A new, interdisciplinary fellowship program supported by the Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions is bridging the gap between neurology and psychiatry, allowing healthcare professionals to better understand the complex relationship between brain function and behavior.
Led by Michael Schrift, DO, MA, FANPA and Michael Persenaire, MD, the Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry (BNNP) Fellowship is a collaboration between the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of Neurology. The fellowship provides training to psychiatrists and neurologists who want to learn about the neurological and psychological aspects of a patient’s symptoms.
This approach aims to improve care for patients experiencing mental health issues stemming from neurological conditions. For example, a woman with Parkinson’s disease might develop severe depression or anxiety alongside her motor symptoms, or an elderly man with sudden cognitive decline and confusion might be experiencing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Both are examples of when the historically related but distinct fields of neurology and psychiatry intersect.
For Kelania Jimenez, MD and Sung Ji, MD, PHD, the first fellows to go through the program, the BNNP fellowship has gone beyond their expectations. They did most of their clinical work at the Memory and Brain Wellness Center at Harborview Medical Center where patients come from as far as New Zealand and Hawaii to get care.
“I’ve seen rare and complex cases here that would have taken me a lifetime to see back on the east coast” said, Dr. Jimenez, who completed her psychiatry residency at Harlem Hospital Center/Affiliate of Columbia University. “I have access to the best imaging, the best testing, and the latest research.”
“I decided to go into medicine after seeing my grandfather suffer dementia,” says Dr. Ji, who will stay on as an assistant professor of neurology starting in July 2025. “It has been humbling to be able to play the role that I wish my family had for my grandfather all those years ago.”