NYU Langone Insights on Psychiatry features in-depth conversations with leading experts on the latest advances in psychiatric care. Hosted by NYU Langone Health’s Thea Gallagher, PsyD, the series explores where the field is headed and how clinicians can enhance treatment today.

Season 2, released in 2024, kicks off with past president of the American Psychiatric Association Petros Levounis, MD, MA, discussing the opioid crisis and technology addiction. Later in the season, Richard Davidson, PhD, highlights the four pillars of wellbeing, Helen Riess, MD, discusses the benefits of empathy in the workplace, and John Krystal, MD, talks ketamine. Two back-to-back interviews with pediatric ADHD experts Timothy Wilens, MD, and Samuele Coretese, MD, PhD, close the season.

Browse all Season 2 episodes below, and if you enjoyed them, check out Season 3 here.

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All Episodes from Season 2

SEASON 2, EPISODE 12

For the final episode of Season 2, we’re joined by Dr. Samuele Cortese, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Southampton (UK) and Adjunct Full Professor at NYU Langone. Together we explore the intersection of pediatric ADHD and precision psychiatry, including the disorder’s genetic underpinnings and evolving treatment options.

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 11

Dr. Timothy Wilens is a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. On this episode, Dr. Wilens discusses the importance of early diagnosis and intervention in ADHD, as well as its lifelong implications. He takes us through the evolution of ADHD treatment, from behavioral therapies to modern pharmacological interventions, including stimulant and non-stimulant medications, and the application of digital therapeutics. The conversation also touches on the stigma surrounding ADHD, the role of precision medicine, and the future of ADHD research.

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 10

Dr. Ira Glick is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University Medical Center, where he has served as director of the Schizophrenia Research Clinic. On this episode, he discusses his research journey, which began in the 1960s and followed a shift from psychoanalysis to biological psychiatry. He addresses the broken social safety net for schizophrenia patients, including the controversial topic of treating some patients against their will, as well as the challenges of medication adherence, and the stigma surrounding severe mental illness.

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 9

Dr. Christin Drake is Clinical Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Diversity and Equity in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. On this episode, Dr. Drake discusses ongoing efforts to improve mental health equity, including by improving psychiatric services for underserved groups, gathering better data, and boosting diversity among health care providers. She also discusses the importance of integrating mental health care into perinatal services and challenges the conventional wisdom about stigma toward mental health care in the Black community.

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 8

Dr. John Krystal is Chair of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. He is best known for leading the discovery of the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine, which paved the way for the first major new antidepressant drug in decades. Here, Dr. Krystal talks about what we’ve learned in the five years since esketamine nasal spray was approved by the FDA, including efforts to predict treatment response, dosage and frequency, safety, and long-term impact. He also discusses advances in our understanding of alcohol use disorder and weighs in on the search for psychiatric biomarkers.

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 7

Dr. Robert Findling is Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Here he discusses recent advances in pediatric mental health, including his own research on aggression and schizophrenia in young people. Dr. Findling also shares his thoughts on the crisis of teen suicide, the lingering impact of COVID-19 on children’s mental health, and the need for early and collaborative interventions.

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 6

Dr. Charles Nemeroff is Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas-Austin’s Dell Medical School. He is also co-director of the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy, and director of the Institute for Early Life Adversity Research. His research is focused on the pathophysiology of mood and anxiety disorders with a focus on the role of child abuse and neglect as a major risk factor.

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 5

Helen Riess, MD

Dr. Helen Riess is Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of Empathy Research and Training in the Psychotherapy Research Group at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is also Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Empathetics, a company that provides science-based empathy and interpersonal skills training for healthcare professionals. Her research focuses on improving empathy and relational skills in physicians.

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 4

Christopher Pittenger, MD, PhD

Dr. Christopher Pittenger is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and Director of the Yale OCD Research Clinic. In this episode, he discusses the neurobiology, symptomology, and treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), including potential new treatments such as psychedelics, neurofeedback, glutamate modulators, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). 

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 3

Richard Davidson, PhD

Dr. Richard Davidson is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Founder & Director of the Center for Healthy Minds. In this episode, he discusses the current state of research on mindfulness and meditation as mental health interventions.

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 2

Dr. Ronald Kessler is the McNeil Family Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School. His groundbreaking work on the social determinants of mental health, studied from an epidemiological perspective, has made him the most widely cited psychiatric researcher in the world.  In this wide-ranging conversation, he talks about precision psychiatry’s enormous potential and incremental development, delving into his own efforts to better identify at-risk patients and predict treatment efficacy. Dr. Kessler stresses the need for better data and bigger studies, and envisions a future of AI-supported clinicians.

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 1

Dr. Petros Levounis is President of the American Psychiatric Association and a leader in addiction research. He joins host Thea Gallagher, PsyD, to talk about the latest in addiction medicine, the state of the opioid crisis, the growing problem of technology addiction, and the promise and risks of psychedelic medicine. He also shares his hopes for the future of psychiatry, including better integration of diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes for people with mental health disorders.

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