"Health in Times of Crisis"

Laurel Daniels Abbruzzese (PT, EdD, FNAP), Tyra M. Banks (EdD, OTR/L), Hetty Cunningham (MD), Ashley Graham-Perel (EdD, RN)

This interactive workshop helps health professions students build inclusive communication skills essential for effective interprofessional teamwork. Using video-based cases and the Diverse Teams Rubric, learners practice identifying communication breakdowns, responding to microaggressions, and navigating conflict constructively. Guided by faculty from PT, OT, Nursing, Medicine and CERE, students engage in small-group discussions that promote psychological safety, mutual learning, and patient-centered collaboration, skills directly transferable to clinical and professional team settings.

Jennifer Shamash (DDS Candidate), Tiffany Shay (DDS Candidate), Anastasia Golovanova (DDS Candidate), Ellie Dunn (OT Candidate)

“Equity in care begins when systems adapt to the people they serve.” Join us for an interactive workshop and escape room focused on promoting equitable and inclusive care for individuals with autism. Participants will explore the history of autism, key disability and autism-related legislation, and the societal barriers that continue to impact access to care. Through hands-on problem solving, students will gain a deeper understanding of advocacy, inclusion, and the role healthcare and community systems play in supporting autistic individuals across the lifespan.

Elizabeth Gershater (BS)

New York City is the perfect place for foodies, full of famous eateries and coveted hole-in-the-wall establishments. But what about the New Yorkers for whom “I’m just so hungry” means something much different? Come join us for a discussion of the ongoing nutritional insecurity crisis affecting New Yorkers and the multilevel outreach efforts that can support vulnerable populations. We will learn about community interventions local to Washington Heights and across NYC as well as healthcare professionals’ unique potential for intervention and collaboration in helping others overcome challenges related to food access and nutrition education.

Natalya Pasklinsky (DNP, FNAM), Merona Hollingsworth (CHSOS), Kristy Deyeso (DNP, RN)

This interactive workshop uses a mass casualty simulation to strengthen interprofessional teamwork and critical thinking under pressure. Learners from multiple health professions collaborate to assess patients, prioritize care, and manage limited resources in a realistic crisis scenario. Through hands-on simulation and structured debriefing, participants gain practical communication strategies, enhanced role understanding, and actionable tools to improve team performance during high-acuity events. Ideal for learners interested in emergency preparedness, teamwork, and real-world clinical decision-making.

Benjamin Schwartz (MD)

In this workshop, we’ll take an unusual, creative approach to examining the fundamentals of communication and alliance-building. We will use cartoons to practice skills of attention, observation, imagination, and collaboration as participants work in pairs to recreate humorous drawings that have been described to them but not shown. 
Participants will be asked to draw, but no previous drawing experience is necessary!

Soren Glassing (BFA)

Come join Palliative Care Chaplain and artist on a workshop exploring some of the most important ways in which Art can be used as a healing tool for patients, families and medical teams. Soren will show how art, especially in the hospital setting, can help process difficult emotions, heal trauma, and help empower patients and families at the End of Life. The first part of the workshop will be a short didactic followed by the second part of the workshop in which participants will create a simple work of art focusing on healing. No art experience required, beginners welcome.     

Esther Kentish (MS, MSc)

How do stories help us process emotion, ethical tension, and lived experience? This interactive workshop introduces Narrative Behind Words, a digital reflective storytelling and empathy-mapping system developed from doctoral research in narrative medicine and digital humanities. Participants will explore how writing, emotional awareness, and ethical AI can be integrated to support wellbeing, learning, and meaning-making. Through guided reflection, visualization, and discussion, students will gain practical tools for understanding narrative as both a personal and social technology of care—bridging creativity, health, and human-centered innovation. 

Kyle Murray (MS, RD), Carmen Juan (Program Lead), Anya Pathania (Program Lead)

There is a direct link between quality and amount of food intake and development of diet related diseases such as diabetes obesity and cardiovascular disease, the latter being number one killer in adults in the US but we mostly as healthcare institutions focus on quality and  advise on avoiding large quantities of food intake without thinking that lack of food is what drives inadequate diet. Within NYP Hospital's Community Health Division, the CHALK team is active across the enterprise developing and implementing programs co-designed with community stakeholders and organizations to address upstream causes of non-communicable disease. Our session will discuss this work, culinary medicine, and cultural competency. We will share community nutrition teaching tools, and take questions on the state of the scene in nutrition and public health.

Nicole Bayne (RN, MPH), Mary Beth Terry (PhD), Chrystelle Vilfranc (PhD), Ana Jimenez-Bautista (LMSW)

Curious about community engagement? The concept is both broad and nuanced; it can be challenging to navigate who and what is involved and how the work is done. Join us for an interactive workshop on models of community engagement in research and practice. We will cover relevant definitions, intent vs impact, bidirectional relationships, and the value of interdisciplinary teams. The workshop will highlight current, real-world models of training, integration and capacity building at Columbia’s Cancer Center, an NIMHD-funded COMMUNITY Center in NYC, and the new Mailman Community Health Collaborative. We are excited to connect with you!

Benjamin Perlstein (Rabbi, MA, Board Certified Chaplain), Emma Master (PhD Candidate)

The increasing integration of Large Language Model-based AI chatbots into everyday life has come to include people looking to them for spiritual care/pastoral counseling and therapy. In this workshop we will explore how consulting AI as a religious and clinical authority in such ways may itself affect mental health and spiritual orienting systems. We will look at transcripts of LLM-based AI chatbot (e.g. ChatGPT) conversations that have led to adverse spiritual, emotional, and mental health outcomes, analyzing them through a reflective practitioner lens as we would with any clinical case materials brought for learning in chaplaincy and psychotherapy/mental health counseling training. This process will lead to interdisciplinary discussion on best practices, both in contrast to AI (and potential consultation for AI, based in how our training is different from the way these algorithms are currently functioning and learning) and in terms of how people's relationships with AI can be an increasingly important context of spiritual distress and mental health challenges, as we are already seeing in inpatient psychiatric care and the broader society (a la this year's IPE Day theme, "Health in Times of Crisis").

Irene Sprung (LCSW, Senior Social Worker),Helen Towers (MD), Mary Treglia (DNP, MPH, ACHPN), Rachel Rim (MDiv, BCC), Jeanne Churchill (DNP, CPNP)

This workshop addresses some of the more common ethical issues in pediatric healthcare. Utilizing a case-based approach with examples, we will address topics such as maternal fetal conflict, consent, adolescent autonomy, truth telling and conflict resolution. An Ethics Committee is a diverse gathering of providers across multiple different subspecialties and disciplines. The registrants in the workshop will participate as ethics consultants and members of an Ethics Committee where they will analyze and discuss the issues of each case and provide recommendations. This approach will address the main themes and goals of the IPE by highlighting interprofessional collaboration in action and strengthening ethical responsive and accountable care.

Muskan Sachdev (MS), Christine Huang (Genetic Counseling VP&S), Annemarie Duckworth (Physical Therapy VP&S), Deborah Ko (School of Social Work)

Can our hands protect what our minds remember? Today, over 50 million people are living with dementia. Finger dexterity is impaired in early-stage dementia and early interventions based on indigenous medicine, such as hand and finger exercises, have been shown to improve cognitive function. This interactive workshop explores the connection between hand dexterity and cognitive health. Participants will engage in an experiment comparing memory recall with and without finger movements, and explore the research behind why our hands
occupy disproportionate brain space. Discover how mindfulness-based exercises show promise as a non-pharmacological intervention suitable for diverse aging populations including those with limited mobility.

Linel Salcedo (LCSW, Student Nurse), Dayriliana Noa Guzman (Student Nurse), Ava Hearn (MSW candidate, Shawnette Spence-Johnstone (MSW candidate)

"Music can pierce the heart directly; it needs no mediation." Oliver Sacks (neurologist, professor and best selling author). Come join us for an interactive workshop exploring how music and movement are among the most promising non-pharmacologic interventions for Dementia. From chair-based movement to culturally meaningful dances like salsa, merengue and bachata, rhythm can reduce agitation, elevate mood, and reconnect individuals with memory and identity. Grounded in neuroscience and a clip from Alive Inside, participants will engage in hands-on activities that are culturally responsive and provide dignity centered dementia care for older adults (65+).

Jane Bogart (EdD), Marisa Enrico (PsyD)

Almost all of us feel some level of discomfort with uncertainty, unpredictable events, and circumstances beyond our control. We will discuss why uncertainty can be challenging, lead participants in experiential exercises, and share strategies for navigating the certainty that life is uncertain.

Melissa Patterson (MD, MBA)

This interactive workshop, led by a physician with expertise in geriatric and palliative medicine, invites learners to examine goals‑of‑care in advanced dementia through the lens of team misalignment and moral distress. Using case‑based discussion, the session surfaces common breakdowns such as conflicting recommendations, prognostic uncertainty, and role confusion, while introducing shared language and frameworks to support respectful, person‑centered decision‑making. Participants will leave with practical strategies to realign teams and promote dignity, comfort, and clarity for patients and families.

Sulagna C. Etikyala (PsyD)

There is a growing interest in the use of mindfulness-based techniques to better prepare healthcare professionals in training to be compassionate, reflective, and patient- centered in their clinical practice. The present workshop will introduce the concept of mindfulness and explore different ways of "holding" one's emotional experiences and challenges. Participants will be invited to engage in brief experiential mindfulness-based practices such as 5-4-3-2-1 sensory practice. Participants will also be encouraged to connect with their values (what is most important to them) and with their “WHY” for choosing the healthcare program that they did through a brief value-based activity. You will leave equipped with practical tools to reconnect with your foundational purpose as a source of motivation and resilience, cultivating greater kindness, gentle curiosity, and patient-centered care for yourself and those you serve throughout your training and career.

Mychal Springer (ACPE, BCC), Kenneth Prager (MD)

We will learn together from Dr. Kenneth Prager and Rabbi Mychal Springer about the collusion of doctors and scientific personnel in the horrors of the Holocaust. Dr. Prager is the Chair of NewYork-Presbyterian's Ethics Committee and a national expert on the Holocaust's medical dimensions. Rabbi Springer directs the Clinical Pastoral Care program for all of NYP. Through interactive lecture and small-group discussion, the session will inform and activate learners to comprehend current-day implications of this Nazi past.

Madeleine Doubet (MSW, LMSW)

Join us for an engaging, hands-on workshop designed to empower healthcare providers with the skills to respond to and refer survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Through real-world case studies and dynamic group discussions, you will gain practical experience in trauma-informed communication and working collaboratively across disciplines. The focus will be on building your confidence and competence in addressing gender- and power-based violence, ensuring you feel prepared to make a difference both in clinical settings and in your community. 

Linda Golding (MA, BCC), Alla Landa (PhD), Hiral Shah (MD)

Caring for individuals with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is best achieved through a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach. As of 2025, the Neurology Department at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, NY, lacked a structured mechanism to communicate or coordinate with other disciplines in managing FND. In response, three providers with a shared interest in FND and specialized training in comprehensive psychosomatic care partnered to develop strategies to enhance collaboration and care delivery and established a monthly virtual case conference to (1) discuss challenging cases, (2) foster peer support and education, and (3) identify and build shared resources.

Ssanyu Birigwa (MS), Michael Baranda (MSW candidate)

This interactive workshop explores how spirituality can be meaningfully integrated into clinical assessment alongside biological, psychological, and social factors. While the biopsychosocial model is widely used in healthcare, many clinicians feel unprepared to address spiritual dimensions of patients’ lives, even though these beliefs often shape coping, meaning-making, and health decisions. Drawing from social work practice and narrative medicine, participants will examine practical ways to incorporate spiritual inquiry into patient assessments while maintaining ethical, culturally responsive, and patient-centered care. Students will leave with concrete approaches for engaging spirituality within interdisciplinary clinical settings.

Faris Zuraikat (PhD)

Laurel Daniels Abbruzzese (PT, EdD, FNAP), Lisa A. Romard (RN, CPNP-PC, ANP), Lisa Cimino (EdD, CPNP-PC, APN)

This interactive workshop uses asthma management to highlight the intersection of clinical care, public health, and structural determinants of health. Interprofessional learners rotate through hands-on stations that emphasize patient education, trigger mitigation, and team-based solutions to real-world asthma challenges. The workshop underscores the importance of cross-sector collaboration in reducing disparities, strengthening crisis preparedness, and promoting equitable asthma outcomes at the population level.

Mark Nathanson (Associate Professor of Psychiatry, MD), Letty Moss-Salentijn (DDS, PhD)

This workshop evolves from the case of a frail, homebound, geriatric patient with complex comorbidities, unable to access traditional community-based services, and impacted restrictions in service delivery and changes in health care funding. The interprofessional faculty facilitates exploration of the psychosocial, nursing, oral health, medical, rehabilitation, nutritional, spiritual, neuropsychiatric, community, and public health issues raised in this case. Students participate in shared learning and problem-solving small work groups. The emphasis centers on the role of teamwork, understanding and use of community and clinical resources, treatment planning, improvement in quality of life, and the challenges in the delivery of care.

Dheeraj Nagpal (MD), Lev Dery (MD)

For new graduates entering the challenging job market are not sufficiently prepared, this is essentially true in current environment. They have  to balance their personal priorities both monetary and  values which they  holds dear to themselves. Today’s graduates are unknowingly looking for work life balance while they should be striving for work life integration. Work and life are not mutually exclusive, they have to find a way to integrate both these essential elements into the equation.  They have to start working towards the life they will ultimately achieve way in advance, from the first year of undergraduate education or even earlier.

Networking is the key to success, just asking to be invited to various events is not enough one has to be ready with the meetings agenda, know the speakers. Get involved and recognized for your efforts. Learn the art of negotiation, like the saying goes “You get what you negotiate, not what you deserve”. If a company doesn’t want to give you monetary compensation ask for other benefits, like paid time off, 401k matching from day one, the list is endless. In this workshop we will brainstorm the current challenges a new graduate faces and how to overcome them.

Jane Kang (MD, MS)

Using art, this interactive workshop will focus on the skills of observation and evaluate how our lenses, which are affected by our identities or backgrounds, can influence how we see ourselves and others. Through interdisciplinary conversations, we will exchange perspectives, discuss how lenses can affect healthcare delivery and access, and identify ways to optimize health care delivery.

Jessica Zitter (MD, MPH), Betty Clark (MDiv)

Sometimes we don’t realize who’s in the room with us, and what we can learn from them.  

Join us for a workshop exploring the profound benefits of interprofessional work between physicians and chaplains. Chaplain Betty Clark and Dr. Jessica Zitter discuss their 15-years working together on the Palliative Care team at Oakland’s Highland Hospital to care for some of the sickest and most vulnerable patients. Participants will leave with an understanding of the obstacles to interprofessional care on medical teams, and the benefits of combining care for the body and for the spirit. 

Ross Frommer (JD), Heather Krasno (PhD)

Good ideas are wonderful; good ideas supported by evidenced-based practice are even better. But how do health care or public health experts, professionals, students, and patients convert these good ideas into policy? In this session we will attempt to have students learn some basic advocacy skills and apply those skills in a mock lobbying visit with an elected official. 

Tirissa Reid (MD), Sally Dorfzaun (RD)

Though food should be one or our easiest decisions our current environment has made food choice extremely difficult. In this workshop we hope to reacquaint students with the importance of mindfulness in eating and how in doing so there can be benefits to diet, health, and overall wellbeing.

Natalya Pasklinsky (DNP, FNAM), Kristy Deyeso (DNP, RN)

Focus: Effective communication and intervention strategies to de-escalate tense situations within a healthcare team.

Engagement: Simulation utilizing SPs, team interactions, team debrief, and reflective practice. In this scenario, participants will practice de-escalation techniques with a standardized patient portraying an agitated team member during a high-stress situation. The exercise will emphasize  the critical role of non-verbal communication, active listening, and collaborative decision-making among healthcare team members. Participants will navigate the challenge of diffusing internal team conflict while maintaining focus on patient care and safety.

Pat Precin (PhD, LP, FAOTA), Phyllis Simon (OTD, OTR/L), Latisha Hanson (DNP, PMHNP-BC)

Are you prepared to work with individuals who have experienced psychological trauma? Would you like to be? Join us in this in-person workshop to learn and practice trauma informed care principles, strategies, and techniques as you work with an inter-professional team of participants to analysis a case study. You will leave with increased awareness and knowledge of: 1) trauma-informed care principles, 2) how each member of the inter-professional team can integrate trauma informed care into their clinical practice, and 3) resources available to clients who have experienced trauma.

Cali Callaway (MD)

Domestic violence, including intimate partner and elder abuse, impacts more than twelve million people in the United States annually with survivors experiencing a ten-fold increase in hospitalizations relative to the general population. Despite these staggering numbers, approximately half of domestic homicide victims interacted with health systems in the year prior to their death.  Join this session to review the scope of domestic violence, discuss the intersectional challenges faced by survivors, learn to identify signs of abuse in a variety of clinical settings, and gain trauma-informed interview and examination skills. 

Kim Hekimian (PhD), Anamika Saha (MD, MPH)

Food insecurity shapes clinical outcomes, yet “eat healthier” advice often ignores financial reality. In this interactive workshop, interprofessional student teams will examine local food insecurity data and learn the basics of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Teams will then visit a nearby supermarket to design a healthy one-day meal plan under a $7 budget, simulating average SNAP benefits. Through structured debrief and interdisciplinary discussion, students will explore tradeoffs, clinical implications, and how collaborative, equity-focused care can better support patients navigating food insecurity.

Jane Bogart (EdD), Marisa Enrico (PsyD)

Almost all of us feel some level of discomfort with uncertainty, unpredictable events, and circumstances beyond our control. We will discuss why uncertainty can be challenging, lead participants in experiential exercises, and share strategies for navigating the certainty that life is uncertain.

Melissa Patterson (MD, MBA)

This interactive workshop, led by a physician with expertise in geriatric and palliative medicine, invites learners to examine goals‑of‑care in advanced dementia through the lens of team misalignment and moral distress. Using case‑based discussion, the session surfaces common breakdowns such as conflicting recommendations, prognostic uncertainty, and role confusion, while introducing shared language and frameworks to support respectful, person‑centered decision‑making. Participants will leave with practical strategies to realign teams and promote dignity, comfort, and clarity for patients and families.

Mychal Springer (ACPE, BCC), Kenneth Prager (MD)

We will learn together from Dr. Kenneth Prager and Rabbi Mychal Springer about the collusion of doctors and scientific personnel in the horrors of the Holocaust. Dr. Prager is the Chair of NewYork-Presbyterian's Ethics Committee and a national expert on the Holocaust's medical dimensions. Rabbi Springer directs the Clinical Pastoral Care program for all of NYP. Through interactive lecture and small-group discussion, the session will inform and activate learners to comprehend current-day implications of this Nazi past. 

Linda Golding (MA, BCC), Nomita Sonty (PhD)

Chronic pain is a daily experience for more that 20% of Americans, and many are not able to experience relief from medications.  Please join us for a novel, transdisciplinary conversation about how a pain psychologist and a spiritual care provider work with small groups of patients to support their return to themselves and to the lives interrupted by chronic pain.  All are welcome. Please bring questions!

Madeleine Doubet (MSW, LMSW)

Join us for an engaging, hands-on workshop designed to empower healthcare providers with the skills to respond to and refer survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Through real-world case studies and dynamic group discussions, you will gain practical experience in trauma-informed communication and working collaboratively across disciplines. The focus will be on building your confidence and competence in addressing gender- and power-based violence, ensuring you feel prepared to make a difference both in clinical settings and in your community.

Linda Golding (MA, BCC), Alla Landa (PhD), Hiral Shah (MD)

Caring for individuals with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is best achieved through a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach. As of 2025, the Neurology Department at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, NY, lacked a structured mechanism to communicate or coordinate with other disciplines in managing FND. In response, three providers with a shared interest in FND and specialized training in comprehensive psychosomatic care partnered to develop strategies to enhance collaboration and care delivery and established a monthly virtual case conference to (1) discuss challenging cases, (2) foster peer support and education, and (3) identify and build shared resources.

Ssanyu Birigwa (MS), Miniya N. Williams (MS)

This interactive workshop explores how spirituality can be meaningfully integrated into clinical assessment alongside biological, psychological, and social factors. While the biopsychosocial model is widely used in healthcare, many clinicians feel unprepared to address spiritual dimensions of patients’ lives, even though these beliefs often shape coping, meaning-making, and health decisions. Drawing from social work practice and narrative medicine, participants will examine practical ways to incorporate spiritual inquiry into patient assessments while maintaining ethical, culturally responsive, and patient-centered care. Students will leave with concrete approaches for engaging spirituality within interdisciplinary clinical settings.