Faculty members
Full-time physician faculty
The following child and adolescent psychiatrists are full-time faculty of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Children's Memorial Hospital and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine:
Division chief
Mina K. Dulcan, MD, who is the Margaret C. Osterman Professor of Child Psychiatry, is chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Children's Memorial Hospital. She is a past president of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT), served a 10-year term as editor in chief of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and is a member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Residency Review Committee for Psychiatry. Dr. Dulcan is a graduate of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) residency program at the University of Pittsburgh and has particular expertise in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and child psychiatric epidemiology. Dr. Dulcan's newest textbook, Dulcan's Textbook of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, was released in Fall 2009. She is also the lead author of the Concise Guide to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, lead editor of Essentials of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the editor of Helping Parents, Youth, and Teachers Understand Medications for Behavioral and Emotional Problems: A Resource Book of Medication Information Handouts, 3rd Edition. She was recently recognized by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) as the only ABPN diplomate to have served as an oral examiner for 80 certification exams (Part II and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry).
Dr. Dulcan is actively involved in program administration, didactic teaching and clinical supervision. She directs the Year 1 Clinical and Clinical Research Assessment course, the Year 1 Practice Parameters/Journal Club course and the Year 2 Research Literacy/Journal Club course. Dr. Dulcan also works individually with each fellow during Year 2 as an outpatient supervisor.
Dr. Dulcan was the recipient of the 2007 "Teacher of the Year" award from the class of graduating fellows.
Director of education
MaryBeth Lake, MD, a former chief resident at WPIC at the University of Pittsburgh, is associate professor and the director of education in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. While at WPIC, she worked in inpatient and consultation-liaison child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP), and was medical director of an adolescent after-school and summer treatment program. Prior to joining Children's Memorial in 2000, Dr. Lake worked briefly in the private sector providing inpatient, outpatient and partial hospitalization program services. She is active in regional and national professional organizations. Dr. Lake is a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Continuing Medical Education Committee and the AADPRT Henderson Award Committee, and was previously a member of the AACAP Committee for Liaison with Primary Care. She is also a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Dr. Lake is a co-author of the Concise Guide to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, as well as other publications.
In addition to her work with all aspects of the fellows' training, Dr. Lake directs multiple courses in the curriculum and co-teaches the Year 2 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy course. She works individually with each fellow during Year 2 as an outpatient supervisor and also oversees general psychiatry resident and medical student education in the department. Dr. Lake's special interests include family therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Dr. Lake was the recipient of the 2008 "Teacher of the Year" award from the class of graduating fellows.
Teaching faculty
Katie Costello, MD, joined our faculty in September 2009 after completing her CAP fellowship (as co-chief fellow) at Children's Memorial/Northwestern University in July 2009. Dr. Costello's general psychiatry residency was at Loyola University Chicago. She is an outpatient attending and a member of the consultation-liaison service, and her interests include international advocacy and psychiatric education and training. Dr. Costello received a number of awards during both her general and CAP psychiatry training for her teaching to a variety of audiences.
Thomas K. Cummins, MD, is medical director of the Children's Memorial inpatient psychiatry unit and the director of the Year 1 inpatient program rotation. His general psychiatry residency training was completed at Emory University, followed by CAP training at UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Cummins brings experience with psychopharmacology research and development to the program. He is a member of the national professional advisory board of CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), and he serves as an examiner for the ABPN child psychiatry boards.
Dr. Cummins recently authored an online rounds article, Medication for Target Symptoms in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, which is available as part of Children's Memorial's online Continuing Medical Education.
Nicholas M. Hatzis, MD, is an outpatient attending who also works closely with our inpatient unit and our partial hospitalization program. He joined our faculty in August 2011 after completing his CAP fellowship at Children's Memorial in June 2011 and his general psychiatry residency at Northwestern University in June 2009. Dr. Hatzis' interests include incorporating therapy and the use of medications in treatment of affective illness, psychotic illness, ADHD, and anxiety disorders. He also has an interest in psychiatry education and has been recognized for excellence for his work with medical students.
Poonam Jha, MD, is the director of the Year 2 Psychopharmacology Teaching Clinic, the Year 2 Mood and Anxiety Program rotation, and the Years 1 and 2 Brief Structured Interview course. Dr. Jha joined our faculty from the private sector and is an attending in the outpatient program. She completed her general psychiatry and CAP training at the University of Michigan. Dr. Jha's interests include affective illness, anxiety disorders and pervasive developmental disorders. She also participates in the multi-disciplinary treatment of traumatized children (Trauma Team). Dr. Jha has a special interest in psychiatry education, and currently serves as faculty mentor to the CAP fellows.
Margery Johnson, MD, is medical director of the Children's Memorial outpatient psychiatry services. She is a graduate of the residency training program at Tufts-New England Medical Center and has been an inpatient unit director, an acting head and training director in CAP, and a private practitioner. She also has special expertise in adoption. Dr. Johnson has performed extensive teaching and supervision in residency programs, in addition to making numerous local and national presentations on a wide variety of topics. She is the current president of the Illinois Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (ICCAP). Dr. Johnson directs the Year 2 Normal Development course and co-directs the Year 2 Forensic Psychiatry Course.
Jennifer Kurth, DO, who completed her CAP fellowship at Children's Memorial Hospital/Northwestern University in 2007, joined the faculty in June 2010. She previously served as training director for the general psychiatry residency program at Loyola University Chicago. Prior to this, Dr. Kurth practiced in academic psychiatry in her role as an attending in the Warren Wright Adolescent Substance Use Disorders Program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, while also working in solo private practice and in public sector child and adolescent psychiatry in her position at Thresholds providing forensic-based parenting evaluations. Dr. Kurth has a strong interest in education and teaching, and has also been involved in clinical and educational research. She is a co-author of Challenging Depression: The Go-To Guide for Clinicians and Patients.
James G. MacKenzie, DO, is medical director of the Children's Memorial consultation-liaison service and emergency psychiatry service, and also holds a joint academic appointment in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. MacKenzie completed his general psychiatry training at Loyola University Chicago, and joined the faculty after completing his CAP fellowship at Children's Memorial/Northwestern University in 2006. Dr. MacKenzie is an executive council member and treasurer of the Illinois Psychiatric Society. His specialty interests include the medical-psychiatric interface, with a specific focus in allergies.
Adele Martel, MD, PhD, is an attending psychiatrist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry who joined our faculty in 2009. Prior to joining the department, Dr. Martel served as training director in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center. She has extensive clinical experience in outpatient and residential treatment settings and has been involved in regional and national professional organizations.
Rebecca O'Donnell, MD, joined our faculty in November 2010 after completing her CAP fellowship (as chief fellow) at Children's Memorial/Northwestern University in September 2010. Dr. O'Donnell's general psychiatry residency was at Northwestern University, where she served as chief resident. She has a wide range of clinical interests including early childhood development, mood and anxiety disorders, and individual and family therapy. In addition, her specialty interests include psychiatric education and training.
Karen L. Pierce, MD, is medical director of the Children's Memorial partial hospitalization program (PHP) and director of the Year 1 PHP rotation. She is highly regarded as a psychopharmacology consultant with expertise in the management of complicated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities and comorbid psychiatric illnesses. She is active in collaborative projects with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other organizations such as the local CHADD chapter. She is also a distinguished fellow of the APA, and she also works with the APA on quality indicators. Dr. Pierce trained at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Pierce was the recipient of the 2009 "Teacher of the Year" award from the class of graduating fellows.
Sigita Plioplys, MD, is the head of the Children's Memorial Pediatric Neuropsychiatry Program. She completed her CAP fellowship at Children's Memorial/Northwestern University in 2001 and received the first A. Todd Davis, MD Outstanding Resident award at Children's Memorial (for which she was chosen from all pediatric and subspecialty programs). Prior to performing her CAP training, Dr. Plioplys was an academic neurologist in Lithuania. She receives grants and awards for her publications and clinical research in the area of psychopathology in children with epilepsy, and she is involved in several international and national initiatives on mood disorders in children with epilepsy and pediatric non-epileptic psychogenic seizures. Dr. Plioplys collaborates with the Children's Memorial Division of Neurology and the Children's Epilepsy Center. She directs the Year 1 Neuropsychiatry course and the Year 2 neuropsychiatry clinic rotation. She also serves as faculty sponsor for CAP electives on clinical research and pediatric neuropsychiatry, with a particular focus on psychopathology in patients with epilepsy.
Dr. Plioplys was the recipient of the 2011 "Teacher of the Year" award from the class of graduating fellows.
For more information on Dr. Plioplys, please see page 21 of the CMH 2008 annual report, The Art of Children's Medicine.
Julie M. Sadhu, MD, is an outpatient attending who joined our faculty in August 2011. She completed her general psychiatry residency at Harvard Longwood and her CAP fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital /McLean Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Boston. Dr. Sadhu's clinical interests include mood and anxiety disorders and psychotherapy, and she has presented on the topic of adolescent media use including sexting. Dr. Sadhu is also involved in community volunteer work.
Gisela Sandoval, MD, PhD, is the director of the Warren Wright Adolescent Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Dr. Sandoval completed her general psychiatry training at the University of Chicago and her CAP fellowship at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia and Cornell Universities). She is actively involved in the teaching and supervision of CAP fellows.
Volunteer physician faculty supervisors
During Year 2 of training, each fellow works with two volunteer outpatient supervisors (in addition to outpatient supervisors who are members of our department faculty). Our volunteer supervisors, many of whom also teach in seminars, include:
Elective faculty supervisors
During Year 2 of training, each fellow individually arranges electives in areas of his or her particular interests. Please see the electives page for more information on the many individuals (and organizations) from whom fellows can obtain supervision.
Other physician instructors
In addition to our faculty and volunteer supervisors, our volunteer physician instructors include not only child and adolescent psychiatrists working in the community, but also specialists in forensic psychiatry, neurology, sleep disorders, pediatrics, medical ethics, and many other disciplines:
- Virgilio Arenas, MD
- Dana Brazdziunas, MD
- John Csernansky, MD
- Deirdre Dupre, MD
- Robert Edger, MD
- Mandy Evans, MD, MPH
- Wayne Franklin, MD
- William Gilmer, MD
- Joshua Goldstein, MD
- Michael Hoffman, MD
- Jeremy Kaplan, MD
- Siddhartha Kumar, MD
- Gunnbjorg Lavoll, MD
- Mercedes Martinez, MD
- Rekha Menon, MD
- Maria Ponton, MD
- Lisa Yeh, MD (recipient of the 2010 "Teacher of the Year" award from the class of graduating fellows)
Instructors in allied disciplines
Fellows receive important training from psychologists, social workers, and experts in other allied fields in both Year 1 and Year 2 of their training. Our multidisciplinary teachers include:
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Robert Blaufuss, MEd
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Courtney Bledsoe, LCSW
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The Chicago Police Department's Preventive Programs Section
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Kris Erickson, AuD, CCC-A
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Melinda Gronen, LCSW
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James Harisiades, MPH
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Kristin James, MA
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Rochelle James, MA
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Kim Langston, LCSW
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Kay Malee, PhD
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Janet Schmidt, MA
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Madelynn Skvarla, MS, SLP
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Keith Wallace, LCSW
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