Almost three decades of partnership with Weill Cornell Medicine have resulted in a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum divided by years and focus areas. The curriculum encompasses psychopharmacology in year 1, psychiatry through the life cycle in year 2, and psychotherapy in year 3. This year, we reunited with familiar faces at the OMI and welcomed new faculty members who brought fresh and exciting perspectives to psychopharmacology.
Dr. John W. Barnhill, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, Chair of the Ethics Committee within the Psychoanalytic Center at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Chief of Psychiatry at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, was this week’s course director. As part of the course leadership, we were delighted to welcome Dr. W. Wolfgang Fleischhacker for the 18th time. Dr. Fleischhacker is the President of the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria and a certified psychiatrist and psychotherapist, who previously served as Professor and Managing Director in the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics at the same institution.
We were also joined for the first time by Weill Cornell faculty Dr. Benjamin D. Brody, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Service Chief of Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Services, Dr. Stephen M. Kanne, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, and Dr. Stephanie Cherestal, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of Health Justice in the Department of Psychiatry.
It is always a great pleasure to expand our OMI faculty family with such distinguished professionals. This week, we wanted to hear about their first impressions:
“The OMI seminar has an incredible goal of contributing to the education and learning of the next generation of leaders in psychiatry across the globe. This seminar provides a space for presenting and discussing evidence-based treatments for various challenging clinical populations – including but not limited to patients with autism, patients with borderline personality disorder and chronic emotional dysregulation, and patients with treatment-resistant depression. The OMI provides an opportunity for faculty and fellows alike to learn from each other in these areas and to develop and foster crucial professional relationships that will endure long after the completion of the seminar week,” stated Dr. Stephanie Cherestal.
In line with the collaborative aspect of the seminar that Dr. Cherestal brilliantly describes, the seminar schedule was designed for fellows to share their clinical experiences throughout the entire week, spread over eight different case-specific sessions. 33 psychiatrists from 25 countries had the opportunity to present and learn from each other, as well as receive invaluable feedback from the exceptional faculty – creating a learning environment that only OMI fellows can truly relate to.
Indeed, the ideal learning environment created between training doctors from diverse backgrounds and experienced professors is what is truly remarkable about the OMI. In the context of global health development, it is crucial for us to consider these diverse backgrounds. Our faculty is dedicated to tailoring the course structures to deliver impactful information to students, regardless of nationality or resource limitations. Dr. Cherestal further elaborates on the course schedule and reaffirms our commitment to providing state-of-the-art education to everyone:
“The course content covered evidence-based interventions for a number of diagnoses and clinical presentations. Both commonly used and novel strategies for targeting symptoms related to autism-spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, aggression, and suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors, among others, were covered throughout the seminar. A central focal point involved the discussion of what it looks like to provide the most effective care possible, even in consideration of the limitations we might face as providers in our home countries.”
We extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Stephanie Cherestal for sharing her impressions with us for the first time. Likewise, we are grateful for the time dedicated by each faculty member who believes in our mission.
For our new faculty members, we appreciate your belief in our mission. We are equally thankful for the enduring commitment from our veteran partners. We certainly expect to impact the lives of countless individuals through each future seminar, and this is only possible due to the meaningful collaboration we have with each contributing institution.
Ivayla Kamenova Ilieva, MD
OMI fellow from Bulgaria
“I really enjoyed the Health Justice Workshop, where everyone shared the challenges they faced in their own countries in terms of discrimination and how their healthcare systems are organized.”
Oladimeji Agboola, MD
OMI fellow from Nigeria
“The lecture on transplant evaluations by Dr. Barnhill caught my attention because of my interest in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. I am convinced that this will impact my practice.”
Lamira Ruslanova, MD
OMI fellow from Kyrgyzstan
“Dr. Cherestal provided us with an insightful and helpful DBT session. We had the incredible opportunity to practice Chain Analysis with each other. This will be very useful for my work with patients.”
