By Viktoriya Kozlova, DO
Department of Psychiatry
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Our residents continue to be involved in community outreach and support including staffing the Health Outreach Partnership of EVMS Students (HOPES) free mental health clinic. Established by medical students at EVMS in 2011, HOPES clinic supports the underserved Hampton Road community by providing primary and specialty medical care. Additionally, we are working with local area senior agencies to promote geriatric psychiatry awareness and education, with a pamphlet developed called “Is my Loved One Depressed” to promote community education surrounding Geriatric Depression.
We are excited to welcome 8 new PGY-1s to our program! Joining the VHS-EVMS psychiatry class of 2030 are Dr. Stacey Abernathy, Dr. Jackie Hwang, Dr. Prema Kondragunta, Dr. Michael Muzinich, Dr. Jacob Rothschild, Dr. Sat Paul Singh, Dr. Matthew Surratt, Dr. Pavan Suryadevara.
Our program will be hosting our annual Psychiatry Research Day on May 27, 2026, where up to 18 posters/presentations will be celebrated.
Our program will also be hosting the 2nd Annual Mid-Atlantic Psychiatric Symposium: Updates in Consultation-Liaison on May 6, 2026. Courses will address topics that are commonly requested while on a psychiatric consultation service.
Last but not least, our residents and faculty have been involved in several academic endeavors:
- Our Program Director Dr. Shriti Patel attended AADPRT (Association for Directors of Psychiatric Training) Annual meeting in March of 2026 and presented an interactive workshop promoting humanities. It was titled Enhancing Togetherness through Reading (around) the Room, Integrating a Book Club Into Training & The AADPRT Annual Meeting.
- Dr. Rizwan Hassan presented The Role of Resistance Training in Mental Health Treatment at our Psychiatry Grand Rounds.
- Dr. Evan Smith presented Gas Station Drugs: The Legal Gray Area of Substance Use at our Psychiatry Grand Rounds.
- Dr. Alex LaFever and Dr. Sequoia Sheely presented NMDA Receptor Encephalitis Strategies for Acute and Long-Term Psychiatric Management: A Multidisciplinary Approach to a Complex Disorder at our Psychiatry Grand Rounds.
- Dr. Michael Gannon submitted a RCT manuscript to the Journal of General Internal Medicine titled “Clinical Decision Support for Hypertension Management in Female Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease”
- Dr. Viktoriya Kozlova was selected to participate in the 2026 AAGP Scholars Program and will attend the 2026 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry Annual Meeting.
