OCD and Related Disorders Program Staff
Director
Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D., is Director of the OCD and Related Disorders Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School. She is also the Founder and Director of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Clinic & Research Unit, the Director of the Tic Disorders Program and the Director of the Cognitive-Behavior Therapy Program. She is an Associate Professor of Psychology (Psychiatry) at the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Wilhelm is a leading researcher in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), and Tic Disorders, and has published numerous articles, reviews, and chapters on the cognitive functioning, prevalence, and treatment outcome of these disorders. Currently, Dr. Wilhelm is the principal investigator of several NIMH-funded clinical research studies. In addition, Dr. Wilhelm recently authored a treatment manual for OCD entitled: Cognitive Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Guide for Professionals. She also recently wrote the self-help book Feeling Good About the Way You Look: A Program for Overcoming Body Image Problems.
Dr. Wilhelm serves on numerous editorial and advisory boards, as well as the Scientific Advisory Board of the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation, the International Obsessive-Compulsive Cognitions Working Group (OCCWG), and the Tourette Syndrome Association Behavioral Science Consortium. She was the Chair of the Scientific Review Committee of the World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies which was held in Boston June 2010. Her areas of clinical and research interest include the development, maintenance, and treatment outcome of BDD, OCD, and Tourette Syndrome/Tic Disorders
Founder
Michael A. Jenike, M.D., is the Medical Director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute at McLean Hospital and Founder of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Clinic and Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Jenike is recognized as a world-renowned researcher, having published over 200 articles on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Geriatric Psychopharmacology and Neuroimaging in Psychiatric Disorders. He is currently the Principal Investigator of an OCD longitudinal family study that seeks to examine the clinical, genetic, imaging and neurocognitive areas of this disorder. His research and clinical interests involve the development, assessment and treatment of OCD and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Professional Staff
Maria Lynn Buttholph, M.D., has been a staff psychiatrist and member of the Obsessive Compulsive Clinic since 1988. She participated in the original clinical trials that helped to determine effective medications for the treatment of OCD. She has treated a large number of patients with OCD, as well as OCD spectrum disorders including trichotillomania. She has published numerous papers and has written a chapter about OCD and pregnancy. She is an Instructor at the Harvard Medical School and at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Anne Chosak, Ph.D., is currently a Clinical Assistant of Psychology (Psychiatry) at MGH. Dr. Chosak received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from SUNY at Albany in 2000. She received her post-doctoral training at the OCD Clinic at MGH and was licensed in 2002. Dr. Chosak’s clinical and research background is in anxiety disorders of adulthood. Her current clinical and research interests and activities involve the OCD spectrum disorders of adulthood, including OCD, BDD, and trichotillomania (compulsive hair-pulling). In addition, Dr. Chosak currently supervises interns for the MGH clinical psychology internship program.
Thilo Deckersbach, Ph.D., is a Staff Psychologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and an Instructor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Deckersbach specializes in the neuropathology and neuroimaging of Tourette Syndrome (TS), related tic disorders, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). He is currently the Co-Principal Investigator for studies investigating habit reversal versus supportive therapy in the treatment of children and adults with TS and chronic tics. Dr. Deckersbach’s research is funded by the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression, as well as the Clinical Research and Training Program at Harvard Medical School.
Publications by Dr. Deckersbach
Darin D. Dougherty, M.D., M.Sc.
Dr. Darin D. Dougherty is the Director of the Neurotherapeutics Division in the Department of Psychiatry at MGH, the Director of the Mood Disorders Section of the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatric Neuroimaging Group, and the Associate Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatric Neuroimaging Group. Dr. Dougherty is also the Director of Medical Education at the Massachusetts General Hospital Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute and the Co-Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Trichotillomania Clinic. Additionally, Dr. Dougherty is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a Clinical Associate at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Visiting Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Dougherty currently serves on the scientific advisory board for both the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation. He serves on the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatric Neurosurgery Committee. He also serves on many editorial boards and award committees. He has given over a hundred invited lectures and presentations, and is a current member of many professional societies. In 2003 Dr. Dougherty was awarded a NARSAD Young Investigator Award. In 2005 he was named one of the Future Leaders in Psychiatry. Dr. Dougherty has co-authored over 100 original articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and review articles, and has co-edited two books on neuroimaging. Currently Dr. Dougherty is the Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator on several government and industry funded studies investigating neuroimaging and medication and neurosurgery treatments of OCD and mood disorders.
Dr. Dougherty received his MD from the University of Illinois and completed his residency in general psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is a graduate of the Clinical Investigator Training Program at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Dougherty’s research interests include neuroimaging, neurobiology, psychopharmacology, and neurotherapeutic (device and/or surgical) interventions for the treatment of treatment-refractory psychiatric illness.
Jeanne M. Fama, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Director of High Risk and Vulnerability Research in the OCD and Related Disorders Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a Clinical Assistant in Psychology (Psychiatry) at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Fama completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Harvard University and her clinical internship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She has received grants to pursue treatment-related, neuropsychological, cognitive, and family-related research in OCD, and has collaborated on several federally funded treatment projects. She has published on OCD-spectrum and Anxiety disorders and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board to the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation. Dr. Fama also enjoys teaching psychology interns, postdoctoral fellows, and psychiatry residents in training at MGH as well as practitioners involved in the MGH Psychiatry Academy. She sees patients at MGH and in private practice.
Daniel Geller, M.D., founded the Pediatric Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Program in 1992. The program provides clinical service and engages in research related to OCD, tic and related disorders and is a resource for teaching and trainee supervision in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Psychiatry Department. Clinical service caters to children and adolescents needing diagnostic consultation, pharmacotherapy, or treatment recommendations and is provided in co-operation with CBT psychologists inside and outside of the MGH system. MGH has one of the largest clinics of children and adolescents with OCD in the US, serving the entire northeastern region. Research activity in the program has focused on the causes, phenomenology, developmental expression, psychiatric correlates, familial patterns, genetics, treatment and outcome of OCD and related disorders that onset in youth.
Dr. Geller is a triple-board certified physician (Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry) and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and recipient of several honors and awards in medicine and developmental pediatrics, notably from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation and the Tourette’s Syndrome Association as well as a career development award from the NIMH. He is a member of the Society of Development Pediatrics and serves on a number of expert panels related to OCD, including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), The American Psychiatric Association (APA), the National Institute for Clinical Excellence of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, London, UK and the Cochrane Library, a compilation of expert reviews of medical databases of evidence-based medicine. Dr. Geller is lead author of the current AACAP Practice Parameters for Assessment and Treatment of OCD in Children, which defines the current best clinical practice guidelines for the field.
Jennifer L. Greenberg, Psy.D., is a Clinical Assistant in Psychology (Psychiatry) at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Greenberg received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in 2008. She completed her clinical internship and postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Greenberg is a licensed clinical psychologist and see patients through the OCD and Related Disorders Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital and in private practice. Her clinical and research background is in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of body image and obsessive compulsive spectrum disorders across the lifespan, with an emphasis on BDD. Her primary research interest resides in treatment outcome and cognitive risk factors that may play a role in the etiology and maintenance of these disorders. Clinically, she treats adolescents and adults with obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, including BDD and OCD, and eating disorders.
Michael S. Hanau, M.D., a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine and the Harvard-Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is an Assistant Psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Instructor in Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School. He brings 13 years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder to the OCD and Related Disorders Program at MGH.
Nancy Keuthen, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychology (Psychiatry) at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Co-Founder and Co-Director of the MGH Trichotillomania Clinic & Research Unit, and Chief Psychologist in the MGH Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Clinic & Research Unit. Dr. Keuthen received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from SUNY at Stony Brook. She is internationally recognized as a leading clinician and researcher in trichotillomania. She has been instrumental in establishing awareness of, and improving treatment for this disorder. Dr. Keuthen serves on numerous editorial and advisory boards, including the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Trichotillomania Learning Center and the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation. Her clinical, research, and teaching contributions have been largely focused on the cognitive-behavioral and pharmacological treatment of OCD and OCD-spectrum disorders, including skin picking, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and trichotillomania. She has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters and co-authored the popular book Help for Hairpullers.
Jennifer Ragan, Ph.D., received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005. There, Dr. Ragan received extensive training in cognitive-behavioral therapy and provided supervision to junior clinicians through Dr. Michael Telch's Anxiety Research Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. She then completed her clinical internship and post-doctoral training through Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Medical School. Dr. Ragan is now a licensed psychologist and sees patients through the OCD clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital and in private practice. Her clinical interests are broad, in that she treats patients suffering from anxiety, mood, and eating disorders using both individual and group modalities. Her research interests center around the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder through Dr. Sabine Wilhelm's research lab.
Aisha Usmani, Ph.D., is a staff psychologist at the OCD and Related Disorders Program at Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School. Dr. Usmani specializes in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of OCD and OCD spectrum disorders, body focused repetitive behaviors, including trichotillomania and skin picking, tic disorders, and other related disorders. Dr. Usmani also holds a faculty appointment as an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. Her research experiences include providing assessment and protocol-based treatment for studies, including an RO1 grant. She also enjoys supervising clinical psychology graduate and postdoctoral students. Dr. Usmani completed her postdoctoral fellowships at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD) at Boston University and The Evidence Based Treatment Centers of Seattle (EBTCS), where she gained expertise in evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral therapy, including acceptance and mindfulness based treatments. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Idaho State University, where she focused on cognitive-behavioral treatments.
Lisa Zakhary, M.D., Ph.D., a graduate of Harvard Medical School, completed her residency in general psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). She earned a PhD in molecular neurobiology during her medical training. She is Assistant in Psychiatry at MGH and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She recently co-founded the MGH Comprehensive Skin Management Clinic, a multi-disciplinary dermatology/psychiatry clinic which provides treatment for patients with a variety of psychodermatologic conditions including compulsive skin picking, trichotillomania, and body dysmorphic disorder.
Clinical/Research Fellows
Amitai Abramovitch, Ph.D. is a Research Fellow in Psychology (Psychiatry) at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Abramovitch received his Ph.D in Psychology from Tel-Aviv University in Israel in 2011 and completed his clinical neuropsychology internship at the Israeli National Center for The Brain Injured and later at the Department of Psychiatry at Sheba Medical Center. Dr. Abramovitch’s research has focused on the relationship between impulsivity and compulsivity in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder while examining neuropsychological functioning related to disorder specific patterns of brain activity and clinical manifestation. His current research interests are related to functional neurobiology and neuropsychiatry of OCD in relation to addictive behaviors. Dr. Abramovitch also engages in other research activities related to OC spectrum disorders.
Publications by Dr. Abramovitch
Andrea S. Hartmann, Ph.D., is a Research Fellow in Psychology (Psychiatry) at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hartmann received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Philipps University Marburg in Germany in 2011, and completed her clinical internship at the Inpatient Clinic of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (Dr. Ebel Fachklinik) in Grebenhain, Germany in 2010/2011. Dr. Hartmann's clinical and research background is in eating and weight related disorders, with a focus on the cognitive behavioral treatment of eating disorders and overweight/obesity. Her current research interests and activities involve comparative studies including body dysmorphic disorder and anorexia nervosa. She is also engaged in other research activities related to OCD spectrum disorders.
Jessica Rasmussen, Ph.D., is a Clinical Fellow in Psychology (Psychiatry) at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. During graduate school, Ms. Rasmussen received cognitive-behavioral training in the treatment of anxiety and mood disorders, as well as specialized training in the treatment of compulsive hoarding. Her research interests focus on the etiology, maintenance and treatment of compulsive hoarding and OCD.
Hannah E. Reese, Ph.D., is a Clinical Fellow in Psychology (Psychiatry) at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She completed her undergraduate education at Wellesley College and received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Harvard University. She has been at MGH since 2002 where she has served as project coordinator and study therapist for numerous studies on the etiology, maintenance, and treatment of OCD, BDD, Tourette Syndrome, chronic tic disorder, panic disorder, and social phobia.
Interns
Corinna Elliott, M.A., is a Clinical Fellow in Psychology (Psychiatry) at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Corinna completed her undergraduate studies at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), and she is currently a doctoral candidate at Concordia University (Montreal). She has received training in cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of anxiety and mood disorders. Her research interests primarily involve vulnerability and maintaining factors of OCD and PTSD, including mental contamination.
Statisticians
Aparna Keshaviah holds a Master’s in Biostatistics from the Harvard School of Public Health and is a Fulbright scholar. With over 8 of experience in clinical investigation, she has been an integral part of numerous collaborative research teams, having designed, analyzed, and led Phase I-III studies in oncology, alternative medicine, and drug addiction. In addition to a career in biostatistics, Keshaviah is a classical Indian dancer and performs and teaches in Cambridge, MA. Her research into dance integrates scientific methodology with artistic exploration.
Publications by Aparna Keshaviah
Irina Kasarskis graduated with an MPH in Biostatistics and Epidemiology from Boston University School of Public Health. She has over three years of experience working in clinical research in data management and study coordination.
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Kathleen Carey, R.N., M.P.H., M.S.N.
Intake Coordinator
Barbara Davidson graduated from St.John's University in New York in 1970 with an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. She later received her RN degree from Pace University in Pleasantville, NY in 1983. Barbara was previously employed by the Belmont School Department prior to her work here at MGH, where she joined as an Intake Coordinator for the OCD, BDD and Trichotillomania clinics in 2003.
Program Manager
Barbara Rosemberg graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2006 with a B.A. in Psychology. Barbara has been with the Partners Healthcare System since 2006. She previously worked at the Intensive Physiological Monitoring Unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital as an On-Call Supervisor and Instructor for the Center for Clinical Investigation. Currently, Barbara is working in the OCD and Related Disorders Program as the Program Manager. She is also working on her Masters in Health Administration at Suffolk University.
Research Coordinators
2011 OCD and Related Disorders Program Research Assistants
Erin Altenburger graduated from Williams College in 2011 with a B.A. in psychology. While at Williams, she conducted research in both developmental and social psychology. There she worked in the Child Development lab as a research assistant in a study focusing on mother-infant interaction and social regulation of infant stress and anxiety. In her senior independent research project, she studied the relationship between stress, including the perception of stress, experienced during pregnancy and child’s behavioral health outcomes as well as whether marital quality and support received during pregnancy mediated this relationship. While at MGH, she will be involved in studies of Hair Pulling Disorder at the Trichotillomania Clinic & Research Unit. After her time at MGH, Erin hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology.
Katherine Crowe graduated in 2010 from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor's in Psychology. At Dartmouth, she worked on research studying the cross-cultural differences of children's sociomoral development and additionally in a social psychology lab studying self-awareness. She is particularly interested in working with youth populations and studying psychopathologies. At MGH, she will be assisting with a cross-sectional study of families with OCD. After working at MGH, she hopes to pursue graduate degrees in clinical psychology and human development.
Eric Jenike graduated in 2005 from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a BA in Biology. Eric has been at MGH since 2005 where he worked in Psychiatric Genetics on projects investigating the genetic predictors of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder. Eric is currently works on a Body Dysmorphic Disorder treatment study. After his time at MGH, Eric hopes to pursue a career in medicine.
Kesley graduated from Brown University in 2011 with a B.S. in psychology. During her time as an undergraduate, she assisted on research examining the differential diagnosis between attention deficit disorder and pediatric bipolar disorder. Her senior honors thesis investigated the similarities and differences of the body experience among varsity athletes across gender and sport. Kesley is involved in a number of research collaborations at MGH, including projects that focus on pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder, Tourette’s/Tic Disorders, and PANDAS. She plans on pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology after working in the OCD clinic.
Lillian graduated from Vassar College in 2011 with a B.A. in psychology. At Vassar, she conducted research on positive psychology, emotion regulation, and mechanisms of resilience in the Vassar College Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory. Her senior research project examined the effects of unfamiliar coping strategies on ego-depletion and emotions. At MGH, she will be involved in a variety of studies concerning fear conditioning and treatment for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. After working at MGH, Lillian plans to pursue a doctoral degree in pediatric clinical psychology.
Michelle Silverman graduated from Bates College in 2010 with a B.A. in psychology. While at Bates, Michelle assisted with several studies examining social influences on the self. For her honors thesis, she conducted a community-based study on the use of dialectical behavioral therapy in a local group home for at-risk adolescents. While at MGH, Michelle will be working on treatment studies for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. After her time at the OCD clinic, Michelle hopes to pursue a degree in child or school psychology.
Anne Wilson graduated from Boston University in 2011 with a B.A. in psychology. During her time at Boston University, Anne assisted at the Psychotherapy and Emotion Research Lab on a range of projects studying Social Anxiety Disorder. Additionally, she conducted a meta-analysis that compared various approaches to training Theory-of-Mind. At MGH, she will be assisting on a project that examines the efficacy of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. After working at MGH, Anne plans to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with an interest in cognitive development.