Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellows

Our Current Fellows

Ben Swanson, DO
Hometown: Pittsburgh
Undergraduate: Michigan State University
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine - Seton Hill
Residency: Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Academic Interests: Consult/liaison, education, inpatient psychiatry, first episode psychosis, catatonia, play therapy
Hobbies: Reading, cello, movies, cooking, family time
Favorite Quote: “It’s still magic even if you know how it's done.” -Terry Pratchett
Comfort Foods: Pizza, popcorn, keema matar
Why Children's National? The staff and fellows were inviting, encouraging and interested in knowing what I wanted from a program and how we could best match each other. Children's National has delivered lots of support and collegiality while fostering a strong base in both therapy and pharmacology and letting me pursue my interests at a higher level.
Accolades: Dr. Swanson received Resident Teacher of the Year from Penn State Health Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. He has previously been awarded a grant to promote Faculty Wellness at Penn State Health. He has presented workshops at AADPRT and AACAP.

Alexandra Yoon, MD
Hometown: Korea
Undergraduate: College of William and Mary
Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School
Residency: George Washington University
Academic Interests: Family-based integrated care, medical education, psychodynamic therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, transitional age youth, college students, Asian American mental health, women's mental health, cross-cultural psychiatry, community psychiatry
Hobbies: Running, pilates, drawing
Favorite Quote: “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.” - Alan Alexander Milne
Comfort Foods: Cold brew and cookies
Why Children's National? As a resident at George Washington University, I rotated at Children’s National. Children’s National provides comprehensive education with warm support to promote both personal and professional growth. I believe that the program provides culturally sensitive training to care for people with diverse backgrounds and opportunities for my passion and interest. I am excited to serve as the outpatient chief fellow this year. At George Washington University, I developed an interest in cross-cultural and community psychiatry. I was an awardee and the Vice Chair of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Foundation/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Minority Fellowship Program for 2021-2023, where I worked with community leaders and Korean-American parents and youth to promote mental health literacy and youth suicide prevention. I have a strong interest in psychotherapy and its role in patient care and family-based integrated care. I have been working with Dr. Zlotnik, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) specialist, on improving DBT training at Children's National Hospital, and completed combined Child and Adolescent and Adult Psychoanalytic Fellowship Programs at the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis.
Accolades: Dr. Yoon is passionate about medical education. She has presented and published papers, written journal/newspaper articles and presented posters at psychiatric conferences. She is actively engaged in various committee work at the APA, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and at Children’s National Hospital. She has been working on developing a didactics curriculum, educational research and mentorship program. At her residency program, she was awarded the Resident Teaching Award of Excellence. Dr. Yoon won the 2023 APA Medical Student/Resident Poster Competition, a prestigious award given to five trainees for their significant contributions to the advancement of psychiatry. Dr. Yoon is appointed to serve as a corresponding member of the APA's Council on Medical Education and Lifelong Learning for 2023-2024.

Michael Sexton, MBChB, MPA
Hometown: Woking, UK
Undergraduate: University of Birmingham, UK
Medical School: University of Birmingham, UK
Residency: University of Maryland (PGY1), George Washington University (PGY2 & 3)
Academic Interests: Trauma, working with children within the foster care system, psychotherapy, education
Hobbies: Spending time with my wife and two boys; playing and watching soccer.
Favorite Quote: “We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
Comfort Food: Pizza
Why Children's National? I spent four months at Children’s National as a resident and absolutely loved it. I found that high quality education was baked into the culture, I was given great support along with significant autonomy, and I worked alongside others who cared deeply about the well-being of children and each other.
Accolades: Michael worked for the UK National Health Service as an emergency medicine physician before moving to Rwanda where he worked as a physician educator for Partners in Health. He then moved to the United States to undertake a Master’s in International Development at Harvard Kennedy School and subsequently worked as a health specialist at the World Bank where he oversaw the Ebola Emergency Response Project in Sierra Leone. Having sorely missed direct patient interaction, he decided to return to clinical medicine.

Nikki Steinsiek, MD, MPH
Hometown: Ashland, OR
Undergraduate: Colorado College
Medical School: Oregon Health & Science University
Residency: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Academic Interests: Health policy and advocacy, social justice and equity, autism and developmental disorders, early childhood
Hobbies: Biking, running, paddle boarding, skiing, painting, playing guitar, reading
Favorite Quote: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Comfort Food: Cado ice cream
Why Children's National? Emphasis on health policy and advocacy
Accolades: Dr. Steinsiek has been the recipient of various awards related to education, grants and honors including membership in Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA). Her passion and interest in advocacy have led to her involvement at the regional and national level while in residency and in fellowship. She has been an APA/APAF Leadership Fellow 2021-2023 and currently serves as the Washington Psychiatric Society Resident Fellow member representative.

Scott Abrahamson, MD, MS
Hometown: Long Island, NY
Undergraduate: The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at the City College of New York (CUNY)
Medical School: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
Residency: Albany Medical Center
Academic Interests: Advocacy, early intervention and prevention, behavioral health integration
Hobbies: Cooking, soccer, cricket, listening to music, playing guitar
Favorite Quote: “When in doubt, do something.” - Harry Chapin
Comfort Foods: Shakshuka, chicken soup, and shnitzel
Why Children's National? Firstly, the faculty at Children's National are incredibly caring and invested in fellows' education and development. Being in D.C. is definitely a strength of the program with regards to resources and opportunities for advocacy and involvement in national organizations; as well as there being lots to do outside of the hospital as well – including cultural experiences you'll only find here.
Accolades: While in residency, Dr. Abrahamson was actively engaged in advocating for peers and patients, as well as for psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry at various levels of governance. Within his residency program's sponsoring institution, he sat on multiple committees relating to physician/staff wellness and safety, as well engaging in quality improvement and leadership development programs within the hospital system. He was additionally involved in psychiatric evaluations for those applying for asylum within the United States. At the levels of state and federal government he was involved in advocating for policies to improve the mental health of children, adolescents and adults, including twice attending the AACAP legislative conference.

Sabihul Alam, MD, JD
Hometown: Ashland, OR
Undergraduate: NYC & Toronto University of Toronto
Medical School: American University of Antigua
Residency: Richmond University Medical Center
Academic Interests: Forensic psychiatry, advocacy/health policy
Hobbies: Reading, running, hiking, philosophy, art, stand-up comedy
Favorite Quote: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” - Barack Obama
Comfort Food: Chocolate ice cream
Why Children's National? Children’s National provided a perfect combination of the things I valued in a training program including academic and evidence-based teaching, focus on psychotherapy, and unique opportunities for advocacy among other things. I also felt that a prominent children’s hospital in a large metropolitan area would be the ideal environment to continue my training where I would be exposed to a diverse patient population with a multitude of psychiatric and medical pathologies.
Accolades: Dr. Alam obtained a J.D. degree from St. John’s University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Journal and also received several awards; he is a licensed attorney in New York. During residency, he obtained the Resident Teaching Award to exemplify his dedication to teaching and education. He also served as the Vice President of the House Staff Association while in residency. Additionally, he was on the Quality Improvement committee and his QI projects focused on improving voluntary admissions and increasing treatment access for patients with substance use disorders.

Khushbu Gandhi, DO
Hometown: Wellington, New Zealand
Undergraduate: Rutgers University
Medical School: Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Lehigh Valley Health Network
Academic Interests: School-based mental health, consultation models, college mental health, first-break psychosis, teaching/academics
Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends, dancing, reading, watching movies
Favorite Quote: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”
Comfort Foods: Fries! Anything potato related.
Why Children's National? The people! On my interview day, it was clear to see how dedicated and supportive the faculty and staff were, which was important to me. Additionally, I was impressed by the wide array of opportunities and exposures during the two years of fellowship. Being able to serve a variety of children and their families, each with their own unique story, was also important to me, therefore Children's National, who serves the greater DMV area seemed like the perfect choice.
Accolades: Dr. Gandhi has been a recipient of several awards that highlight her commitment to education and clinical care that include: Resident Achievement Award, Thank A Resident Award, and Medical Student Resident Teacher of the Year Award in Psychiatry while at Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Janeni Nayagan, MD
Hometown: Pittsburgh
Undergraduate: Temple University
Medical School: Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Residency: Cooper University Hospital
Academic Interests: Medical education, immigrant and refugee health, narrative medicine
Hobbies: Singing, dancing, food (both making it and eating it), painting, pop culture, reading, exploring the city and spending time with loved ones
Favorite Quote: “The wrong train can take you to the right station.”
Comfort Foods: Kothu roti, veggie pho, and my homemade banana bread
Why Children's National? To me, pursuing healthcare as a career is incomplete without advocacy. When interviewing for fellowships, Children's National appeared to have my ideal combination of clinical and academic training with guidance in how to direct this training to make meaningful impact both with my patients and beyond. I was inspired by the faculty's commitment to clinical excellence coupled by enthusiasm to spur change in our system and hope to be able to incorporate this in my efforts to be a well-rounded physician and human being. In addition to this, the people in this program are friendly, and this program allows me to train in a city of tenacity and passion. We get to serve communities that are diverse on multiple levels, allowing for exposure to a wide range of people and stories. I look forward to learning from all of them.
Accolades: Dr. Nayagan has a Bachelor of Science from Temple University in Philadelphia with a minor in Sociology of Health. She was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society as a medical student in 2020, and subsequently was awarded an Excellence in Teaching Award as a resident for her efforts in medical student education.

Shivani Patel, DO, MS
Hometown: Voorhees, NJ
Undergraduate: Case Western Reserve University
Medical School: Kansas City University
Residency: Kansas City University
Academic Interests: Addiction, eating disorders
Hobbies: Cooking/eating, spin cycle
Favorite Quote: “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
Comfort Foods: Pizza, sweet potato fries, nachos
Why Children's National? Robust consult service, location, elective opportunities
Accolades: Between her time tutoring medical students, additional training in education as an appointed Residents as Teacher scholar and organizing symposiums on suicide prevention, Dr. Patel as made a clear impact in her work as a clinical educator.

Micah Park, MD
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Undergraduate: Emory University
Medical School: UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine
Residency: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center - Lubbock
Academic Interests: Gun violence, school shootings, forensic psychiatry, psychiatric education
Hobbies: Hiking, playing drums, true crime documentaries, classical music, movies
Favorite Quote: “At a cardiac arrest, the first procedure is to take your own pulse.” - House of God
Comfort Foods: Vietnamese pho, Japanese ramen, Chick-fil-A, Texas BBQ
Why Children's National? I chose Children’s National Hospital for its curriculum in advocacy, exposure to DBT and eating disorders, supportive faculty and the location!
Accolades: During residency, Dr. Park served as the resident representative to the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians. She has also been involved in research pursuits with focuses on mass homicide and education and training. Dr. Park was also recently awarded the Lamber Pilot Grant with a focus on looking at ADHD and recidivism in the emergency room.