Vilma Gabbay, M.D.

Dr. Gabbay currently serves as the Director of Research of the Psychiatry Research Institute of Montefiore and Einstein and Associate Professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. One of the nation's leading experts on pediatric mood disorders, Dr. Gabbay is a renowned researcher with a focus on the neurological and immunological mechanisms that contribute to the development and maintenance of mood disorders in youth. Throughout her career, she has developed and directed a research program investigating the neurobiology of mood and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents with emphasis on the dimensional investigation of specific symptoms such as anhedonia - the capacity to experience pleasure. The goal of these endeavors has been to utilize a multidisciplinary approach to enhance understanding of the disorders, which will lead to early identification, diagnostic refinements, and novel treatments. Her research efforts utilize an array of sophisticated, cutting-edge techniques, including functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, MR spectroscopy, immunological and genetic assays, and comprehensive clinical evaluations. She also investigates the efficacy and neurochemical effects of omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils) in the treatment of adolescent depression and Tourette's Disorder. She held the esteemed Leon Levy Fellowship at NYU Langone Health from 2008 to 2012. Dr. Gabbay has received numerous awards and honors and has been published extensively in top-tier scientific journals. Dr. Gabbay received her BMedSc in human sciences and her MD from Tel Aviv University in Israel. She completed a residency in general psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a residency in child and adolescent psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine, where she received the Resident Research Excellence Award and, in 2008, earned her MS in Translational Medicine Research.