Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Resources: 2025

Dr. Neil Iyengar is a board-certified Medical Oncologist and clinical-translational researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) where he specializes in the care of patients with breast cancer. He also holds joint research appointments at the Rockefeller University Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. Dr. Iyengar received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago accelerated degree program where he graduated with the College’s highest honors (University Scholar). He completed residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center followed by fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at MSK. He now holds a faculty position as an Associate Attending on the Breast Medicine Service at MSK. Dr. Iyengar’s research program investigates interventions to improve metabolic health as a strategy to reduce breast cancer risk and mortality. His group is testing the anti-cancer effects of structured exercise and nutritional interventions in people at high risk or diagnosed with breast cancer. Dr. Iyengar’s research is also investigating the use of drugs that treat metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and obesity, to improve the effectiveness of cancer therapies. In an effort to rapidly translate this work, Dr. Iyengar also leads the MSK Healthy Living Program, a novel cancer care model that aims to translate research findings from lifestyle intervention trials into clinical practice during and after cancer therapy. His work has been recognized and awarded by several organizations, including research grants from the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Conquer Cancer the ASCO Foundation, and others. He has published numerous original research articles and has been an invited speaker at several international conferences.

Chris Laurie completed his psychiatry residency at Mount Sinai Morningside-West Hospitals. He previously completed medical school at New York Medical College, undergraduate studies in biology at Brown University, and worked in pharmaceutical consulting in Boston before moving into medicine. His professional interests include end of life care, as well as a growing interest in psychoanalysis and meaning-centered therapies. In his spare time, he enjoys experimenting with new recipes and rock climbing in the outdoors.

Eric Garrels is from Brockton, Massachusetts. He went to college at Michigan State University, followed by Medical School at American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. He did his Psychiatry residency at BronxCare Health System. Eric’s professional interests include neuropsychiatry and autoimmune encephalitis. His hobbies include watching baseball and reading fantasy novels.

Dr. Guan is a board-certified genetic counselor and social behavioral scientist. She holds a Masters of Science in Genetic Counseling and a PhD in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Guan's research work has focused on promoting population health and eliminating health inequities through effective translation of evidence-based genomic-informed programs and policies. She has led or served as a co-investigator on projects related to: effective communication of genetic risk, implementation and dissemination of evidence-based genomic applications, and community engagement to expand the reach of genomic services to racial/ethnic minorities and rural communities. Dr. Guan is the Co-director of the Emory Precision Public Health Research Program. She currently holds leadership positions on the American Public Health Association (APHA) Genomic Forum Leadership Team, the Board of Directors for the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), and the Chair of Equity Action Group of NCI Consortium for Cancer Implementation Science (CCIS).

Dr. Maija Reblin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine in the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the Cancer Population Sciences Program Co-Leader at the University of Vermont Cancer Center. Trained as a social and health psychologist, her research focuses on understanding the social context of family caregivers of those with serious illness and using this knowledge to develop strengths-based interventions. Dr. Reblin has over 140 peer-reviewed publications and her research has been funded by the American Cancer Society, the National Institutes of Health, and the State of Vermont.

Jonathan Avery, M.D. is the Vice Chair for Addiction Psychiatry, the Stephen P. Tobin and Dr. Arnold M. Cooper Associate Professor in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, and the Program Director for the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship. Dr. Avery’s primary academic focus has been to examine and help develop interventions to improve clinicians’ attitudes towards patients with substance use disorders. He is also focused on educating all physicians on how to treat individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental illness. See https://weillcornell.org/javery for expanded bio.