Psychiatry Residents Diversity Alliance

Members of the Psychiatry Residents Diversity Alliance (PRDA)

Note: All residents may participate in the Psychiatry Residents Diversity Alliance (PRDA). We are committed to the well-being and success of all community members. Columbia complies with all applicable civil rights laws and does not engage in unlawful preferences or discrimination.

Who we are

We are a collective of psychiatry residents from diverse backgrounds at Columbia University Medical Center. Our definition of diversity includes ethnicity, race, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, historical tradition, age, religion, socioeconomic background, and more. Our group serves as a community to promote and support one another as leaders in mental health. Through both individual and collaborative work, our members strengthen care for patients through initiatives that focus specifically on minority, marginalized, and underrepresented groups. This work ranges from scholarship and research in race and equity education, to community outreach and prison mental health care reform, to the implementation of equitable psychiatric care. In order to best support and advocate for our residents, PRDA also works directly with the department on programming for both the residency and the department as a whole.   

Highlighted Programs/Events

  1. PRDA Open House: An event where applicants have the chance to hear about the Columbia Residency program from current PRDA members.
  2. PRDA Resident Social Events: Programming held throughout the academic year to foster resident community.
  3. The Dr. June Jackson Christmas (JJC) Medical Student First-Year Program: Founded by PRDA's founder, Dr. Patrice Malone, this program exposes first-year medical students to psychiatry at Columbia. For more information and to apply, please visit: Dr. June Jackson Christmas Medical Student Program.
  4. The Dr. June Jackson Christmas (JJC) Fourth-Year Medical Student Selective: Started by Dr. Nicole Pacheco, former Co-Chair of PRDA and now a faculty attending in the department, as an extension of the original JJC program. It provides fourth-year medical students interested in psychiatry with a funded clinical experience at Columbia. For more information and to apply, please visit: Dr. June Jackson Christmas Medical Student Fourth-Year Elective.
  5. The Dr. June Jackson Christmas (JJC) College Enrichment Program: Started by Dr. Tofunmi Oshodi as an extension of the JJC programs, this program provides college students with shadowing opportunities with both trainee and attending psychiatrists, didactic courses, and MCAT preparation, with the overarching goal of exposing students to the breadth of what a career in psychiatry has to offer. For more information, please visit: Dr. June Jackson Christmas College Enrichment Program.

How to contact us 

All inquiries can be sent to any of the following members:

  1. Adhana Asfaw (adhana.asfaw@nyspi.columbia.edu),
  2. Marissa Pharel-Melendez (marissa.pharelmelendez@nyspi.columbia.edu),
  3. Tony Liu (tony.liu@nyspi.columbia.edu),
  4. Kimberly Sanchez (kimberly.sanchez@nyspi.columbia.edu),
  5. Temitope Akinade (temitope.akinade@nyspi.columbia.edu),
  6. Ashhad Qureshi (ashhad.qureshi@nyspi.columbia.edu).
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