About

Dr. Philip Bonanno was born, raised, educated, and trained on the East Coast in the Tri-State area. He began his intellectual journey as a student of psychology, initially aspiring toward a career as a clinical psychologist, only to discover his fascination in the neurosciences as he aimed to better understand the substrates of the human experience. After obtaining his graduate degree in psychology from Bucknell University, he pursued his medical education at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. During his residency training in psychiatry at Mount Sinai Morningside and West hospitals in New York City, Dr. Bonanno devoted time to research, aiding in the investigation of novel treatments for treatment resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including ketamine with and without psychotherapy. He served as a study therapist, delivering written exposure therapy to patients with moderate to severe PTSD to investigate if the therapeutic benefits of ketamine can be temporally extended.

Beyond this, he developed a focused knowledge in the use of psychedelics as treatment agents in psychiatry and has co-authored peer-reviewed manuscripts on the topic. Dr. Bonanno has developed broad interests within psychiatry, leading him to pursue additional subspecialty training in consultation-liaison psychiatry at Stanford University, where with the guidance of his esteemed mentors, he hopes to develop the knowledge and skillset needed to offer solutions to the most medically and psychiatrically complex cases. Looking toward the future, Dr. Bonanno plans to continue working in an academic hospital setting to develop further expertise caring for a diverse array of patients while honoring his mentors and teachers through contributing to the education and training of psychiatry trainees.

Dr. Okwuonu completed his general psychiatry residency at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Queens, New York, serving as Chief Resident in his final year. He received his medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in 2018. Before medical school, Dr. Okwuonu completed his undergraduate degree in Pharmaceutical & Biological Chemistry from York University in Toronto, Ontario. During his clinical training, he completed a global health elective in Uganda, focusing on the intersectionality between global mental health and social determinants. 

His clinical and research interests include transplant psychiatry, critical care psychiatry, psycho-oncology, medical education, and mentorship, specifically increasing diversity within psychosomatic psychiatry. Dr. Okwuonu is also an avid supporter of the Arsenal football club and a squash enthusiast.

Dr. Derek Pipolo, originally from Los Angeles, California, relocated to Argentina during his early adolescence, earning his medical degree from the National University of Rosario – College of Medical Sciences. During medical school, he discovered his passion for neuroscience, serving as a dissector and researcher for the Department of Normal Anatomy. Following medical school, Dr. Pipolo embraced diverse roles, beginning as an emergency department physician, before venturing into neurosurgery as a resident at the University of Buenos Aires. His commitment extended beyond clinical practice to educational leadership through his role as a member of the Sub-committee of Residents of the Argentine Association of Neurosurgery, leading several educational initiatives for neurosurgical trainees.

The widespread impact of mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic motivated Dr. Pipolo to return to the United States, inspiring a career shift towards Psychiatry. Currently a Research Assistant in the Division of Medical Psychiatry, he manages the Medical Psychiatry Research Laboratory and actively contributes to clinical trials focusing on delirium, exploring complementary methods and clinical screening tools utilized for the early detection of this condition. Dr. Pipolo's future aspirations include applying for a psychiatry residency, with a specific interest in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.