Staff

CECC Staff

The Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence is one of two research centers designated by the New York State Office of Mental Health to investigate and disseminate best practices in the delivery of culturally competent mental health services to underserved populations who are affected by cultural and linguistic barriers.

Roberto Lewis-Fernández, MD – Director

Roberto Lewis-Fernández, MD has authored a body of research focusing on developing clinical interventions and novel service-delivery approaches to help overcome disparities in the care of underserved cultural groups.  

Neil Krishan Aggarwal, Research Psychiatrist

Neil Krishan Aggarwal is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and a Research Psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. As a cultural psychiatrist, his interests are in the clinical and forensic constructions of culture within mental health services. At the Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence, he conducts clinical research on the Cultural Formulation Interview whose development he contributed to as an advisor to the DSM-5 Cross-Cultural Issues Subgroup. Neil Krishan Aggarwal’s research focus is cross-cultural diagnostic assessment and treatment planning with racial and ethnic minorities in mental health...

Peter Lam, Data Manager / Analyst

Peter Lam earned a BA from Binghamton University in 2007 and an MPH from Columbia University in 2013.

Ana Stefancic, PhD – Associate Research Scientist

Ana Stefancic has over 15 years of experience researching the effectiveness of housing and support services for individuals who have experienced homelessness, psychiatric disabilities, substance abuse, and chronic medical conditions. Current projects include a randomized clinical trial examining the implementation and effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle intervention for supportive housing participants, as well as identifying the underlying mechanisms of peer-delivered...

Amanda G. Cruz, MS – Research Assistant

Amanda G. Cruz, a McNair Research Scholar raised in Bronx, New York joined the CECC in July of 2017 as a Research Assistant. As of May 2019, she became an accomplished Masters graduate in Psychology with distinction. Upon graduating with a BS in Psychology and a minor in English, she received the Francis T. M. Mahoney Baccalaureate Scholarship Award in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Many training experiences have aided Ms. Cruz in exploring her research interests throughout her studies, such...