Greenwich Hospital appoints psychiatry, behavioral health chair
GREENWICH — Dr. Amir Garakani has been appointed Greenwich hospital’s chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health as the hospital seeks to expand its mental health services to help meet growing demand, partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Dr. Garakani’s leadership, experience and vision will enhance our ability to make a significant impact on the patients we care for and propel our short- and long-term plans for behavioral health at Greenwich Hospital,” said Diane Kelly, hospital president.
Before joining Yale Medicine and Greenwich Hospital last spring, Garakani was director of education and an attending staff psychiatrist in the Transitional Living Program at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan.
“Expanding Greenwich Hospital’s Behavioral Health program has been an important initiative for us, magnified by the mental health crisis that has grown exponentially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are moving swiftly to address the needs of our society,” Kelly said.
“The pandemic has negatively affected many people’s mental health in all age groups and unfortunately created new barriers for individuals seeking treatment for mental illness and substance use disorders,” she said.
Greenwich Hospital is also exploring ways to work with Greenwich United Way to increase outreach and help meet the behavioral health needs of the community, she said.
In partnership with Yale Psychiatry, the largest provider of psychiatric services in the state, Greenwich Hospital’s behavioral health team of psychiatrists and psychologists evaluate and treat individuals who experience depression, anxiety and other psychological and psychiatric conditions.
In addition to emergency services, Greenwich Hospital has a Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic and an Addiction Recovery Center.
Board-certified in psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and addiction medicine, Garakani’s experience spans both research and clinical.
After attending medical school at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y., Garakani completed a psychiatry residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City and a research fellowship at Mount Sinai’s Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program. He completed a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at New York University Medical Center.
Garakani has participated in National Institute of Mental Health-funded research and is first or co-author on more than 70 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.