Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship Faculty and Staff

Brian Bronson serves as the Chief of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, the Director of the Fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine, and the Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry at Stony Brook Medicine. His overarching interest is the interface of psychiatry and other medical disciplines, building innovative educational programs and new clinical initiatives to improve access and quality of care.

Dr. Bronson completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University, followed by his medical degree and residency training in psychiatry at New York University. He subsequently completed an integrated fellowship in Public Psychiatry at Columbia University and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry/Primary Care Tract at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Dr. Bronson is Board Certified in Psychiatry and in Psychosomatic Medicine.

Prior to joining Stony Brook, Dr. Bronson served as the Director for Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Primary Care – Mental Health Integration at the New York VA Medical Center, an active teaching affiliate of the NYU School of Medicine. While there, he obtained VA educational funding to expand the NYU fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine to include training at the VA. He subsequently served as the program director of that fellowship, overseeing its three arms at the VA, NYU Langone, and Bellevue Hospitals. Dr. Bronson was also awarded a VA clinical grant to integrate mental health services across eight VA primary care centers in New York and New Jersey. In 2013, Dr. Bronson was recruited to Stony Brook University to lead the Consultation and Liaison services. Since arrival, he has grown the program to include nine faculty members, established new sub-specialty new programs in Hospital Medicine Integrated Care and in Psychiatric-Oncology, and established a new ACGME accredited Fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine.

In 2016, Dr. Bronson assumed the additional role of Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, expanding his responsibilities to include department clinical strategic planning and oversight.

Dr. Elsa G. E. Mirasol is the current Chief of Psychiatry of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center – Northport Mental Health Clinic and also serves as the Psychiatrist for the Primary Care - Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) Service. She completed her medical education at the Cebu Institute of Medicine in the Philippines and was a Post-Doctoral Associate at the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior at The Rockefeller University before her residency training. Dr. Mirasol completed her residency in General Psychiatry at the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in NY and a Fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine at the New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Mirasol Is Board Certified in both Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine.

Dr. Mason Chacko is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Stony Brook Medicine. He is board certified in Family Medicine. Dr. Chacko joined the Division of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry in 2020. He completed his undergraduate education at Hofstra University and then went on to attend St. Matthews University School of Medicine. Dr. Chacko completed his Family Medicine residency at South Shore University Hospital at Northwell Health, where he has received awards for outstanding intern of the year and served as Chief Resident. He then went on to work as a Hospitalist with Northwell Health, St. Francis Heart Hospital where he currently remains as per diem medical staff. After several years as a medicine attending, Dr. Chacko returned to training at Stony Brook University Hospital where he completed a second residency in Psychiatry, and also served as Chief Resident. Dr. Chacko leads one of the Consultation-Liaison psychiatry teaching teams, where he brings particular expertise to working with medically complex cases. In addition to his busy clinical and teaching roles, Dr. Chacko has interest in research and is a member of the Stony Brook Center for Understanding of Neurobiology of the Suicidal Mind. He has published in the area of suicide and has been interviewed by NPR and US News for his case report regarding COVID-19 induced psychosis and suicidal behavior.

Dr. Christopher Burke graduated from the Stony Brook Psychiatry residency program in 2002, where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Burke then completed a Fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital of Harvard Medical School. On graduation, he was recruited to the Chief of Consultation Psychiatry role at Stony Brook University Hospital, which he held from 2003 to 2008. He subsequently served as the Director of the Consultation Psychiatry service at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center through 2019 and as Director of the C-L Fellowship from 2012 until 2018. In 2018, Dr. Burke also assumed the leadership role of Director of the Consultation Psychiatry service at Long Island Jewish Medical Center at New Hyde Park, Forest Hills, and Valley Stream Hospitals. Dr. Burke has won numerous teaching awards, including Teacher of the Year, on four occasions. He also won the President's Award for Innovation for Northwell Health in 2016 by creating a Medical/Psychiatry unit. Dr. Burke is Board Certified in Psychiatry and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. He has published manuscripts and presented at national meetings on Catatonia and innovation in medical/psychiatry units in the general hospital.

Dr. Ilana Yel is the Director for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Consultation Service for the Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. She also leads one of Stony Brook’s Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry teaching teams, where she supervises medical students, residents and fellows from psychiatry and other departments. Upon graduating from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2003, Dr. Yel joined Stony Brook as a resident in Psychiatry, and she was subsequently chosen as Chief Resident. Dr. Yel continued on to complete a Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry also at Stony Brook. Upon completion of fellowship, Dr. Yel served as a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, NY, where she combined work in a busy outpatient child psychiatry practice, with psychiatric consultations on the medical floors, and teaching of psychiatry to pediatrics and family medicine residents. Dr. Yel returned to Stony Brook in 2013 to join the division of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Her interests include treatment of ADHD, anxiety and depressive disorders, and working collaboratively with various disciplines. Dr. Yel is Board Certified in both Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Cervoni is a Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. She serves as the Director of the Consultation and Liaison Psychology team, which includes a part time pediatric psychologist and psychology post-doctoral fellows, interns, and externs. She completed her PhD in in Clinical Psychology (with a Health Emphasis) at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University and her doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship with the Stony Brook University KPC-MBCRC Consortium Program. She has extensive clinical training in behavioral medicine, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and mindfulness-based treatments. Her research interests focus on chronic and acute illness and psychological health, including obesity and bariatric surgery. In addition to her CL role, Dr. Cervoni provides individual and group outpatient psychotherapy through the Mind Body Clinical Research Center and works with the Faculty and Staff Care Team providing acute supportive services to employees throughout SBUH.

Phillip Bugbee is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Stony Brook University Hospital. Phillip completed his undergraduate education at the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in Psychology. He recently graduated from the PA program at Stony Brook University in the summer of 2022. He is excited to begin his career as a Physician Assistant on the Consultation-Liaison Service. Phillip enjoys the complexity and variety that comes with providing Psychiatric care in medically ill patients. He hopes to inspire PA students to pursue work in the field of Psychiatry.