, M.D., Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute
Thanos Rossopoulos, M.D., University of California, San Diego
Mayada Saadoun, M.D., M.P.H., MSC, Ph.D. candidate, University of Minnesota
Rachel Shenoi, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Mary Wootten, D.O., University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
2024 Edwin V. Valdiserri Correctional Public Psychiatry Fellow
Rathisha Pathmathsan, D.O., The Ohio State University
2024 SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program
Nathalie Abenoza, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern
Grace An, M.D., University of Virginia
Gibson Anugwom, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Samuel Apeldoorn, M.D., St. Louis University Hospital
Fauzia Arain, M.D., Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Ruth Assefa, M.D., University of Washington
Tajudeen Basiru, M.D., Community Health of South Florida
Zachary Bonzell, M.D., University of Hawaii
Caylan Bookman, M.D., Yale University
Katelyn Butler, D.O., University of Tennessee Health Science Center - Memphis
Rebekah Dietrich, D.O., Roman – Virtua SOM Psychiatry Residency
Chesley Ekelem, M.D., Stanford University
Josie Francois, M.D., M.P.H., Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Henry Guajardo, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Christyn Haigler, M.D., Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center
Marc Hem Lee, M.D., Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Jennifer Jolivert, M.D., Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Burhan Khan, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Hager Koraym, M.D., New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Barra Madden, M.D., Duke University
Mwamba Malekani, M.D., Authority Health – MSU
Demetra Mensah-Bonsu, M.D., University of Rochester
Mario Montelongo, M.D., University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, McGovern Medical School
Jonathan Nahmias, M.D., Duke University
Tanya Ngo, M.D., San Mateo Behavioral Health and Recovery Services
Elyon Obamedo, M.D., Zucker Hillside Hospital
Elizabeth Ogunrinde, M.D., Ph.D., BayCare Health System
Oluwatofunmi Oshodi, M.D., M.S. Ed., Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute
Philipa Owusu-Antwi, M.D., M.P.H., Richmond University Medical Center
Johana Pena, M.D., University of California, Los Angeles/VA Greater Los Angeles
Craig Perry, M.D., Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Jacky Petion, M.D., Interfaith Medical Center
Sruthi Poduval, M.D., University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Hospital
Seyed Parsa Ravanfar, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern
Abiba Salahou, M.D., Yale University
Wes Smoot, M.D., Meharry Medical College
Mikiko Thelwell, M.D., M.P.H., University of Pennsylvania
Osaretin Umudi, M.D., MSC, Meharry Medical College
Marcus Vicari, M.D., MBE, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Ericka Wheeler, M.D., MPhil, Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital
Gena Williams, M.D., M.P.H., Prisma Health
Margaret Yau, M.D., M.S., University of California, Riverside
Sophia Youn, D.O., Jamaica Hospital Medical Center