As an Integrative Psychiatrist and Mind-Body Medicine Expert, I am passionately dedicated transforming lives through holistic healing. My mission focuses on addressing widespread trauma, fostering trauma-informed communities, advocating for enhanced healthcare equity.
My journey began in India where, as a teenager, I volunteered to reduce mental health stigma and improve access to healthcare in 150 underserved villages. I implemented initiatives targeting domestic violence, substance use, and suicide prevention through the lens of social determinants of health. This experience deepened my understanding of trauma’s impact and solidified my commitment to integrative mental health care.
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My academic journey led me to medical school in Ukraine, where I held multiple leadership roles, spearheading initiatives for government officials and pivotal educational reforms aligned with the country's goal of joining the European Union.
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Recognizing the limitations of traditional healthcare models, I immersed myself in exploring holistic and trauma-informed approaches to mental health care. Collaborating with pioneers of integrative medicine, I helped refine the psychiatry curriculum for residency and fellowship programs. As the Trauma Relief and Wellness Program Manager at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), I developed wellness initiatives across the U.S. and internationally, ensuring trauma-informed care reaches those in need.
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Currently, I serve as the Secretary for the American Psychiatric Association's Integrative Medicine Caucus, advocating for the transformative power of integrative practices on a global scale. I am also actively involved in national-level healthcare initiatives, participating in the Massey Commission’s Mental Health and Emergency Response Work Group to create policy recommendations at both state and national levels. I am also part of the APA’s Presidential Task Force for Lifestyle Medicine, where we will be making recommendations to the Lifestyle Board of Medicine and crafting APA’s official recommendations regarding lifestyle medicine interventions.
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Join Me: BE A MESS!
MESS Philosophy
Trauma goes beyond being an emotional injury; it alters the body’s nervous system and impacts brain development and body awareness. It influences our interactions with the world and disrupts cellular function, which can lead to hormonal imbalances, immune system problems, and organ dysfunction, ultimately resulting in disease.​
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​Disease is merely a manifestation of a deeper issue—trauma. Healing this type of trauma requires a literal rewiring of the body, mind, and intellect, which can be achieved through holistic and personalized approach to achieve MESS (, Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Stability). Integrating the fears, memories, and beliefs stemming from traumatic experiences is key to achieving this state of balance.
My Vision
My experience addressing trauma on a global scale—stemming from war, poverty, mass shootings climate disasters, opioid addiction, and genocide—underscores the critical need for enhanced access to quality mental health care. ​
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Inspired by my mentors and predecessors, my vision is to heal the unhealed and transform the traumas within each individual, fostering a trauma-informed and integrated society. A society in which, parents, teachers, healthcare workers and legislators shift their focus from merely fixing behaviors, making diagnoses, and suppressing symptoms to understanding the root causes of troubling behaviors and diseases that spring from a wounded human soul.​
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