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Please be aware that the EHS Patient Express Care Center will be closing permanently on Friday, March 14, 2025. If you are in need of a primary care physician, please call 718-EHS-DOCS (347-3627).

Psychiatry

A Message From Our Program

The St. John’s Episcopal Hospital Psychiatry Residency Program is a four year general psychiatry training program. In this program, you will work collaboratively with various teams and specialties to provide exemplary, patient-centered care utilizing evidence-based practices to help patients to rebound from adversity, trauma, stress, psychiatric disorders and substance use.

Throughout training and postgraduate practice, our residents are able to provide care that is compassionate and respectful of the dignity and self-direction of the patient and family. We are committed to providing the best and most fulfilling experience possible to our residents in an environment that focuses on development and well-being of every member of our team. We invite you to see what we have to offer, so feel free to reach out to us any time!

Our Team

Jessy Colah

Chairman, Department of Psychiatry

Piotr Slowik, MD

Program Director, Psychiatry Residency

Judith Brown

Residency Coordinator
Jbrown@ehs.org
(718) 869-7248

Program Overview

  • 4-year psychiatry residency
  • 16 residents total
  • Inpatient and outpatient experiences
  • Safety net hospital for a diverse, underserved community

What makes our program special?

  • Tight knit
  • Located in the middle of over 10 nursing homes and several adult homes in a 4-mile radius
  • Wide variety of psychopathology and patients
  • Great benefits
  • Excellent work-life balance (no overnights)
  • State-of-the-art Clinical Learning Center building

CIR Benefits

  • Great salary – we are one of the highest paid residencies (as of 11/1/24)
    • PGY1: $89,475.63
    • PGY2: $95,945.79
    • PGY3: $103,472.48
    • PGY4: $107,610.52
  • Meal allowance (added into salary).
  • 4 weeks vacation, 9 holidays, and 4 personal days yearly. Additional 12 sick days each year if you need them.
  • Health insurance (BC/BS) included with free dependents.
  • $1500 per year educational allowance, $1000 per year conference allowance with parking and mileage reimbursement for away rotations.

Program Details

  • PGY1 Year Snapshot
    • 1/3 of the year will be split between the medical emergency department and the internal medicine department
    • The remaining 2/3 of the year will be split between the two inpatient psychiatric units, working closely with PGY2s and PGY4s as well as the attendings on each respective unit
    • Dedicated set of PGY1 and PGY2 didactics and supervision designed to provide an introduction to psychiatry
  • PGY2 Year Snapshot
    • The most variety between rotations in any year
    • Spend 2 months at SUNY Downstate with the Neurology Department
    • 1 month with Mercy Medical Center Chemical Dependency Treatment Program
    • 1 month with NUMC with the Child Inpatient Psychiatry Unit
    • Split rest of the time between C/L Psychiatry, ED Psychiatry, and both inpatient psychiatric units
    • Dedicated set of PGY1 and PGY2 didactics and supervision designed to provide an introduction to psychiatry
  • PGY3 Year Snapshot
    • Spend 12 months in a continuity-based outpatient Community Mental Health Center
    • Work closely with the outpatient attending psychiatrists to see a variety of adult, pediatric and geriatric cases with a wide breadth of pathology
    • Dedicated set of PGY3 and PGY4 didactics and supervision designed to provide more in-depth topics in psychiatry and other advanced topics
  • PGY4 Year Snapshot
    • In the final year, there will be an opportunity to have elective rotations, including Palliative Medicine, ECT, and more
    • Will take the role of a senior resident on the inpatient psychiatric units
    • Will spend 3 months in the Wellness and Recovery Center designed for chronically ill psychiatric patients with comorbid substance use disorders and need for higher level of outpatient care
    • Dedicated set of PGY3 and PGY4 didactics and supervision designed to provide more in-depth topics in psychiatry and other advanced topics

Our Residents

PGY4 Residents

Andrew Riggert, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Interests: Fishing and cooking

Jasmine Bajwa, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Interests: Dancing, traveling, and listening to Punjabi and Bollywood music

Margaret Mooney, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
Interests: Genealogy research and spending time with family

PGY3 Residents

Alexander Shand, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: St. Matthew’s University
Interests: Fishing and ceramics

Paul Abrudescu, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: St. George’s University
Interests: Tennis and sports cars

Tori Weinstein, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
Interests: Music and art

Victoria Ayala, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Interests: Hiking and meditation

Vineeta Damineni, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Interests: Hiking and drinking bubble tea

PGY2 Residents

Daniel Eleyahouzadeh, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Interests: Traveling and cooking

Kimberly Go, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
Interests: Trying new cuisines and restaurants and the arts

Kiran Kaur, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: St. George’s University
Interests: Cooking, baking and trying new restaurants

Maryam Rani, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: St. George’s University
Interests: Watching movies and poetry

PGY1 Residents

Adam Akpinar, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: St. Matthew’s University
Interests: Live music, gastronomy and cooking

Minhaj Chowdhury, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: Bangladesh Medical College
Interests: Traveling and sports

Shivam Kamboj, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
Interests: Camping and Muay Thai

Titilopemi Odunlami, MD

Hometown:
Medical School: American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
Interests: Trying new cuisines and the arts, including museums and theatre performances