Mental Health REACH Initiative

Upstate Mental Health REACH Intensive workshop is an educational activity organized by the Department of Psychiatry as a part of a recently received grant from Patrick Lee Foundation called Upstate Mental Health REACH Initiative.

The main goal of this workshop is to provide an update on the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders frequently seen and treated by primary care providers. The goal is to increase the level of competency of primary providers treating mental health disorders as they are the first providers seeing patients in the community.

Directors

Nevena Radonjic, M.D. Ph.D.

Dr. Radonjic is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate. A graduate of the University of Belgrade School of Medicine, Dr. Radonjic has been devoted to education over the past 20 years. Dr. Radonjic has been privileged to teach students in various academic settings ranging from graduate school, post-doctoral studies, medical students, and graduate medical education. She has extensive experience in developing educational programs and is currently the director of Grand Rounds for the Department of Psychiatry organizing presentations on the latest updates in clinical treatments and scientific research in mental health. She also co-founded the Reproductive Psychiatry Track for psychiatry residents at SUNY Upstate. Dr. Radonjic has authored 38 peer-reviewed publications published in prestigious journals such as Molecular Psychiatry, Cell Reports, and Cerebral Cortex, and has presented her work nationally as well as internationally.

Coordinator

Marcy Guzik

Marcy is a graduate of Drexel University with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. She joined SUNY Upstate in September of 2021 as a coordinator for the Psychiatry Residency where she collaborates daily with residents. Marcy holds a key role in coordinating the continuous medical education program for Departmental Grand Rounds. From January 2022, Marcy has taken the role of coordinator for Upstate Mental Health Initiative REACH.

Speakers

Thomas Schwartz, MD

Seethalakshmi Ramanathan, MBBS, MPA

Nevena Radonjic, MD/PhD

Robert Gregory, MD

Prashant Kaul, MD

Nanette Dowling, DO

Mitchell Brodey, MD

Registration

Our 4th workshop is TBA.

Project ECHO

Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a well-established model pioneered from the University of New Mexico. Project ECHO has had a national and international reach for the past 19 years. The ECHO model breaks down the barriers between specialist and primary care. Our experts at SUNY Upstate will function as the hub to deliver education, knowledge and best practices to the primary care clinicians in the Central New York region and beyond. Using videoconferencing technology, we will be connecting our team of interdisciplinary experts with primary care providers. By utilizing this teleconferencing technology, we are able to enhance medical resources in rural and medically underserved areas in Upstate and Central New York.