For the Future of
Brain and
Behavioral
Health
The Campaign for NewYork-Presbyterian
For the Future of
The Campaign for NewYork-Presbyterian
One of the great exploratory journeys of 21st-century medical research is to explore the deep, fundamental connections between brain science and mind science. Every day we come to learn more and more about how neuroscience and behavioral health are integral parts of a greater whole. At NewYork-Presbyterian, we bring together the greatest talents in mental health with the most brilliant minds in the science of the brain to solve some of the mysteries that still elude us—finding and connecting the missing pieces to the story of how our brains and our minds function.
From autism to Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis to mental illness, and more, the answers to these conditions lie in pioneering research and the very best clinical care—research and care that must include all and reach all.
With your support, NewYork-Presbyterian will find the paradigm-shifting answers—and make sure they benefit every community we serve.
There has never been a more exciting time to be making a difference in this field.
This is a time when we can make generational advances that will shape the future of behavioral and brain science.
This is a time when we can dive deeper into the inner workings of the human brain.
This is a time when we can find the root causes of mental illness and develop new treatments.
This is a time when we can improve access to mental healthcare so that we can bring the most innovative, life-altering treatments to patients across New York City—and to the whole world.
This is a time when together, we can usher in a new age for the twin sciences of brain and behavioral health.
At NewYork-Presbyterian, we understand that the science of the brain and the science of the mind are deeply connected—and we know that the best way forward is for the world’s greatest minds in both sciences to work together in the same system. Alongside our Ivy League medical partners, NYP brings together one of the largest psychiatric footprints of any academic hospital, the latest advancements in neurosurgery, and state-of-the-art care for severe neurological conditions, including some of the most difficult and devastating brain cancers—all with a commitment to access, health justice, and caring for everyone at the heart.
We need people doing research in this field and then applying what we learn as quickly as possible. We don’t have to wait for a cure—we can improve quality of life, help people live longer, function better, and we can do those things now.”
Matthew E. Fink, MD
Neurologist-in-Chief, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Chair of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University
Louis and Gertrude Feil Professor in Clinical Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University
Professor of Clinical Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University
NYP’s school-based mental health programs are a beacon of light and hope. Our mental health providers are helping kids and supporting teachers. And they’re providing both treatment and education so mental health becomes less stigmatized.”
Warren Y.K. Ng, MD
Medical Director of Outpatient Behavioral Health and Director of Clinical Services for the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of the Children's Hospital of New York
Professor of Psychiatry at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia
Clinical Innovation Officer for NYP Behavioral Health Service Line
Research at the Leading Edge of Neurology
Patients from around the world seek out Columbia University and Weill Cornell Medicine neurologists and neurosurgeons at NYP for their expertise in the full range of common and complex disorders of the brain and spine. Skilled in the most advanced diagnostic and treatment approaches, our experts regularly lead clinical trials of the latest therapies available. We have a long history of groundbreaking work, from the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease to the world’s first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient.
The William Rhodes and Louise Tilzer-Rhodes Center for Glioblastoma
The Rhodes Center is a virtual center that spans four NYP campuses: Weill Cornell Medical Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NYP Queens, and NYP Brooklyn. As a leader in research, clinical care, and education in the treatment of this deadly cancer, the Rhodes Center brings together some of the best doctors in the world to collaborate, exchange knowledge, and consult on diagnosis and treatment.
Women’s Brain Initiative
Two out of three Alzheimer’s patients are women. The Women’s Brain Initiative (WBI) at Weill Cornell Medicine, founded by Lisa Mosconi, PhD, investigates sex-based molecular targets and precision therapies to prevent, delay, and minimize risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The WBI has already determined that a link exists between estrogen declines and increased Alzheimer’s risk in women. Right now, they are engaged in NIH-sponsored brain imaging research to more deeply investigate connections between female sex hormones, brain aging, and Alzheimer’s risk.
Neuro-ICUs
Our neurological intensive care units (neuro-ICUs) provide around-the-clock monitoring and specialized treatment for our most critically ill patients and are among the few in the world with dedicated scanners within each unit, enabling us to perform immediate imaging of the brain. We use specialized medical and surgical treatments to minimize immediate and delayed brain damage and maximize each patient’s chance of full recovery. The care available in these units can result in shorter stays in the hospital, faster healing, and better neurological outcomes.
Stroke Care
Taking action at the first signs of a stroke and seeking prompt treatment is vital. Our multiple Stroke Centers were among the earliest programs to be designated through New York State as Primary Stroke Centers. NYP Hospital is certified by The Joint Commission as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, the highest level of stroke certification a hospital can receive.
Center for Brain Health
Each year, the number of people with brain disease grows, as does the population over 65. To address this increased need, NYP, with doctors from Weill Cornell Medicine, is establishing the Center for Brain Health. This Center will advance medicine through groundbreaking research, prevention, and treatment of brain disease associated with aging.
Investment Priorities
Attract the greatest neurologists and neurosurgeons in the world to come work with us at NYP.
Continue to innovate in the areas of artificial intelligence and machine learning, harnessing the power of the world’s most advanced artificial brains to help us understand and identify problems with the greatest computer in existence: the human brain.
Guarantee that our visionary neurological programs at the Rhodes Center will remain the national leader in treating one of the most devastating forms of cancer.
Bring all of our tools and talent together to support prevention, diagnosis, and treatment that is more precise, customized, and patient-centered than ever before.
Create a new Center for Brain Health, which will expand our nationally leading Alzheimer’s prevention program, bringing the same level of care and expertise to a wide range of neurological diseases.
Make it possible for the latest and greatest advances in neuroscience to be available to all.
Never before have we made such rapid and significant progress for so many neurological conditions. Investing now in our extraordinary teams ensures even more dramatic breakthroughs will be available for you and your family when they need them most.”
E. Sander Connolly, Jr., MD
Byron Stookey Professor of Neurological Surgery, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Director, Cerebrovascular Research Laboratory
Neurosurgeon-in-Chief, New York Neurological Institute and New York Presbyterian/Columbia
Surgical Director, Neuro-Intensive Care Unit
Neil Rosenthal sitting in front of an open box of legos.
Neil
Neil Rosenthal is an energetic eight-year-old with a passion for Legos and an insatiable curiosity.
We were so touched by Dr. Souweidane’s caring attitude,” says mom Allyson Rosenthal. “The team was top-notch. They helped Neil return to his normal, joyous self, and I am forever grateful.”
Read Neil’s full story
Center for Autism and the Developing Brain
The Center for Autism and the Developing Brain (CADB) at NYP Westchester Behavioral Health serves patients of all ages, from 12 months to adulthood, who have autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other developmental challenges. Our multidisciplinary team includes some of the best minds in the world studying and treating ASDs, allowing us to leverage expertise in psychology, psychiatry, pediatrics, developmental pediatrics, speech and language pathology, and occupational therapy to provide the best possible treatment for every patient.
CADB is one of only five Autism Centers of Excellence in the country—a select group of leading institutions doing research on autism spectrum disorders.
Brooklyn Ambulatory Care and Inpatient Unit
In 2021, we opened the NYP Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Center for Community Health (CCH), the first new ambulatory care building built in Brooklyn in 40 years, and the largest in the borough. The CCH has helped us build upon our role as a cornerstone of care in Brooklyn and has established a new standard of outpatient care in the community, integrating behavioral health and primary care services and offering Brooklyn residents access to a wide selection of innovative services in one location, without the need to leave their borough.
Center for Youth Mental Health
The Center for Youth Mental Health (CYMH) brings together psychiatrists from Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons to work together on leading-edge research, state-of-the-art treatment, and powerful education programs. Since opening in 2013, we have provided treatment to children who need it, no matter their background. With support from philanthropy, we have been able to offer more than 250,000 specialized treatment sessions to patients across New York City and the tri-state area.
The youth mental health crisis presents new challenges for healthcare providers, and CYMH has the experience and expertise to be a leader during this critical time.
Westchester Behavioral Health
NYP is opening a state-of-the-art outpatient behavioral health center for children and adolescents at NYP Westchester Behavioral Health Center. Today, there is an acute youth mental health crisis—the center fills an urgent need, providing a welcoming, healing environment where we can stabilize and diagnose young people in crisis and connect them with ongoing care.
The new center will also house critical and innovative programs, including an educational program for both parents and future physicians, to create a lasting impact on the behavioral health landscape throughout greater New York. We are also significantly increasing our inpatient bed capacity as we make a major commitment to addressing the mental health crisis.
NYP Enterprise Emergency Telepsychiatry Program
In 2023 we launched the Telepsychiatry Program, making emergency psychiatry services available to more children in need across New York City and beyond. With this new program, pediatric patients seen in our Emergency Departments across the NYP enterprise—including our regional hospitals—receive psychiatric evaluations and assessments to determine the best plan of care for them.
The pediatric telepsychiatry service is available to patients seven days a week. By virtualizing and regionalizing our behavioral health services to adapt to our diverse patient population, we will improve accessibility, decrease stigma, and increase mental health awareness.
Investment Priorities
Guarantee an environment that will draw the world’s best behavioral health talent to NYP.
Find new ways to employ artificial intelligence in behavioral healthcare, especially in helping patients track symptoms and access treatments.
Utilize neuroimaging to link brain activity to mental health.
Ensure that the Center for Youth Mental Health has all the resources it needs to face the growing child/adolescent mental health crisis.
Utilize telemedicine to connect with patients where they are and make psychology and psychiatry more accessible.
Integrate our mental health services into public schools and across our pediatric programs to ensure we reach more young people—especially those too often missed by large hospitals and by mental and behavioral health programs—where they are with the care they need.
Develop a new app to better support patients and their families throughout their journeys to health and wellness, as well as to educate and train physicians.
Ensure that the treatments we develop in behavioral health are available to all.
We have a broad array of services that are unique in the sense that we do treat people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. We take care of the full spectrum of diagnoses and treatments. Our clinical care is anchored in a true academic community—whether that’s research or education. We train the next generation with a very strong science base. It touches most areas in the field of psychiatry. ...That’s what makes this community special.”
Philip J. Wilner, MD, MBA
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center
President and Chief Executive Officer of Gracie Square Hospital
Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine
Hear from patients who have received care from NewYork-presbyterian:
I have been a patient in the outpatient clinic since 2009. I now know why NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has such a wonderful reputation ... It is very difficult to find this dedicated kind of care today, especially during these challenging times.”
Thank you for the exceptional care you have given my daughter ... Throughout her stay she was treated with sensitivity, understanding, and caring. You created for her a warm and safe environment while simultaneously challenging her to go beyond her comfort level in order to grow ... It was a great relief to know that she was in the care of dedicated and skilled professionals.”
My experience in rehab was very helpful, and I met some really extraordinary people (both staff and patients) who I was very impressed by. I am over 60 days sober thanks to my sincere intentions and the help I received at the NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center.”
People who are unsure how to find help, and people with neurological conditions that the best doctors still struggle to understand, will be able to find the care they are looking for—the life-saving, life-changing care everyone deserves.
Together, we can help them. Together, we can change lives.
With your support, we can solve some of the most fundamental mysteries of the mind and brain.
We can treat mental health issues in ways that would have seemed like science fiction just a few years ago. We can make sure that everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, can find solutions at NYP or in their neighborhoods to challenging conditions of the brain and the mind.
Join us, and help us to bring relief to millions of people who are suffering alone.
For every patient facing a life-changing diagnosis.
For every physician who wants to help their patients live their best lives.
For every innovative researcher trying to use the latest tools of today to create the solutions of tomorrow.
