Victoria (Tori) Nee - PGY1

Hi! My name is Tori and I’m ecstatic to call myself a UConn psychiatry resident. I grew up in the smallest town in Connecticut called Union where I spent a lot of time in the woods, hanging out with my dogs, and playing little league baseball. I went on to attend UConn for undergrad (go Huskies!) where I dual majored in psychology and molecular and cell biology.

Before medical school, I was a case manager at a detox center in Boston, where I helped connect patients with resources and referrals to aftercare programs for continued treatment. I then worked as a mental health technician at an inpatient psychiatric facility in Massachusetts, where I spent a lot of time with patients suffering from various psychiatric illnesses. I enjoyed spending time with them and helping them get through their hospitalization with emotional support and laughter. Working closely with these patients made me realize my passion for mental health and inspired me to become a psychiatrist.

During medical school at NYITCOM on Long Island, I volunteered for a crisis text line and the Alzheimer’s Association, where I facilitated support groups for caregivers of people with dementia. I was also involved with my school’s psychiatry interest group and the Medical Student Pride Alliance.

When my husband and I successfully couples-matched at UConn I was so happy to find out I would be going back home! I was drawn to the warm and welcoming vibes of the faculty and residents at UConn in addition to the strong clinical training and research opportunities. When I’m not at the hospital, I like to go to breweries, try out West Hartford’s numerous top-rated restaurants, and spend time with my two cats. I also like to hang out with my husband, who’s a family medicine resident, when we both have free time!

Komal Gulati - PGY2

Hi! My name is Komal, and I am so happy to be training with UConn Psychiatry! I was born in New Haven and grew up in lovely Norwalk, CT.

I went to UConn for undergrad, where I double majored in Cognitive Neuroscience and Human Rights. After graduating, I spent a year working for a neuroscience-based management consulting company in NYC, where I collaborated on practical applications of neuroscience and learned more about myself as a person outside of the academic setting. I then moved to Philly to attend medical school at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, where I also earned my Master’s in Urban Bioethics.

While in Philly, I became involved with NAMI Philadelphia as a volunteer and later as a member of the Board of Directors, where I collaborated in leading community mental health support groups, presented to advocate for mental health needs, and now continue to fundraise and organize an annual 5K for mental health in the city. One of my favorite things about psychiatry is the unique opportunity to not only be a patient advocate at the individual level, but also an advocate for policy changes for disadvantaged populations. I relish discovering the avenues for positive change once tuning into our community’s needs.

When applying to residency, I sought a program with a warm, laid-back, and collegiate environment, which is what I’ve felt since becoming a resident at UConn. My class became fast friends within the first couple of weeks of residency, always finding new things to do or places to eat, and I wouldn’t change a thing about us! In terms of the workplace, we get to work closely with our attendings, and have plenty of opportunities to pick up different therapeutic skills and approaches from each person that we work with. In addition to the work environment, it was important for me to be closer to home and closer to great pizza (and other food), both of which are true for me in Connecticut!

Ekaterina (Katia) Vlasova - PGY2

Hi! My name is Katia and I am a PGY2 in UConn's psychiatry program. I was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and came to the US with my parents at a young age. I grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and attended Bryn Mawr College for undergrad, where I studied molecular biology and contemplative traditions. Before attending medical school at Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia, I completed a Watson Fellowship which allowed me to carry out a year-long, self-designed project of studying the mind-body connection in contemplative communities around the world. My fieldwork took me to India, Germany, Thailand, Japan, and Peru. I also completed a year-long healthcare design and innovation fellowship in Washington DC which shaped my interest in design thinking.

My interest in psychiatry grew out of exploration of the mind-body connection, especially in studying mindfulness and how intentional contemplative practices can have physiological impacts, even on the epigenetic level.

When looking at residency programs, I wanted to find a program that had a strong sense of community among the residents, a good work-life balance, and a solid foundation of psychiatric training. I was also interested in having opportunities to learn more about psychodynamic psychotherapy. I found all of the above and more at UConn and I am glad that my path brought me to train here. I've enjoyed working with, and learning from the faculty members, and have felt a great culture of camaraderie and mentorship between resident classes.

Alexander Luo - PGY2

Hi! I'm Alexander, and I'm very excited to be here at UConn for Psychiatry. I grew up in central Jersey but moved down south to attend undergrad at Vanderbilt. My major was Medicine, Health, and Society, which is an integrated science-medicine-sociology major that allowed to me fulfill my pre-med requirements while also taking unique courses on topics such as Women's Health in Literature and Autism Spectrum. I was also very fortunate to have the opportunity to join and eventually help lead medical mission trips abroad in Honduras and Nicaragua with some of my classmates during my Spring Breaks. I attended medical school back in New Jersey at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson where I had the pleasure of serving within my home community through our student-run clinic. I did not decide on Psychiatry until I found myself enjoying my third-year rotation, but, looking back, it's obvious to me now that many of my interests and activities had been leading me towards Psychiatry for years.

My experience here at UConn has been very positive so far. Some highlights for me have been knowledgeable yet approachable attendings who enjoy teaching and supportive co-residents and staff. Overall, I feel a strong sense of teamwork within the department, and I enjoy seeing the people I work with every day. I also think UConn does a great job balancing autonomy vs supervision, providing opportunities to hone our clinical skills while maintaining a supportive environment where questions are treated as learning opportunities rather than failures.

Outside of medicine, my hobbies include skiing, mountain biking, tennis, and food. We are located only two hours from some great Vermont destinations, and I am always looking for new ski and bike buddies! Also, my fiancé and I are raising an adorable golden retriever pup!

Christy Anderson - PGY3

Greetings, fellow humans! Like a guarded patient, I might initially tell you I am Christy Anderson “from California.” Further clarification may elicit that I was born near the Appalachians, moved abroad, and witnessed the deleterious effects of “othering” those with psychiatric illnesses, learning disabilities, and members of racial, gender and sexual minorities. While completing my Molecular Environmental Biology major and Creative Writing minor at UC Berkeley, my curiosity about the needs of local youth led me to advocate for their education, environmental justice, and voting rights. I also started my career of dissemination of poetry, short stories, and biomedical science writing and research, and personally observed how different racial and sex biases influence the chance of publication by using pseudonyms.

I pursued medicine as a means for promoting health of the individual lived experience. Psychiatry elucidated how attentive listening permits examining a story from many angles, segueing the “why” of a person’s malcontent into a “how” we can make it better. Outside of residency, I have continued to decompress by baking and by engaging in online inclusive writing communities.

At UConn Psychiatry residency, I’ve met passionate and intelligent colleagues, role model faculty and memorable patients, and have collaborated on care with down-to-earth administrators and staff. As a physician, I aim to continue blending inquiries about the patient’s story and advocacy into thoughtful care. I anticipate combining both lived and clinical experience into serving gender and sexual minorities of color as a child/adolescent psychiatrist.

Luis Velez Figueroa - PGY3

Hello! My name is Luis, and I am super excited to have matched at the UConn psychiatry residency! I was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and grew up in El Paso and San Antonio, Texas. During my senior year of high school, my family moved back to PR. I stayed in PR for undergrad on a tennis scholarship and went on to medical school in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, at Universidad Central del Caribe. Initially, my interest was cardiology, where I led a number of research studies, including the implementation of a pharmacogenetic-driven algorithm to guide dual anti-platelet therapy in Caribbean Hispanic patients. However, after nine years on the island, pivotal experiences such as Hurricane Maria, the earthquakes in 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic changed that focus. These instances propelled me to be an active helper in organizing excursions to affected areas through a student-run medical relief group called "Medicina Urbana." It was through this work that I was exposed to a behavioral health unit from a neighboring medical school that piqued my interest in psychiatry. From then on, I knew psychiatry was the field for me, and my clinical rotations further solidified that feeling.

To match at UConn was an absolute dream come true. The residents and faculty have always been approachable, even from day one, always ready to assist someone in need. It is the friendly and intellectually stimulating atmosphere, added to the innumerable opportunities of taking part in collaborative projects, that keeps me motivated toward developing in my career. UConn has also allowed me to start initiatives with underserved populations in Hartford while allowing me to pursue research in psycho-oncology under our own supportive care clinic.  I’ve also had the space to present my work at several conferences since intern year with UConn staff always being accommodating and supportive of pursuing research. Although my family presently resides in Seattle, this supportive and warm environment at UConn make it feel like a second home.”

Sarah Stinson - PGY3

Hello! My name is Sarah Stinson, and I am a PGY3 in UConn’s psychiatry program. I originally grew up in Santa Rosa, California. I then moved to attend UC Berkeley for college, where I studied psychology and creative writing, pursuing an interest in the mind and the human condition. I was dedicated to work helping peers with mental health on campus including serving as a coordinator of Student-to-Student Peer Counseling, and facilitating courses for undergraduate students on body image.

An interest in addiction research led me to work as a research coordinator for several years in the Stanford Prevention Research Center, contributing to two clinical research trials focused on smoking cessation interventions in the San Francisco Bay Area and rural Alaska. I remain interested in contributing to research during residency, including emerging areas in psychiatry research. California Northstate University College of Medicine was where I attended medical school near family, which propelled my interest in psychiatry forward, and connected me to the next step of my journey at UConn.

The University of Connecticut’s program has been a positive experience thus far, providing strong clinical training working with diverse patients, within a supportive culture that offers truly both autonomy and helpful supervision. There is also wonderful mentorship for scholarly projects and a warm and friendly group of residents and faculty in the program. Connecticut itself offers whatever one might seek, including experiences in nature, the arts, large cities, local places to play trivia with other residents, and seasons.

Nadav Hart - PGY4

Hi there, I’m a PGY4 psychiatry resident at UConn. My career path has been a bit non-traditional. During college, I majored in classical music and linguistics, and then worked as an opera singer for a few years. Later, I became interested in neuroscience and mental health, so I worked at an Alzheimer’s research lab at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and studied medicine at the University of Southern California. I moved to Connecticut for residency and am very happy about it!

Psychiatry drew me in with its challenge of integrating physical and biological phenomena with the world of psychological and social processes. During residency, you get opportunities to work with different patient populations and clinical challenges while developing a diverse skill set and professional interests. I realized pretty quickly that I wanted psychotherapy skills to match my psychopharmacology knowledge, and our psychotherapy track allowed me to train in a variety of modalities through mentorship with psychiatrists, social workers, and psychologists from different theoretical backgrounds.

I think UConn’s program provides a warm environment to grow while training with faculty who bring different styles and perspectives to their practice. We work hard and develop autonomy quickly in the first couple of years, and there are strong efforts at supporting residents’ mental health as well.

Central Connecticut has a lot to offer outside of work too. My partner and I have enjoyed the clean air and natural sights in the area, frequented events at Hartford, and sometimes drive out to NYC or Boston for special occasions. There are a bunch of good restaurants close by too. I look forward to telling you more if we cross paths.

Shae Rowlandson - PGY4

Hey! My name is Shae, and I am ecstatic to have couples-matched with the UConn Psychiatry team!

I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I grew up hopping between family homes in Milwaukee and Lake George, New York. After finishing undergrad and conducting wet-bench diabetes mellitus research at the University of Vermont (UVM), I was initially planning on getting my Ph.D. in Biochemistry or Molecular Biology, but I decided to take a detour instead after further considering medicine and public health, and I pursued a Master of Health Science at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Though I was not aware of it at the time, I am pretty sure this was my first step towards becoming a psychiatrist. I not only quickly reoriented myself to wanting to pursue medicine, but I also found the most meaningful moments I had with patients and homeless individuals were focused on mental health and trauma and how those impacted their physical health, relationships, and behavior. I loved these interactions so much that I became a behavioral interventionist for male adolescents at Vermont's Howard Center after graduation and I continued working through my preclinical years at UVM's Larner College of Medicine. I also participated in clinical nicotine research leading up to medical school, provided medical education to tenants at a juvenile rehabilitation facility, and ran monthly events for the homeless that provided home-cooked food, access to social services, and essentials throughout medical school. Despite being interested in medicine and surgery and continuing to conduct research in diabetes and orthopedics through medical school, I could not stop coming back to psychiatry, and I could not be happier about making this choice! Overall, I hope to pursue a career in emergency/consult and inpatient services with a focus on psychotic and personality disorders, and I hope I will one day be able to offer more outreach and support to underserved communities and homeless populations.

UConn has offered me everything I could have wanted in a program. The team is collaborative and fun, our superiors have been incredibly supportive and receptive to our needs, I have been continuously exposed to inpatient and emergency/consult practice, and I feel like I have become part of a new family by training here. The work environment so far has been very intellectually stimulating, not only because of the unique cases we have worked with and the mentoring that we have provided to students, but also because of the colleagues I am working and conversing with. It is hard for me to imagine working with anyone else during my residency! There are also a number of impactful research projects available at UConn and I think the options are phenomenal. Also, for my partner and I who couples-matched, the location has been amazing and has provided an excellent quality of life for us. The food and entertainment have been fantastic since moving here, and it has been wonderfully surprising to be surrounded by forest, wildlife, and so many people and stores at the same time. It feels like I'm still getting a daily, healthy dose of New England nature after living in Vermont and Upstate New York for most of my life - and we can also always take a quick drive back to our home states! My partner also works as a family medicine resident at Middlesex Health and she loves it! We are really looking forward to our future here!