Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program at Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Our Campus
Jersey Shore University Medical Center
- 45-bed inpatient unit
- 10-12 bed dedicated Pediatric Emergency Department, open 24/7
- 10-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
- On-site fully renovated Ronald McDonald Room
- 35-bed Level III – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- One of the top 50 Children’s Hospitals for cancer nationwide, ranked by U.S. News & World Report
- Pediatric Sedation Service led by the Critical Care team
Carrier Clinic
- 297 bed free-standing, not-for-profit, psychiatric facility
- 36 inpatient adolescent psychiatry and adolescent dual diagnosis beds
- East Mountain Youth Lodge – 91 child & adolescent psychiatry residential beds
- East Mountain School – a 120-student NJ-approved private special education school for 7th through 12th-grade students who are classified as emotionally disturbed or as having behavioral disorders
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program
Fellowship Administrative Leadership
Meet Our Faculty
Lauren Kaczka-Weiss, D.O.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Fellowship Training Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, JSUMC
Residency/Fellowship: Tulane Triple Board Program (Pediatrics/Adult Psychiatry/Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) at Tulane School of Medicine
Research/Clinical Interests: Perinatal & women’s psychiatry, graduate medical education, dyadic therapies, psychiatric care of medically ill children
Eric Alcera, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Network Medical Director, Hackensack Meridian Behavioral Health, Chairman of Psychiatry at Riverview Medical Center
Residency: Cooper University Hospital – UMDNJ/Rutgers
Fellowship: New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia University
Research/Clinical interests: PTSD, Stellate Ganglion Blockade, ADHD, Adolescent Depression and Anxiety
Shobha Chottera, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Residency: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Fellowship: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Research/Clinical Interests: Research & Clinical Methods from Systemic Perspectives
Stacy Doumas, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Vice-Chair of Education and Research, Residency Program Director, JSUMC
Residency: University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital
Fellowship: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital
Research/Clinical Interests: Medical education, ADHD, Adolescent depression and anxiety, Healthcare provider well-being, women in medicine, Autism
Percy LeBlanc, D.O.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Staff Psychiatrist, General Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, JSUMC
Residency: Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Fellowship: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry – Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Research/Clinical Interests: Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, Adolescent Substance Use
Anthony Marino, Jr., M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Chief of Adolescent Services, Carrier Clinic
Residency: Temple University Hospital
Fellowship: Child Guidance Clinic, Philadelphia
Research/Clinical Interests: Mood Disorders
Kenan Osmanovic, M.D.
Assistant Clinic Professor, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Medical Director, Child Day Program, PHP/IOP at JSUMC
Residency: Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Fellowship: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry – Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Research/Clinical Interests: ADHD, ODD, OCD, Anxiety Disorders, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Jagwinder Sandhu, M.D.
Carrier Clinic
Ramon Solhkhah, M.D., MBA
Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, and Pediatrics
Fellowship Director for the Child and Adolescent Fellowship
Chair, Department of Psychiatry
Residency: General Psychiatry at Mt. Sinai Medical Center and Bronx VAMC (Mt. Sinai School of Medicine)
Fellowship: Fellowship in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital (Harvard Medical School); Fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry at New York University and Bellevue Hospital Center (NYU School of Medicine)
Research/Clinical interests: Adolescent Substance Use Disorders, Psychopharmacology, Psychiatric Administration and Policy, Precision Psychiatry
Syed Tirmazi, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Division Chief/Director Inpatient Psychiatry at JSUMC
Residency: General Psychiatry at SUNNY Upstate Med Univ Syracuse NY
Fellowship: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Univ of Texas Med Branch Galveston, TX(1st year) and at Rutgers Piscataway, NJ (2nd year)
Research/Clinical Interests: Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Philip Vincent, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Staff Psychiatrist, Adult Inpatient Unit, Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Residency: General Psychiatry at UF, Shands Hospital in Gainesville Florida
Fellowship: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UF, Shands Hospital in Gainesville Florida, and Administrative Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York
Research/Clinical Interests: Tourettes and Child Development
Meera Wells, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Staff Psychiatrist, General Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Residency: St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Washington, DC
Fellowship: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Albert Einstein School of Medicine
Research/Clinical Interests: Mood disorders, PTSD, Autism, Cross cultural psychiatry, psychodynamic psychotherapy
Curriculum
Our core didactic curriculum covers all major topics in child and adolescent psychiatry and incorporates gender, racial, and cultural perspectives.
We hold a child and adolescent psychiatry crash course in July and August for our first year fellows that includes topics such as emergency assessment, de-escalation, and psychopharmacology; psychiatric assessment of infants through adolescence; working in systems of care (pediatric medicine, neurology, school, family, legal, and more); fellows as teachers; and compassion fatigue/wellness resources.
Educational Conferences
During the two-year fellowship, fellows will actively participate in a variety of conferences. The goal of these conferences is to:
- Improve critical thinking
- Improve understanding and interpretation of the literature
- Improve the management of patients with complex conditions and diseases
- Improve the understanding of ethical principles in the care for children
Major educational conferences are listed below:
| Conference | Frequency |
| Psychiatry Grand Rounds | Weekly |
| Journal Club | Monthly |
| Psychiatry Symposia | Quarterly |
| Quality/Morbidity & Mortality Conference | Quarterly |
| Hackensack Meridian Health Research Day at Jersey Shore University Medical Center | Yearly |
| Interdisciplinary team meetings | Varies |
| Coursework toward advanced degree | Optional; time commitment varies |
In addition to conferences/events listed above, fellows also have the following as part of their didactic curriculum and training:
- Research and Biostatistics
- Will participate in scholarly project
- Obtain IRB approval
- Quality Improvement
- Reflection Rounds
- Co-facilitated (chaplain and physician) small groups
- Goal to integrate meaning, purpose, and connectedness in medicine and medical education
Clinical Rotations
|
Year 1 |
4 Months
Carrier Clinic |
4 Months
JSUMC |
4 Months
JSUMC |
| East Mountain Lodge (Residential Unit) and East Mountain School | Therapeutic Nursery and Children’s Day Program, and Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative | Pediatric EPS*, Pediatric C/L** Service | |
| Continuity Care and Outpatient Psychiatry (10%) (OMC) | |||
*EPS = Psychiatric Emergency Service
*C/L = Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
| Year 2 | 4 Months
Carrier Clinic |
4 Months
JSUMC |
4 Months
JSUMC |
| Inpatient Adolescent Psychiatry | Forensic Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, School Consultations, and Adolescent Addiction Medicine | Pediatric Neurology, Developmental Disabilities, and Pediatric Sleep Medicine | |
|
Continuity Care and Outpatient Psychiatry (30%) (OMC) |
|||
East Mountain Lodge
East Mountain Lodge is a 91 bed adolescent psychiatric residential treatment facility on the Carrier Clinic campus. The program provides 24-hour clinical care to children ages 13-18 years who are struggling with psychiatric and/or behavioral difficulties. As a fellow, you will participate in nursing report; review of outside reports/consults; direct patient care; family, treatment and interdisciplinary team, and leadership meetings.
East Mountain School
The East Mountain School (EMS) is 120 student private, non-profit, special education school that is approved by the NJ Department of Education. The EMS is operated by Carrier Clinic and housed on their campus. The students are in 7th-12th grade and have been identified as needed intensive therapeutic services for psychiatric and behavioral needs. As a fellow, you will participate in classroom observations, direct patient care, and more.
Therapeutic Nursery Program
Therapy and social skill building for children ages 3 to 6 experiencing difficulties with aggression, impulsivity, disruptive behaviors, and socialization.
Center for Simulation and Experiential Learning
With a vision to cultivate an organizational environment that is dedicated to interdisciplinary, professional, patient-centered education, HOPE Tower features a high-tech simulation laboratory.
In the 6,500+ square foot, state-of-the-art innovative simulation laboratory, team learning is fostered through experiential and simulation-based technique with an emphasis on patient safety, quality, innovation and patient interaction.
Residents and fellows gain training for various high-risk scenarios, allowing for real-time exposure to high acuity incidents in a controlled environment. The integration of simulation-based and “real-life” experiential learning into interdisciplinary education programs builds upon Hackensack Meridian Health’s continued commitment to leadership in health care education.
Life as a Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health Fellow
Today, Hackensack Meridian Health stands as one of the largest, most comprehensive networks in New Jersey, combining academics and research with an extensive continuum of care. We are renowned for our world-class quality, respected for our expert physicians, and admired for our commitment to our communities. As a highly awarded hospital network, Hackensack Meridian Health has been awarded in the top 150 places to work in healthcare.
Our team member page walks through the many amazing individual and family benefits (including child care) of being a part of the Hackensack Meridian Health family.
Conveniently located near many major highways and public transportation options, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital of the Jersey Shore University Medical Center is located in central New Jersey, well-known for its many beaches, and the highly populated cities of Red Bank and Asbury Park. The hospital’s campus location is a 5-minute drive to a sprawling shoreline, and near to many popular attractions.
Jersey Shore University Medical Center is located in Monmouth County, which has consistently top-rated school systems, expansive parks, lakes, outdoor activities, shopping malls, and of course easy access to the jersey shore. A short drive to Manhattan, Philadelphia and the Poconos, being a fellow at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital provides you the opportunity to easily visit many exceptional destinations.
From the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ to the well-known PNC Bank Art Center in Holmdel, NJ, there are endless options for experiencing local cultural activities, concerts, theater, nightlife and cuisine.