The Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health provides clinical services, training and educational programs, and research and partners with community organizations to improve mental health in South Florida.

Some of our research initiatives include innovative interventions for early neurocognitive changes, the use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and SPRAVATO for treatment-resistant depression, and the integration of behavioral health in primary care and mental health in older people across cultures.

To address Florida’s urgent need to improve children’s access to quality behavioral health services, we partner with the Florida Department of Health to offer local pediatricians consultation for their child and adolescent patients with behavioral health issues.

Contact

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
11200 SW 8th Street, AHC1-348 Miami, FL 33199
Tel: 305-348-4147
Fax: 305-348-4331
psychiatryinfo@fiu.edu

Contact

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
11200 SW 8th Street, AHC1-348 Miami, FL 33199
Tel: 305-348-4147
Fax: 305-348-4331
psychiatryinfo@fiu.edu

Clinical Services

Faculty psychiatrists and clinical therapists provide outpatient behavioral health services including the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders and referral to appropriate community resources. 

Services for the general community, including children, adolescents, and adults, are available at the FIU Health Faculty Group Practice on the main university campus. We’re able to promptly schedule appointments to accommodate patient need, as well as offer on-site labs and treatment with long-acting injectable antipsychotics.

To schedule an appointment with one of our psychiatry and behavioral health experts at FIU Health, please call 305-348-3627 to learn more about the treatments we offer and the conditions we commonly treat.

Treatments

Conditions

  • Anxiety
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Autism spectrum disorders
  • Bipolar disorders
  • Depression, including treatment-resistant depression
  • Dual diagnosis
  • Obsessive compulsive disorders
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders

Affiliated hospitals & organizations

  • AGAPE Network
  • Camillus House & Health
  • Citrus Health Network
  • Fort Lauderdale Hospital
  • Memorial Regional Hospital and Medical Center
  • Miami VA Healthcare System
  • Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
  • Smith Community Mental Health
  • Southern Winds Hospital

Additional Clinical Services

Services for FIU students are available at the FIU Student Health Clinics on the main (MMC) campus. Students, please call 305-348-8385 for appointments and information.

We also provide services for members enrolled in the College of Medicine’s signature community outreach program, the Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP.

If you are interested in helping the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine expand access to behavioral health services in pediatric primary care settings, please inquire about our Clinical Service Contracts.

Education & Training

Psychiatry and Behavioral Health faculty teach medical students across the 4-year curriculum and coordinate and oversee student rotations in the psychiatry clerkship at 9 clinical sites. They also provide clinical training for students in the College of Medicine's Master in Physician Assistant Studies program. And we offer 4th-year psychiatry elective rotations for our International Visiting Medical Students.

Department faculty also participate across all years of training in the Citrus Health Network-FIU Psychiatry Residency Program, the first such program sponsored by a Federally Qualified Health Center, and a model for outpatient and community-based training. Residents actively participate in clinical quality improvement through their psychiatry and primary care rotations at Citrus Health Network and medicine and neurology at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Research

Clinical trial for patients with Alzheimer's disease

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute are collaborating on a clinical trial for patients with Alzheimer's disease. The principal investigators are psychiatrist Dr. Patricia Junquera and neurosurgeon Dr. Michael McDermott.

The study uses low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) to disrupt brain changes that lead to the neuron damage that causes memory and cognitive problems in patients. First, the patient is evaluated by Dr. Junquera at FIU Health to determine if their dementia is caused by Alzheimer's and not due to other issues. The evaluation includes a battery of psychological tests and can take several hours. And a caretaker or family member must be present. 

Next, the patient is seen at Baptist Hospital, where Dr. McDermott performs additional medical and imaging tests. If the patient meets the requirements to participate in the study, they will undergo a procedure to attach a stereotactic frame to the scalp under local anesthesia. 

The ultrasound waves are directed to pre-determined areas of the brain using an MRI for guidance. Patients are observed for several hours and are also seen the next day. 

The study involves three treatments, two weeks apart. Patients will repeat imaging and psychological testing after each session and at checkpoints along the way.

Read more about this innovative clinical trial

Faculty & Staff

  • Secondary faculty

    Jonathan Comer, PhD
    Associate Professor

    Raul Gonzalez, Jr, PhD
    Associate Professor

    Angela Laird, PhD
    Associate Professor

    William Pelham, Jr, PhD
    Distinguished University Professor

    Jeremy Pettit, PhD
    Professor

    William Vega, PhD
    Distinguished Professor

  • Adjunct faculty

    Daniel Castellanos, M.D.
    Professor

    Margaret Harper Sibley, PhD
    Associate Professor

    James Waxmonsky, MD
    Adjunct Professor

  • Community-based faculty

    Jadiyer O. Acosta, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Maria Alfonso, MBA, CHCQM
    Instructor
     
    Xenia Aponte, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Aramys Barzaga, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Victoria Baskin, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Michelle Benitez Cabrera, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Carissa Cabán-Aleman, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Carmen Cantero, LCSW
    Instructor  

    Regina Maria Carney, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Susan Elaine Chalfin, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Aminata Cisse, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Linda Collado, M.D.
    Adjunct Assistant Professor
     
    Maria Collado, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Raul Corredor, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Adriana Cortes, MD
    Assistant Professor

    Jose Cruz, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Elie Crystal, DO
    Assistant Professor

    Akiva M. Daum, M.D.
    Assistant Professor  

    Enrique Diaz, MD
    Assistant Professor

    Jeevan Diptee-Rodrigues, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Richard M. Dreize, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Spencer Eth, M.D.
    Adjunct Professor

    Jared Gaines, MD
    Assistant Professor
     
    Leslie Annette Garrad, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Jose Manuel Gonzalez, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Alina Gonzalez-Mayo, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Berta Guerra, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Victor Guzman, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Richard Hamilton, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor  

    Ciomara Lynn Hernandez, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Sean Horan, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Elizabeth Hoy, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Hugh Humphery, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Michael Inesta, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    James Jordan, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Aleksander Kaipov, MD
    Assistant Professor

    Josue Lopez, MD
    Assistant Professor
     
    Rossana Lopez, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Julio C Machado, Jr., M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Rosa Martinez-Casuso, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Karina McCoy, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Kathleen "Molly" McShane, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Ilan Melnick MD
    Assistant Professor
     
    Jules G. Molina, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Angela Mooss, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Hung Nguyen, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Kristal Nicht, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Mohammad Asim Nisar, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Ana M. Ojeda, Ph.D., M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Juan Diego Oms, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Americo Padilla, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Shlomo Pascal, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Anna Maria Patino-Fernandez, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor
     
    Arlene L. Pena-Gonzalez, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Juandalyn Peters, M.D.
    Assistant Professor 

    Steven Proctor, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor
     
    Francisco Quintana, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Ana Rivas-Vazquez, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    Jorge Enrique Rivera, M.D.
    Assistant Professor  

    Maria Rodil, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    David B. Rooney, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Teofilo Matos Santana, MD
    Assistant Professor

    Silvia Silva-Duluc, M.D.
    Assistant Professor 

    David Tobolowsky, M.D.
    Associate Professor
     
    Yadira Torres, Psy.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Raul Ulloa Valladares, M.D.
    Assistant Professor
     
    James Waxmonsky, M.D.
    Adjunct Professor

    Peysaf W. Worthalter, M.D.
    Assistant Professor

    Tamara Zec, M.D.
    Assistant Professor