Faculty Profiles

Program Director

Jacqueline A. Hobbs, MD, PhD, DFAPA, CMQ

Program Director

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine
Graduate/Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Indiana University School of Medicine

I am the new program director as of June 15, 2023. I am very excited to be here. I am really enjoying Seattle and the surrounding area. I have nearly 15 years of experience as a program director. I love graduate medical education and working with residents. My clinical areas of interest are quality improvement/patient safety and perinatal mental health. I am always open to working with residents on scholarly projects. Feel free to stop by and bounce around some ideas. In my free time I like to travel, take walks, watch movies or my favorite TV series, play with my dogs, get my nails done, shop, and check out new restaurants.

 

Vice Chair for Education

Heidi Combs, MD, MS

Vice Chair for Education

Medical School: University of Washington School of Medicine
Residency: University of Washington

​Early in my training it became clear that intense pathology transfixed me so inpatient psychiatry was a natural fit. My specific area of expertise within psychiatry is care of the acutely ill hospitalized psychiatric patient. I have also developed clinical expertise in the diagnosis and management of Catatonia. In addition to clinical care, education is another area of interest. I love to teach and it has been the focus of my career. I am intimately involved in the education of psychiatry residents and am a founding faculty member of the Clinician-Teacher Pathway for our residency program. In addition to teaching medical students and residents, I regularly educate primary care providers on detection and treatment of psychiatric illnesses in primary settings. I assumed the role of Vice Chair of Education in 2020 and in that role I oversee all educational efforts for our department.

Associate Program Directors

Suzanne Murray, MD

APD for Evaluation and VA Puget Sound – Inpatient

Medical School: Temple University School of Medicine
Residency: University of Washington
Fellowship: Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship, University of Washington

My passion for patient care is the core of who I am as a physician.  As a consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatrist, I have unique and broad teaching opportunities. The C-L role lets me teach non-psychiatrist peers, trainees from other specialties, and professionals from other disciplines. I particularly like helping providers to understand their patients’ psychiatric ailments, the complex interplay among psychiatric conditions and general medical problems, and the goals for recovery. Furthermore, I provide active support to patients and their families as they navigate our highly complex medical system with their illnesses and fears. Since the beginning of my tenure, I have been involved in the administrative aspects of medical student, resident and fellow training and curricular development.  Education is the common thread that unites all of my academic activities.  I have served as an Associate Program Director for 13 years at UWMC, Program Director of the Adult Psychiatry Residency program for 5 years and currently am the medical director of CL psychiatry at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.  I am currently the Associate Program Director (APD) for the site and a core APD for Evaluation of our residency program.

 

Elizabeth Hersey, MD

APD for VA Puget Sound – Outpatient

Medical School: University of Washington 
Residency: University of Washington 

As the Associate Program Director for outpatient training at the VA, I’m excited to bring a fresh perspective as a recent UW Psychiatry program graduate. Having just navigated the residency experience; I am uniquely attuned to the challenges and opportunities that residents face. I want to help create an enriching experience at the VA, where you can grow both professionally and personally while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I’m committed to celebrating the diversity in our residency program and fostering a supportive, cohesive community for everyone.

I love working with my husband on our photography business, exploring the incredible city of Seattle, and hosting cozy dinner parties for friends. I look forward to supporting you through your residency and beyond!

 

Laurel Pellegrino, MD

APD for Curriculum and UWMC Outpatient

Medical School: Johns Hopkins University 
Residency: University of Washington 

In my role as UW Outpatient APD, I work with the Chief Residents and Medical Director to support a high-quality clinical learning environment at the Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic (OPC)’s Continuity Clinic and Specialty Clinics. I work on-site two days per week, seeing a panel of patients, directly supervising resident intakes, supervising two resident case load supervision groups, and teaching the Supportive Psychotherapy Seminar. My favorite part of my job is supporting residents, and I leave my door open as often as possible for anyone to stop by! As the Curriculum APD, I help oversee the residency program’s Thursday didactics in coordination with the Curriculum Committee, which includes both resident and faculty representatives. I have a deep interest in psychotherapy, and I help oversee the Psychotherapy Module of the curriculum as well the site-based psychotherapy education. I am also passionate about my work with the Antiracism Committee and incorporating EDI initiatives into all aspects of the residency program. Lastly, I have an interest in Perinatal Psychiatry, and I provide consultations to Washington state providers who are treating perinatal patients. 

 

Jennifer Erickson, DO

APD for University of Washington Medical Center – Inpatient

Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the
Pacific
Residency: University of New Mexico
Fellowship: Psychosomatic Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel

I am the Associate Program Director for UWMC Acute Services. As an APD, I help residents learn during their second year when they are refining their interview skills and clinical skills before their outpatient years. The other hats I wear are clinical and education administration.  As a clinician, I am attending the University of Washington Montlake and Northwest Campuses, where I practice inpatient CL psychiatry, neuropsychiatry, telepsychiatry, and collaborative care. I am a core faculty member of the Integrated Care Training Program and the Community-Based Integrated Care Training Program. I also run the TBI BH ECHO program, teaching Washingtonians about the behavioral health issues that affect patients after a TBI.  My interests include neuropsychiatry, population health, telemedicine, being outdoors, and Northwest sports.

 

Matt Iles-Shih, MD

APD for Harborview Medical Center

Post-Grad Training: MA, Cultural/Medical Anthropology, University of Arizona; MPH, Oregon Health & Science University
Medical School: University of Utah
Residency: University of Washington
Fellowship: Addiction Psychiatry, University of Washington

In my role as the Harborview Outpatient and PES APD, I coordinate with outpatient clinics & PES staff, attendings, the PES chief resident, and our rotating residents in order to facilitate a high quality learning and patient-care experience throughout the wide range of outpatient and PES rotations offered here at Harborview. In doing so, I have the privilege of working with (1) an amazing Harborview-based team that includes the inpatient-CL service APD and Chief Resident, our Chief of Service, and the many other colleagues who collaborate in support of residents’ training and (2) the larger UW psychiatry residency program which coordinates educational experiences across time and multiple sites in a manner responsive to the ever-evolving needs of our residents, the communities we serve, and the profession and systems in which we work. In all of this, it is a privilege and a joy to work with our amazingly skilled and passionate psychiatry residents and to do so as part of a dedicated (and fun!) community of professionals who are deeply committed to residents’ personal and professional development.

 

Psychiatry Residency Research Program

John Neumaier, MD, PhD

Program Director, Psychiatry Residency Research Program

I balance my time between my clinical work focusing on neuromodulation for mood disorders, supervision and mentoring of trainees, my role as Director of Mental Health Research at the Puget Sound VA, and basic neuroscience research in my laboratory. My role in residency training focuses on leading the Psychiatry Resident Research Track, where we hope to nurture the next generation of physician-scientists. I also enjoy teaching residents and students in the classroom and clinic.

I feel fortunate to have such a diverse career! It’s incredibly rewarding to help patients who have struggled with difficult mood and anxiety disorders, and my neuroscience research will hopefully open new doors to innovative treatment options for stress and substance use disorders.

 

Featured Faculty

Dana Dieringer, MD

Work

I am a psychiatrist and palliative care provider at Harborview Medical Center (HMC). I rotate  between the inpatient psychiatry and palliative care consult services. I also work in an quality improvement (QI) capacity, including leading QI education and mentorship for residents at HMC. I work at HMC because of our mission and incredible interprofessional teamwork. At HMC, I get to blend and practice all of my interests while serving patients and directly shaping trainees’ education.

Teach

I get to work with and supervise medical students and junior residents on a daily basis. There is nothing more rewarding than watching them build therapeutic alliances with patients and witness the hard work of recovery first-hand! While I am an endless nerd on topics like narrative medicine and humanism in healthcare, I most specifically like helping trainees develop complex communication skills regarding serious mental and medical illness. My goal is always to both teach and model working with patients and their supports in effective, person-centered ways.

Mentor

I provide mentorship in a variety of different roles ranging from my involvement with the Community Psychiatry pathway/interest group to “The Leadership in Medicine” elective I direct. No matter the context, however, I try to always highlight how patients are our truest teachers and guides.

 

Ravi Ramasamy, MD

Work

I am the interim medical director of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit (PBMU) at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and 100% of my clinical time is spent caring for children and adolescents on the inpatient unit.  The PBMU is the only academic pediatric inpatient psychiatric unit in the state, and the only one that accepts children under 13, children with medical co-morbidities, and children with intellectual/developmental disabilities.  It is an intense clinical setting that allows me to care for youth with complex psychopathology, while directly supervising medical students, residents, and fellows.  The PBMU is regarded as a regional and national leader in pediatric inpatient psychiatric care, and committed to providing evidence-based and trauma-informed mental health care through an interdisciplinary treatment team model that fosters collaboration and teamwork.  The PBMU is what brought me to Seattle in 2018, and the strong sense of camaraderie among the PBMU staff and clinicians has kept me here since.

Teach

I am the course director for Ethics and Professionalism in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship program, and I organize the inpatient child psychiatry clinical rotations for medical students, residents, and fellows.  I have worked with consistently excellent trainees at all levels on the PBMU, which provides me the opportunity for in-vivo clinical teaching throughout the day.  Teaching has been among the most rewarding aspects of my career in academic psychiatry thus far, and I am constantly humbled by how much I continue to learn from the trainees that I work with.

Mentor

Mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows has been a joy and a privilege thus far.  I am passionate about Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and when my passion is matched by the trainees that I work with I am exceedingly hopeful for the future of our field.  I have come to appreciate that the average UW trainee at every level is intelligent, responsible, competent, motivated, and hard-working.

 

Ramanpreet Toor, MD

Work

I currently work as a consulting psychiatrist for the Behavioral Health Intervention Program (BHIP) and the PAL for Moms line, which is a perinatal psychiatry consult line for Washington State providers. I am also the director of the fulltime Integrated Care Fellowship and associate director for the Community-Based Integrated Care Fellowship, leading online didactics. I am very passionate about and excited to work on improving access to mental health and reducing the stigma around mental health through these integrated care education programs.

Teach

I see teaching as a two-way street in which both sides learn and get a better understanding about the topic at their respective level. Teaching also helps me to be a better clinician. I am interested in teaching in clinical settings where residents learn and apply their knowledge in real time. I encourage learners to collaborate and learn how to work in teams with people from different specialties and backgrounds as in my opinion it enriches the learning experience.

Mentor

Mentors can play a great role in shaping a trainee’s career and providing that extra support and guidance. As a mentor my goal is to be available and to support trainees in their career path. As the lead for the Integrated Care Pathway for residents, I enjoy teaching about the Collaborative Care Model to trainees at all levels of training, and I am constantly working on improving their learning experience. UW residents are very thoughtful, hardworking and engaged, which makes mentoring even more rewarding and fun.