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.

Ms. Angela Smith is the Coordinator of the Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Services, the Program Coordinator for the Fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry and the coordinator for the third year clerkship in Psychiatry. Ms. Smith received her Master of Science degree in 1989 from the School of Allied Health Professions, SUNY at Stony Brook. She joined the Department of Psychiatry that year, starting her career as a research assistant studying the genetics of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Over time, Ms. Smith assumed increasing administrative responsibility in the Department of Psychiatry. In 2004, she obtained a New York State Advanced Certificate in Healthcare Policy and Management from the SUNY Stony Brook School of Health Technology and Management. Her administrative roles have varied ranging from Instructional Support Specialist to her present responsibilities in which she works closely with the division director and faculty in coordinating the active clinical, administrative and training activities in the division.

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. Geoffrey Russell, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University and a member of the Division of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. He is actively involved in medical student education and currently serves as the assistant clerkship director for psychiatry. He also serves as the faculty advisor for the psychiatry residency program journal club, coordinating the annual schedule and working with residents to select and review articles for presentation. Dr. Russell completed his psychiatry residency training at Stony Brook University Hospital, where he served as chief resident for two years. He earned his medical degree from the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, where he was a Psychiatry Scholars Program awardee. He completed his undergraduate education at The City College of New York, graduating summa cum laude with a B.S. in molecular biology. 

During residency, Dr. Russell received departmental awards recognizing clinical care and scholarship, including the Academic Achievement Award and the Excellence in Care Award. He has published peer-reviewed journal articles and presented his work at local and national meetings. His clinical interests include catatonia, complex neuropsychiatric presentations in the general hospital, and challenging diagnostic presentations in medically complex patients. He is dedicated to teaching trainees at the bedside on rounds and integrates detailed psychopharmacology with supportive, patient-centered care.

Dr. Hardt is a Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. She serves as the full-time psychologist on the Consultation-Liaison Psychology team, which also includes a part-time pediatric psychologist, certified nurse specialist, and psychology post-doctoral fellows, interns, and externs. Dr. Hardt earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology with a Health Emphasis at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. She completed her residency in behavioral medicine at Yale School of Medicine. She has extensive clinical experience working on interdisciplinary teams within palliative medicine, chronic pain, oncology, cardiovascular medicine, and solid organ transplant. She completed a two-year, T32 postdoctoral fellowship in Weill Cornell Medicine’s Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Hardt’s research focuses on understanding and addressing the psychological needs of patients and caregivers affected by life-limiting illnesses, particularly in the context of stress and loss. Her work involves examining stress-related psychological mechanisms and adapting, evaluating, and enhancing the implementation of scalable and sustainable transdiagnostic interventions.

Anne Molloy is a Psychiatry Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Stony Brook Medicine. She graduated with the highest distinction from Boston College’s Master of Science in Nursing Program in 2010. She also completed a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in 2021. Anne has over 14 years of experience caring for patients in traditional medical and unique community settings. She began her clinical career at Nashua Street Jail in Boston, providing primary care for incarcerated patients. Anne then moved to Chicago, serving as the lead Advanced Practice Nurse for the inpatient addiction/dual diagnosis consultation team at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. In her spare time, she also worked for The Night Ministry, where she helped design a dual diagnosis outreach program for homeless patients, managed patients in emergency shelters, and worked with a mobile outreach team to provide free medical care on the street. Anne received the Nurse’s Choice Award for exceptional APRNs in 2020 from the Advocate Lutheran General Hospital system. Upon returning to the East Coast, Anne is now a member of the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (C-L) Division and Hospital Medicine Proactive C-L initiative at Stony Brook, developing her focus on managing substance use disorder and dual diagnosis patients in general medical settings.

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.

Mrs. Pamela Corcella is the social worker for the Psychiatric Consultation-Liaison Service. She completed her undergraduate education at Stony Brook University, with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology. She went on to receive her Master of Social Work Degree from Stony Brook University's School of Social Welfare. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the State of New York. Mrs. Corcella joined the Care Management Department at Stony Brook Medicine in 2017, where she gained experience as a medical social worker. She went on to serve as a psychiatric social worker within the department, and joined the Psychiatric Consultation-Liaison Service in January 2018. In this role, Mrs. Corcella utilizes knowledge of community mental health resources and services, to provide psychosocial assessment and comprehensive intervention for patients on service. Mrs. Corcella is proud to work among a community of professionals committed to exceptional patient care at Stony Brook Medicine.

Cara Harth is a neurologist with a strong interest in hospital-based neurology. She frequently sees patients in a coma from a variety of causes, including coma after cardiac arrest. She has co-authored Stony Brook’s hospital policy on the determination of Brain Death. Her other major focus of expertise is medical education of both medical students and residents.

Dr. Grace La Torre is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Stony Brook Medicine and is the Director of the Palliative Care Program. She joined Stony Brook Medicine in 2017 and since has actively been involved in expanding the Palliative Care inpatient Consult Service as well as the Palliative Medicine Education Program across the Stony Brook University and the school of Medicine. She is also the Program Director of Stony Brook Medicine’s newly developed Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program. Dr. La Torre received her Medical degree and Master in Science degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine/NYIT in 2011 She then completed her Internal Medicine Residency and her Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Hofstra North Shore-Long Island Jewish School of Medicine. Dr. LaTorre is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Her research interests are related to palliative care education across all specialties by using innovating approaches including the SIM lab, quality measures of palliative care for cancer patients, and approaches to barriers for appropriate end of life/palliative care for the vulnerable patient populations.