In our efforts to support mental health initiatives and highlight the psychiatric programs and scholarships offered by our partners, PRMS is pleased to feature the winners of the Association of Women Psychiatrists’ (AWP) 2022 Alexandra Symonds Foundation Fellowship, Drs. Amanda Koire and Mariella Suleiman. AWP awards two fellowships annually to outstanding women residents and/or fellows interested in advancing women’s mental health in the fields of research, education, and clinical services. PRMS is delighted to support the foundation’s awards and provide opportunities for AWP members to further their education and research efforts.
The Alexandra Symonds Foundation Fellowship is designed with the Association of Women Psychiatrist’s goals in mind – to develop leadership in women psychiatrists and to contribute the organization’s mission to improve the future personal and professional roles of women. PRMS is pleased to highlight the 2022 award winners, Amanda Koire, MD, PhD, and Mariella Suleiman, MD.
Amanda Koire, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Dr. Amanda Koire is a PGY-3 psychiatry resident at the Bringham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. At Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, she completed the Doctor of Medicine program, with honors, and was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Dr. Koire’s interests include women’s mental health, specifically management of mental health during pregnancy, and improving access to information and education on these topics.
In 2021, Dr. Koire co-founded a national trainee interest group for reproductive psychiatry with the goal of connecting medical students, residents, and fellows interested in women’s mental health. The interest group includes more than 400 members who represent 37 states, and benefits offered to members include access to speakers on clinical and research topics within the field of reproductive psychiatry, panels on fellowship opportunities and careers in reproductive psychiatry, and social events for trainees. Through this group, Dr. Koire also mentors medical students and residents seeking more engagement in the field.
Mariella Suleiman, MD, Maimonides Medical Center
Dr. Mariella Suleiman is a PGY-3 in the Maimonides Medical Center Adult Psychiatry Resident Training program in Brooklyn, NY, and received her medical degree at Hashemite University Faculty of Medicine in Jordan. The root of her passion for psychiatry, and particularly women’s health, emerged from her personal frustrations with the lack of resources, support, and treatment options available in different parts of the world. As the Postpartum Support International coordinator in Jordan, Dr. Suleiman created a platform for new mothers in Jordan who are in dire need of emotional support and assistance.
Dr. Suleiman’s initial interest in pursuing a career focused on women’s health issues stemmed from her own mother’s struggles with bipolar disorder and the lack of resources available to her while living in Jordan. During residency, she was involved in developing a curriculum for her co-residents that is now implemented into the didactics schedule –s he plans to continue expanding on it with the most up-to-date information to help manage this patient population in both acute inpatient and outpatient settings. Dr. Suleiman plans to share this work with all residency programs, as she recognizes a need for more standardized women’s mental health curriculums within the U.S. and elsewhere in the world.
Currently, Dr. Suleiman works with the Maimonides Medical Center Ambulatory Psychiatry group to improve the hospital screening protocols for perinatal depression and create a protocol for referrals. She recently presented an educational session to residents at the Maimonides Medical Center on topics relating to women’s mental health and gave a talk on approaching transgender patients in the emergency room for an LGBTQ+ Luncheon. Dr. Suleiman has been eagerly restructuring Maimonides Medical Center’s formal curriculum on Women’s Mental Health and Reproductive Psychiatry, volunteering to put together her own sessions in which she will teach junior residents and medical students.
PRMS is proud to be a Partner of AWP. Visit www.associationofwomenpsychiatrists.com to learn more about the organization and check out the rest of the awards AWP offers under the Awards tab.
To learn more about the superior psychiatry-specific insurance program and comprehensive services offered by PRMS, click here.