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.