Psychiatry Consultation Service

Our team members' biographies

Our psychiatrists

• Patricia I. Ibeziako, MD, is director of the Psychiatry Consultation Service and a staff psychiatrist at Children's. She completed her General Psychiatry Residency at Maimonides Medical Center in New York and her Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School; she is currently an Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Ibeziako supervises multiple quality improvement projects on the Psychiatry Consultation Service and is involved in research pertaining to psychosomatic disorders. She has specific expertise as the staff psychiatrist for the Pediatric Transplant Center and works with the multidisciplinary transplant team to provide mental health consultation and medication management for patients impacted by this illness. Dr. Ibeziako is also the co-director of Children's Hospital Global Partnerships for Psychiarty Observership and promotes global advocacy for child and adolescent mental health issues.
   
• David R. DeMaso, MD, is Children's psychiatrist-in-chief and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. A nationally renowned leader in the field, he has extensive expertise in working with children and adolescents with emotional and psychological stress related to chronic physical illness, as well as patients with psychosomatic disorders. Dr. DeMaso is the creator of the Experience Journal, a first-of-its-kind, internet-based collection of reflections on illness, recovery and coping from pediatric patients, families and health professionals. He is the recipient of the 2009 Catcher in the Rye Advocacy Award from the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for his outstanding efforts in mental health advocacy on behalf of children and adolescents.
   
• Georgina E. Garcia, MD, is a staff psychiatrist on the Psychiatry Consultation Service at Boston Children's Hospital. She completed her General Psychiatry Residency at Tufts Medical Center, her Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School and is currently an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Garcia has specific experience as the staff psychiatrist for Children's Cystic Fibrosis Center, and works as a member of the multidisciplinary treatment team to provide mental health consultation and services for patients and families impacted by this illness. She is currently conducting a study of mental health screening measures and outcomes for pediatric and adult patients with cystic fibrosis.
   
• Robert Kitts, MD, is a staff psychiatrist for the Psychiatry Consultation Service. He completed his General Psychiatry Residency at Oregon Health & Science University and his Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, and is currently an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kitts is conducting a quality improvement project involving parent and family perceptions and satisfaction of mental health services on the inpatient medical and surgical floors. His areas of clinical and academic interest include somatoform disorders, resiliency and adolescent empowerment. Dr. Kitts is also the co-director of the fourth year Harvard Medical School Elective in Psychiatry at Boston Children's Hospital and he is heavily involved in education, mentorship and advocacy.
   
• Anna (Nina) Muriel, MD, is a staff psychiatrist in the Psychiatry Consultation Service at Boston Children's Hospital and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Psychosocial Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She is a graduate of Brown University and Tufts University School of Medicine, and did her Residency and Fellowship Training at Massachusetts General and McLean Hospitals/Harvard Medical School. She was previously on the staff of the PACT (Parenting at A Challenging Time) Program and the Pediatric Consultation Service at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her clinical and research interests include understanding the psychosocial impact of medical illness on children and families with specific expertise in oncology. Dr. Muriel is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and is co-author of the book Raising an Emotionally Healthy Child When a Parent is Sick.

Our psychologists

• Simona Bujoreanu, PhD, is a staff psychologist on the Psychiatry Consultation Service at Boston Children's Hospital. She obtained her doctorate degree from University of Rhode Island after completing her pre-doctoral internship at Boston Children's Hospital and postdoctoral fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She is currently an assistant in Psychology at CHB and Instructor in Psychology at HMS. Dr. Bujoreanu is conducting a quality improvement project assessing the use of mental health services by patients and families on inpatient medical and surgical floors. She is also the acting site principal investigator for Dr. Eva Szigethy's randomized treatment study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, targeting the reduction of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease and depression by using cognitive behavioral and supportive nondirective therapies.
   
• Jennifer Gentile, PsyD, is a staff psychologist within the Psychiatry Consultation Service at Boston Children's Hospital. She graduated from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology with a specialization in health psychology and completed her post doctoral fellowship in metabolic and genetic psychology  at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Gentile is currently an Assistant in Psychology at Boston Children's Hospital and Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. She is involved in research pertaining to children with metabolic and genetic disorders including psychological factors affecting coping with chronic and acute medical conditions within this population.
   
• Kristine McKenna, PhD, is a staff psychologist within the Psychiatry Consultation Service and the Pediatric Transplant Center at Boston Children's Hospital. She completed her post-doctoral psychology fellowship at Nationwide Children's Hospital (formerly Columbus Children's Hospital) and is currently an Assistant in Psychology at Boston Children's Hospital and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. McKenna provides mental health consultation and services for children and families impacted by solid organ transplantation. Her clinical expertise is in assisting families in coping with the challenges of a child's life-threatening illness and her research focuses on quality of life, adherence issues, and pain management for children, adolescents, and young adults.
   
• Melisa Oliva, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist working with both the Psychiatry Consultation Service and the Pediatric Transplant Center at Children's. She completed her post-doctoral psychology training at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, and is currently an Assistant in Psychology at Children's and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Oliva provides mental health consultation and services for patients and families impacted by solid organ transplantation. She is involved in multiple research projects pertaining to this population, including assessment of the use of mental health services, quality of life, psychological integration of grafts, psychosocial factors impacting transplant outcomes, and transition to adult health care.
   
• Rachel Tunick, PhD, is a staff psychologist on the Psychiatry Consultation Service at Boston Children's Hospital for the Critical Care Programs (Medical-Surgical and Cardiac Intensive Care Units). She received her doctoral degree in Child Clinical Psychology with a specialty in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Denver, and completed her pre-doctoral psychology internship and postdoctoral psychology fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She is currently an Assistant in Psychology at Children's and Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Tunick works as an integrated member of the multidisciplinary treatment teams across the ICU settings, providing various mental health clinical services with patients and families impacted by critical illness. Her research is aimed at advancing the understanding of various cognitive, psychological, and ethical issues impacting patients, families, and care providers in the pediatric critical care setting.