Current Fellows
Class of 2027
Lydia Bedford
Lydia completed a Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts at Bard College and a Bachelor of Science in biology at the University of Maryland. They attended medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University, where they also completed their psychiatry residency. They served as Junior Chief Resident and Chief Resident in their PGY-3 and PGY-4 years, respectively, and co-chaired their residency program's Education Subcommittee. They chose Public Psychiatry as a field because they find fulfillment in working with people who are part of underserved communities and face significant stigma due to their health conditions, such as having a serious mental illness. Their passion for working with underserved communities and fighting stigma is rooted in their experiences as a medical assistant at Planned Parenthood of Maryland, where they worked for six years before medical school. Their current areas of interest include serious mental illness and medical education. Lydia grew up in Maryland and now lives in East Harlem. In their spare time, they enjoy various forms of art, including making glass beads and fiber arts.
Wonyun Lee
Wonyun is a Public Psychiatry Fellow of Columbia University, currently working at Fountain House/Ryan Health Clinic. She is the Resident-Fellow Member Representative at the New York State Psychiatric Association. She completed her M.D. at Eulji Medical University in South Korea, and earned a Master's in Medical Anthropology from Harvard University. She completed her psychiatry residency at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. She was awarded the APA Resident Recognition Award and the APA Public Psychiatry Fellowship during her residency. Outside of her clinical work, Dr. Lee is a published author from South Korea. In the US, she continues to write in collaboration with people with lived experience of mental illness, bringing their voices into the mental health dialogue. Through her writing, she hopes to reduce stigma, influence systems of care, and help shift psychiatric narratives from pathology alone toward recovery, agency, and empowerment.
Ali Awan
Ali graduated from Sheikh Zayed Medical College and completed two years of psychiatry training before completing his training at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. He is currently a Public Psychiatry Fellow at Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute and working in addiction/ outpatient psychiatry at Maimonides. His interest in addiction psychiatry started with clinical work in Pakistan and has evolved into trauma-informed, recovery-oriented care and improving access to treatment. Dr. Awan enjoys teaching, research, and developing practical approaches to improve psychiatric care. He currently serves as an Editorial Fellow with Academic Psychiatry and is leading grant-funded projects in patient safety, psychiatric education, and innovative treatment approaches. His clinical training also includes cognitive behavioral therapy and TRUST-based approaches to agitation management and de-escalation. He has a particular interest in culturally and faith-informed psychiatry and in developing mental health services that better reflect the communities they serve. Outside of psychiatry, he enjoys running, soccer, following financial markets, and spending time with his family in Brooklyn.
Sally He
Dr. Sally He has always been drawn to the space where mind, community, and systems meet. She studied Biology and Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, earned her MPH at Yale, and completed medical school at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, NY. During psychiatry residency at George Washington University in Washington, DC, she received the APA/SAMHSA fellowship to assess mental health needs at a Chinese-American community primary care clinic.
Board-certified in Adult and Addiction Psychiatry, with a specialized certificate in Trauma and Recovery, Dr. He is now a Public Psychiatry Fellow at Columbia University. She appreciates the opportunity to work in a policy role at the NY Office of Mental Health — where she is striving to learn how to best bridge clinical care and system-level change.
Kevin Qosja
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up with his close-knit extended family on Staten Island, Kevin developed an early appreciation for the relationships, communities, and systems that shape peoples’ lives. He studied Biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, before attending Stony Brook University School of Medicine. Following graduation, Kevin completed his psychiatry residency at Staten Island University Hospital, being Chief Resident for two years and receiving awards including the Clinical Excellence Award from his program and the Resident Excellence Award twice from the New York County Psychiatric Society. He is inspired by the opportunity to truly relate with people and create a more peaceful and meaningful community. Advocacy is an important part of his work, including participation in the legislative initiatives with the American Psychiatric Association, American Association for Community Psychiatry, and the New York County Psychiatric Society. Outside of medicine, he enjoys reading, watching and discussing films, while trying new hobbies, including guitar, gardening, and experimenting with cooking. He is currently enrolled in the Public Psychiatry Fellowship at Columbia University, while working as an ACT Team Attending Psychiatrist for South Beach Hospital in Brooklyn while continuing work as a per diem Attending at Staten Island University Hospital.
Molly Wootten
Molly completed her undergraduate degree at Carleton College in Chemistry with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. She studied Medicine at Des Moines University and completed a Master of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas Psychiatry Residency, where she served as chief resident in her fourth year.
Molly's path to public psychiatry is rooted in a lifelong commitment to community and social justice, from volunteering at her local food shelf beginning at age 9 to earning a community service award during medical school. Her work with a homeless outreach organization while in medical school deepened her dedication to health equity and sparked her passion for community psychiatry. She finds her greatest purpose in partnering with patients living with serious mental illness, co-occurring substance use disorders, and homelessness, supporting them as they build meaning and purpose in their lives.
She has lived in Minnesota, Iowa, Arkansas, and now New York. She and her husband enjoy exploring the various art museums and coffee shops of Manhattan, and spending quiet evenings with a good book and her 17 pound cat, Echo.
Angela Liu
Angela completed her adult psychiatry residency training at Northwell Health - Zucker Hillside Hospital (ZHH), where she served as Chief Resident of Medical Education. She earned her BA in Biological Sciences with a specialization in Neuroscience from the University of Chicago, followed by her medical degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Before medical school, she completed an NIH Research Training Award Fellowship and served as an AmeriCorps Smoking Cessation Counselor.
During residency, she co-founded the ZHH Community Psychiatry Interest Group and developed a social determinants of health curriculum for the psychiatry residents. She completed the Harvard Macy Program for Post-Graduate Trainees: Future Academic Clinician-Educators, and received the ZHH Bruce R. Levy Psychiatric Educator Award and ZHH Outstanding Graduating Resident Award. Nationally, she was the Chair of the APA Public Psychiatry Fellowship, developed an advocacy workshop series for all APA Foundation Fellows, and served on the APA Board of Trustees as a non-voting member. She serves as the AACP Director of Communications for the American Association for Community Psychiatry (AACP), launching The Community Psychiatry Podcast, which now has over 11,000 total plays and nearly 1,000 followers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music. She has a particular interest in social justice, advocacy, and increasing access to care for marginalized communities caught at the intersection of mental illness, addiction, and homelessness. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, aerial arts, and trying new restaurants in NYC.
Philipa Owusu- Antwi
Phee earned a B.S. in Health Sciences from James Madison University and her M.D. from St. George’s University School of Medicine. She completed her psychiatry residency at Richmond University Medical Center, affiliated with SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, and Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at Staten Island University Hospital.
Dr. Owusu-Antwi pursued public psychiatry to help bridge gaps in care for marginalized communities, amplify underserved voices, and advance culturally responsive, recovery-oriented patient-centered care. Her interests and research focus on substance use disorders, serious mental illness, global and faith-based mental health, and community engagement in the context of health equity. She is passionate about collaborating with communities, peers, and organizations to create meaningful change locally and globally. Her work has been recognized through several honors, including the APA SAMHSA Fellowship, APA Community Diversity Fellowship, AWP Alexander Symonds Award, NIH/NIDA CTN Mentor-Facilitated Training Award, ACAAM REACH Scholarship, AAAP Sheldon Miller Early Career Psychiatrist Award, Northwell SIUH Academic Excellence Award, and Recognition for her service to the APA. Dr. Owusu grew up in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area. Outside of medicine and advocacy, she enjoys dancing, reading and experiencing new cultures.