Acta Psychopathologica Open Access

Dr. Iliyan Ivanov

Biography

Through my training and clinical practice I acquired a great deal of expertise in the treatment of childhood disruptive behavior disorders, including ADHD, but also childhood trauma, developmental disabilities and adolescent and adult substance use disorders. In that capacity I have treated a great number of patients through the outpatient and inpatient facilities in Mount Sinai but also as a consultant from Mount Sinai to various agencies and clinics in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. These included the Adolescent Health Center, the Children?s Aid Society, the Manhattan Center for Children (former Children Advocacy Center), Counseling in Schools and the West End Day School programs. I have also supervised a number of residents who provided clinical care in all of these facilities. In 2012 I was recruited to be the medical director of a newly developed clinical program at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center that specializes in the care to OEF/OIF veterans and their families. This program is unique in its approach of providing comprehensive assessment of veterans? clinical needs and offering intense and high personalized treatments that aim for a timely symptom remediation and support through the process of reintegration to civilian life. Since January of 2015 I accepted a position as Medical Director of the Comprehensive Adolescent Rehabilitation and Education Services at the Division of Child Psychiatry at Mount Sinai where I am currently involved providing clinical care as well as leadership in research and program, development.

Research Interest

My research interests are mainly focused on the investigation of biological correlates for clinical risk factors in childhood that may predispose for the development of later in life psychopathology. I have conducted studies using animal models of ADHD to study stimulant effects of behavior, also measured cortisol reactivity in aggressive children to study physiological response to emotional stimuli and have used both structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging to study anatomical and physiological characteristics of children with ADHD. My additional research interests include studies that investigate the mechanisms of stimulants (e.g. methylphenidate) in relation to improving task performance but also potential for misuse as well as purported effects on brain morphology as result of treatment. These studies have informed my future interests related to understanding and developing strategies for cognitive remediation in individuals with cognitive deficits related to traumatic brain injury (TBI) that may include a great variety of special populations (i.e. war veterans, athletic injuries, consequences of various accidental traumas). I will also continue to utilize various neuroimaging modalities to further understand the mechanisms of psychopathology development and identification of brain and molecular treatment targets in variety of childhood and adolescent conditions that are characterized by impaired motivation and behavioral control.