Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Faculty and Staff
Physicians:
Bernard Biermann, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Biermann attended medical school at the University of Kansas, where he also completed a Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric prior to medical school. He did his residency and child psychiatry fellowship training at Western Psychiatric Institute and clinic (University of Pittsburgh), Pittsburgh, PA. After fellowship he worked as a staff psychiatrist in a community mental health clinic in Davenport, IA where he treated both children and adults. He currently serves as the medical director of the child and adolescent inpatient unit at Mott Children's Hospital, where he does both inpatient and consult/liaison psychiatry. His clinical interests include adolescent mood disorders and suicidal behavior, Attention Deficit Disorders and Pervasive Developmental Disorders.
Donna J. Champine, M.D.
Donna Champine, M.D. completed her medical school, residency and child fellowship training at the University of Michigan. She also held the position of Chief Resident in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program at the University of Michigan. She works in the Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Michigan and also as a clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. Her clinical and academic interests include child abuse and neglect, mood disorders, post traumatic stress disorder and ADHD.
Richard R. Dopp, M.D.
Dr. Dopp studied psychology as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan. Following graduation, he taught 5-6 year old children in Baltimore, MD with severe emotional problems and challenging family environments. Dr. Dopp returned to the University of Michigan for medical school and chose to continue his training in both adult and child psychiatry in Ann Arbor.
Dr. Dopp has research interest in the relationships among physical activity, sleep and depression in adolescents.
Kate Dimond Fitzgerald, M.D.
Dr. Fitzgerald completed medical school at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and then completed her residency and child fellowship training at the University of Michigan. Her clinical work is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of childhood anxiety, and is complemented by her functional neuroimaging research in pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Currently, she is studying how response to errors -a psychological process that may underlie OCD – could interact with developmental stage to lead to the disorder in youth. Ultimately, this work will be partnered with genetic research to elucidate neurodevelopmental risk factors for pediatric OCD.
Mohammad Ghaziuddin, M.D.
Mohammad Ghaziuddin, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry. He is also the Director of Residency Training in Child Psychiatry, and the Director of the Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Attention Deficit Disorders Clinics. He obtained his basic medical degree from Osmania University, India, and completed his post-graduate training in Psychiatry in London, England, from where he obtained his MRCPsych degree. He completed his child psychiatric clinical and research fellowship at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His interests include the diagnosis; etiology; and treatment of autism and related disorders.
Neera Ghaziuddin, M.D.
Neera Ghaziuddin, M.D. completed her child fellowship training at the University of Michigan. She completed her residency at the University of London in England and medical school at Delhi University in India. She is an associate professor of psychiatry at the Medical School. Her clinical and research interests include biology of adolescent depression, innovative treatments of refractory depression including electroconvulsive therapy and transmagnetic cranial stimulation (rTMS).
Gregory L. Hanna, M.D.
Gregory Hanna, M.D. completed his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at UCLA, his general psychiatry residency and internship at the University of Michigan, and medical school at the University of Oklahoma. He is an associate professor of psychiatry. His clinical interests include the anxiety and tic disorders. His research interests include psychiatric genetics and the neurobiology and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Sheila Marcus , M.D.
Sheila Marcus M.D. completed her medical school, residency and child fellowship training at the University of Michigan. Dr. Marcus is an associate professor and works in the Youth and Young Adult Mood Disorders Program. She is currently the Child and Adolescent Section Director, and has also directed the Women’s Mood Disorders Clinic. Her clinical and academic interests include the cross generational transmission of mood disorders, mood disorders in the perinatal period, early risk factors for mood disorders, and presentation of mood disorders throughout the female lifespan.
Paresh Patel, M.D., Ph.D.
Paresh Patel, M.D., Ph.D. completed his internship, residency, and child psychiatry fellowship training at Stanford University. He completed medical school and received his doctoral degree at the University of Michigan. He is a research investigator in the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry. His clinical interests include mood disorders, attention deficit disorder and psychopharmacology. His research interests include stress biology, genetics of psychiatric disorders, and animal models for understanding gene-environment interactions.
Psychology:
Cynthia Ewell Foster, Ph.D.
Cynthia Foster, Ph.D. completed her post-doctoral training in child clinical psychology at the University of Michigan. Her pre-doctoral internship in child clinical psychology was completed at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis-St. Paul. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Loyola University-Chicago. Dr. Foster is a Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry. Her research interests include the treatment and prevention of mood disorders and suicidality in youth, as well as the impact of mood disorders on parent-child relationships.
Michelle Kees, PhD
Michelle Kees is a Psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Program. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from SUNY Stony Brook, with an internship at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Kees is a cognitive-behavioral therapist and provides therapy for childhood anxiety disorders, child trauma and grief, and parenting. She also has an active research program in the area of child trauma and parenting interventions, and is involved in the teaching and supervision of child psychology and psychiatry trainees.
Cheryl King, PhD
Dr. Cheryl King is Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology and Chief Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. One of the authors of the Michigan Plan for Suicide Prevention, Dr. King is active in clinical and community-based training, research, and public policy initiatives related to depression awareness and youth suicide prevention. She has a longstanding history of federal and private foundation grant funding, has provided testimony concerning youth suicide within the U.S. Senate, and is on the editorial boards of several leading journals in her areas of expertise. Dr. King is a Past President of the American Association of Suicidology and currently serves as President of the Association of Medical School Psychologists.
Julie B. Kaplow, PhD
Julie B. Kaplow, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology. Dr. Kaplow received her B.A. in psychology at the University of Michigan. After receiving her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Duke University, she completed a clinical internship at the Children’s Hospital in Boston. She then received specialized training in the assessment and treatment of traumatized children at the Center for Medical and Refugee Trauma at Boston University Medical Center. Dr. Kaplow served on the faculty in both medical center settings (Boston University Medical School, New Jersey Medical School) and psychology departments (John Jay College of Criminal Justice) before returning to the University of Michigan.
Social Work:
Susan Bryant, BSW, MS
Susan Bryant earned her Social Work degree from Wichita State University and her graduate degree from the University of North Texas. As a Care Manager, she assists patients and clinicians by handling phone calls and requests, monitoring and supporting patients between appointments, referring to internal and external resources, and developing a resource library.
Mary Grambeau Gass, LMSW
Mary Gass is a graduate of The University of Michigan School of Social Work. She has worked at the University of Michigan Health Systems since 1985 and is currently a clinical social worker in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient General Clinic. She provides evaluation and treatment of children, adolescents and families using a variety of clinical interventions. She especially enjoys working with adolescents and also has special experience in adoption. She provides supervision and training for social work interns, fellows and medical trainees. She has helped develop the new Caremanagement program and will be supervising its implementation. She also serves on the Pediatric Ethics Committee and Staff Recognition Committee.
Jonathan Marin, LMSW
Jonathan Marin, LMSW is a Clinical Social Worker in the Department of Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Section at the University of Michigan. He provides individual, family and group psychotherapy using various evidenced based treatments. He received both his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Social Work from The University of Michigan. His clinical interests include working with children and adolescents with depression, Bipolar Disorder, and anxiety disorders. Jonathan has been extensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) which is effective in treating individuals with chronic suicidal and self-harm behaviors. He co-facilitates the adolescent DBT multifamily group that teaches DBT skills to both patients and their families.
SunShine Mills, LMSW
SunShine Mills, LMSW is a Clinical Social Worker in the Department of Psychiatry-Child & Adolescent Section at the University of Michigan. Additionally, she serves as a clinical staff member in the Autism Spectrum Disorders Program. SunShine received her Bachelor of Science at Michigan State University and her master’s graduate degree in Social Work at the University of Michigan. Her clinical expertise include providing comprehensive diagnostic evaluations and evidence based treatments of all childhood mental disorders, as well as a specific focus on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). She has received distinguished training in ADI-R, ADOS, TEACCH Approach, Social Skills, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and Behavior Therapy. SunShine’s research interests include etiology, assessment, and treatment of ASD; youth suicide prevention; and the evaluation of child and family intervention programs.
Laura Nitzberg, LMSW
Laura Nitzberg is a graduate of Barnard College in New York and received her masters in Social Work from Columbia University. She has been at the University of Michigan since 1986 when she was recruited to run the Marital and Family Therapy Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry and also taught at the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work. Her current title is Social Work Manager in Psychiatry. She specializes in treating dual career couples, people with depression, family therapy and has developed support groups and family programs.
Aileen H. Prout, LLMSW
Aileen Prout received her BA from Boston College and her Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan. Her clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of children with anxiety disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, separation anxiety disorder and specific phobias. Other clinical interests include child and adolescent depression, trichotillomania and tic disorders. Aileen specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapy. Her research interests include obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders.
Katherene Schoof, LMSW, ACSW
Katharene Schoof is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She has been at the University of Michigan Health Systems since 1987 and is currently a clinical social worker in the Youth and Young Adult Program of the Depression Center. Her expertise is in evaluating children, adolescents, and young adults with depression or bipolar illness, and in providing individual, group, and family psychotherapy using evidence based treatments. She has helped develop family and group interventions for the new U-M Depression Center. She co-leads the monthly Family Education Workshop, the biweekly drop in Support group for Adolescents/College aged persons with depression or bipolar illness, and the monthly Survivor of Suicide Support Group.
Melissa Webster, LMSW
Melissa Webster is a Clinical Social Worker in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan. She completed a master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Michigan. Her clinical interests include child and adolescent depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and post traumatic stress disorder. Her research interests include depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. Melissa specializes in cognitive behavioral therapies.
Nursing:
Judith Coucouvanis, MA, APRN, BC
Judith Coucouvanis is a psychiatric nurse practitioner and clinical specialist at the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She completed her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Nursing from the University of Iowa. Judith specializes in the treatment of children with severe behavior challenges and especially autism spectrum disorders. Judith is active in school and community based training, offering practical information for parents and teachers. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Autism Society of Michigan and as an editorial board member of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing. She is the author of Super Skills: A Social Skills Group Program for Children with Asperger Syndrome, High-functioning Autism and Related Challenges (2005).
James Smith R.N.
Jim Smith attended Thomas Jefferson College and received a nursing degree from Southwestern Michigan College. He followed the first job he loved, working with kids of all ages, into nursing. He is currently working with and learning from clinicians, staff and families at the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Outpatient Program. He provides backup and support for staff, families and patients within the clinic.