Eric Hollander M.D.
Program Director/Principal Investigator
eholland@montefiore.org
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Dr. Hollander is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Director of the Autism and Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Program, and the Anxiety and Depression Program, at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Previously he served as the Esther and Joseph Klingenstein Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and was Director of the Seaver and NY Autism Center of Excellence in New York City. Before then he served as Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.
Dr. Hollander received his B.A. from Brandeis University (1978), and his M.D. from SUNY Downstate Medical College, Brooklyn (1982). He completed his internship in Internal Medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital (1983), residency and chief resident in psychiatry at Mt Sinai School of Medicine (1986), and his NIMH research fellowship at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (1988). He has served as an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and as the Esther and Joseph Klingenstein Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Dr. Hollander has served as the principal investigator for a number of federal grants, including the NIH Greater New York Autism Center of Excellence; the NIMH Research Training Grant in Psychopharmacology and Outcomes Research; the DOD CBDV in ASD treatment study; and FDA funded multicenter treatment trials of pediatric body dysmorphic disorder, autism and Prader Willi Syndrome. He was the principal investigator of the autism Clinical Trials
Network, and Chair of the eight centers NIH STAART Autism Steering Committee. He is involved in research on the neuropharmacology, neuropsychiatry, functional imaging, and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, impulsive-aggressive disorders, obsessive-compulsive-related disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder, pathological gambling; Prader Willi Syndrome, and autism. Dr. Hollander served as Chair of the DSM-V Research Planning Agenda for Obsessive Compulsive Behavior Spectrum Disorders, and member of the DSM-5 Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum, Post-Traumatic and Dissociative Disorders Workgroup, and the Behavioral and Substance Addictions Workgroup.
Dr. Hollander has received a Research Scientist Development Award from the National Institute of Mental health to investigate the psychobiology of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. He has received orphan drug grants from the Food and Drug Administration to study new treatments for body dysmorphic disorder, child/adolescent autism, and adult autism, and a grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse for a study on the neurobiology of pathological gambling. He has received several grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to develop treatments for borderline personality disorder, adolescent body dysmorphic disorder, and autism; and a grant from the Department of Defense to study CBDV in autism spectrum disorder. Dr. Hollander has received two national research awards from the American Psychiatric Association and a Distinguished Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression.
Casara Jean Ferretti
Pre-doctoral Research Associate
914-315-4236
casara.ferretti@einsteinmed.org
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Casara Jean Ferretti is a PhD candidate in the Clinical Psychology PhD Program with Health Emphasis at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University. She is a Project Director at the Autism and Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center. Ms. Ferretti is clinically trained in CBT, and uses an integrative therapeutic approach in her clinical work, combining therapeutic tools from CBT, DBT, expressive therapies and other orientations to collaboratively treat children, adolescents, and adults. Ms. Ferretti has also worked with children, adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and related disorders, in both clinical and research settings for the past 15 years. She is an established grant writer, and has multiple publications, book chapters and presentations on ASD and related fields, including as co-editor for the 2nd edition of 2nd Edition of APPI’s Textbook of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Ms. Ferretti is dedicated to providing integrative therapeutic care across the lifespan for individuals and families managing depression, anxiety, ADHD, ASD, and trauma, in addition to the intersection of mental health with familial, interpersonal, developmental, and environmental stressors. She is also focused on continuing her research for ASD and related disorders, investigating inflexible thinking, neurodivergent strengths and the importance of using a family systems approach.
Blerona Shaipi, MD
bshaipi@montefiore.org
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Blerona Shaipi, M.D., graduated from the Medical University of Tirana, Albania in 2019, she made the bold decision to move to the United States, where she sought to further enrich her medical expertise and explore new opportunities in healthcare. She is a research fellow working with Dr. Eric Hollander at the Psychiatry Research Institute at Montefiore Einstein (PRIME). She is pursuing an internal medicine residency.
Hamaad Shehzad, MD
hshezad@montefiore.org
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Hamaad Shehzad, M.D., graduated from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, W.I. in 2023. He is a research fellow working with Dr. Eric Hollander at the Psychiatry Research Institute at Montefiore Einstein (PRIME). He is pursuing a psychiatry residency and is interested in neurodevelopmental disorders, neurocognitive disorders, and psychosomatic medicine.
Milan Sandhu
misandhu@montefiore.org
Philip Chu
Medical Student
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
philip.chu@einsteinmed.edu
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Philip Chu is a 3rd year medical student who is interested in psychiatry, and excited to contribute to the field. He is especially interested in learning about novel therapeutic approaches and enjoys keeping up to date with the latest research. Outside of research, he enjoys exploring New York City and finding the tastiest foods that won’t break your bank – Always happy to give recommendations!
Samia Taoulost, M.D.
Resident Physician
Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine
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Samia Taoulost is a 3rd year psychiatry resident at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Since October 2022, she has been supporting research projects at the Autism and Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Program with Eric Hollander, MD. Her current research interests relate to investigating the therapeutic potential of nutritional interventions such as the ketogenic diet in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). After residency, Dr Taoulost plans to pursue child and adolescent psychiatry and hopes to continue partaking in research and advocacy activities to improve clinical outcomes and quality of care among patients with ASD and other NDD.
Lorenzo Casati, M.D.
lorenzo.casati@einsteinmed.edu
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Lorenzo Casati, M.D., is a 3rd year resident in Psychiatry at "La Statale" University of Milan, Italy. He is attending a period as research trainee with Eric Hollander, MD, at Albert Einstein College of Medicine's PRIME center. He is proceeding in his studies on the effect of cannabinoids on obsessive-compulsive symptoms, which he investigated in his graduation paper. His field of interests also concerns Eating Disorders and Psychedelic Drugs.