2023
Thank you so much to Queens College for celebrating Veterans Day with wonderful speakers including assembly member Daniel Rosenthal and council member James Gennero on November 8th. It was a pleasure being apart of a lunch that focused on giving back to veterans.
On September 19th, Research Assistants, Olivia Baryluk and Stephanie Jovel attended the James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center- Make the Connection Veterans Resource Fair. It was a pleasure speaking with community members, veterans, and their families about the free mental health services that we provide.
On September 9th, Research Assistant, Olivia Baryluk, attended the Third Avenue Street Fair and spoke to interested attendees about our research and treatment opportunities for individuals with PTSD.
On Saturday, June 24th, the NewYork Presbyterian Military Family Wellness Center attended the NYC Deptartment of Veterans' Services Military Transition Summit at Citi Field, at which we were able to share information regarding the free mental health services we offer for veterans, military personnel, and family members.
2020
On Friday, January 17th, the New York Presbyterian Military Family Wellness Center and the Intrepid Museum co-hosted an event entitled “Your Brain on the Military”. Matt Ryba, Director of Community Outreach and Education at the Military Family Wellness Center, spoke alongside Bruce Shapiro, the Executive Director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, on the topic of wartime journalism.
2019
On Friday, November 15th, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum hosted a Veteran’s Job and Resource Fair. Research Assistants spoke to interested attendees about our treatment opportunities through the NYP Military Family Wellness Center.
To hear more about the event, check out this video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdWRNFDGjvg
Dr. JoAnn Difede, Director of the Program for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Studies and the Virtual Reality Lab, co-chaired the Immersive Media in Medicine Symposium on October 24th and 25th with Dr. Andrea Stevenson Won from Cornell University. The event was a cross-campus collaboration between Cornell University, Cornell Tech, and Weill Cornell Medical College. The symposium focused on research in immersive media (augmented and virtual reality) for use in medicine and healthcare education. Attendees had the opportunity to present recent work through presentations, panels, and a poster session, learn about funding opportunities, and initiate collaborations through workshops focused on applications of immersive media in education, psychiatry, and pain interventions.
On September 15, Research Assistant, Mariel Emrich, attended the Third Avenue Street Fair and spoke to interested attendees about our research and treatment opportunities for individuals with PTSD.
2018
On Friday, October 12th Drs. Melissa Peskin and Colleen Becket-Davenport, program psychologists, presented at the 2nd installment of "Your Brain on the Military: Understanding Psychological Changes After Military Service" aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
Dr. Peskin presented about evidence-based treatment for PTSD, such as prolonged exposure. Dr. Becket-Davenport and Matthew Ryba, MFWC Veteran Coordinator, presented on the transition from military to civilian.
In honor of the 17th Anniversary of World Trade Center attacks on 09/11, PATSS program director, Dr. JoAnn Difede presented at the VOICES of September 11th Resiliency Symposium. Dr. Difede presented on her pioneering research, the use of virtual reality therapy to treat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for survivors of 09/11.
On September 9th, Research Assistants, Annell Ovalles and Mariel Emrich attended the Third Avenue Street Fair and spoke to interested attendees about our research and treatment opportunities for individuals with PTSD.
On Friday, July 13th, Dr. Megan Olden presented at the veterans mental health consortium event titled "Challenges and Opportunities Treating Veterans and Military Families via Telemental Health" hosted by NYU Langone Health.
On Friday, June 8th, the New York Presbyterian Military Family Wellness Center and the Intrepid Museum co-hosted an event entitled “Your Brain on the Military”. Current and former military service members and their family and friends were in attendance.
From our program, Drs. Colleen Becket-Davenport and Andrew McAleavey discussed topics ranging from identity as a veteran to the myths and realities of veteran mental health. Following the talks, guests were invited to try out virtual reality equipment, which has been used as a potential treatment option for PTSD.
On Thursday, May 15th, Dr. Colleen Becket-Davenport, program psychologist of NewYork-Presbyterian Military Family Wellness Center and Matthew Ryba, Center’s Outreach and Education Coordinator, conducted a mental health training event titled "Busting Veteran Mental Health Myths” for the staff of the USS Intrepid Museum, ahead of Fleet Week and their upcoming 75th Anniversary.
On Monday, March 12, PATSS was happy to sponsor our friends at the NYC Veterans Alliance for their event "Community Response to the Opioid Crisis." The event focused on veterans and the opioid epidemic, and most importantly what veterans and community members can do to help reduce this epidemic.
On Friday, February 16, Dr. Colleen Becket-Davenport presented on Strength-Based Intake Assessments at The Veterans Mental Health Coalition of NYC training “Identify, Engage, & Connect” at the American Red Cross.
2017
On November 19, Dr. Ari Lowell and Dr. Colleen Becket-Davenport were featured on the panel "Treating Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families in the Private Sector: A Consortium of New York Hospitals" at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) 51st annual convention in San Diego.
On October 18th, Dr. JoAnn Difede, Director of NYP Weill Cornell Medicine MFWC, and Dr. Yuval Neria, Director of NYP Columbia University Medical Center MFWC hosted New York Presbyterian’s Military Family Wellness Center’s first-anniversary celebration. The Military Family Wellness Center focuses on integrating both traditional and innovative mental health treatments for veterans, active-duty service members, and their families.
On September 10th, Dr. Colleen Becket-Davenport and Research Assistants, Annell Ovalles and Adina Jick, attended the Third Avenue Street Fair and spoke to interested attendees about our research and treatment opportunities for individuals with PTSD.
On April 7, NewYork-Presbyterian Military Family Wellness Center joined the Sierra Club Military Outdoors for a weekend of camaraderie and team building in the breathtaking Adirondack Mountains. Click the link for more information about upcoming military outdoor events free for Veterans- http://content.sierraclub.org/outings/military
2016
On November 18, Dr. JoAnn Difede, Program Director, and Research Assistants Annell Ovalles and Adina Jick were pleased to honor our veterans at the country's largest tribute to our nation's veterans, America's Parade, which streams up Fifth Avenue with more than 20,000 participants.
On September 11th, Research Assistant, Annell Ovalles, attended the Third Avenue Street Fair and spoke to interested attendees about our research and treatment opportunities for individuals with PTSD.
On Tuesday, March 1st, and Wednesday, March 2nd, PATSS team members Drs. JoAnn Difede, Melissa Peskin, Judith Cukor, and Francis Lee, as well as Dr. Jo Anne Sirey, presented grand rounds on the diagnosis and treatment of PTSD to physicians and faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian Hospital.
2015
PATSS faculty Drs. Megan Olden, Judith Cukor, and Andrew McAleavey led a two-day training on exposure-based therapy for the treatment of PTSD, with a specific focus on military-based trauma. Hosted by the National Association of Social Workers, the two-day workshop trained 65 clinicians from across New York State about evidence-based treatment and exposure techniques for treating PTSD.
On October 20, Research Assistant, Annell Ovalles, and Dr. Andrew McAleavey attended the NYC Veterans Resource Expo at Brooklyn Borough Hall and spoke to interested attendees about our research and treatment opportunities for individuals with PTSD.
On October 1st, PATSS Founder and Program Director Dr. JoAnn Difede was recognized with a “Women in Technology” award at the Westchester County Association Women in Technology Award Luncheon for her pioneering work treating post-traumatic stress disorder survivors with virtual reality technology. For over a decade, Dr. Difede has worked to develop and advance virtual reality therapy to augment treatment for traumatized individuals. For more information on PATSS’ virtual reality and other treatments and research, visit our website http://goo.gl/iQXeMp
On September 13, Research Assistant, Annell Ovalles, attended the Third Avenue Street Fair and spoke to interested attendees about our research and treatment opportunities for individuals with PTSD.
On May 1, PATSS Program Director Dr. JoAnn Difede met with a group of student veterans from Pace University and provided a demonstration of the virtual reality equipment used in our DoD-funded clinical trial for combat-related PTSD. Many thanks to Pace University Student Veterans of America for visiting.
2014
On September 7, Research Assistant, Lucy Finkelstein-Fox attended the Third Avenue Street Fair and spoke to interested attendees about our research and treatment opportunities for individuals with PTSD.
On August 15, PATSS director Dr. JoAnn Difede and Dr. Judith Cukor met with a team of researchers from the South Korean Veterans Health Service Medical Center, based in Seoul, to discuss our program’s work to develop innovative treatments for PTSD.
2013
On November 13, in celebration of Veterans Week, PATSS staff and faculty shared healthy strategies for dealing with stress, as well as ways to seek help for yourself or a loved one. The event took place at CUNY Lehman College Music Building, and was free and open to all members of the community.
On October 26, PATSS attended Fort Hamilton’s Retiree Appreciation Day and Wellness Fair. PATSS' staff and faculty will be shared information about our services for veterans, and also featured mini massages, Reiki sessions, nutrition consultations, and more.
On May 27, Dr. JoAnn Difede, Dr. Judith Cukor, and Research Assistant Brittany Mello celebrated all active service members, veterans and their families at the New York Mets game at Citi Field.
2012
Event Flyer
In honor of Memorial Day, PATSS offered free, confidential consultations throughout the month of May with our expert psychologists for service members and their families.
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