Sharon Batista, MD

Dr. Sharon M. Batista, MD, undertook her undergraduate studies at Harvard University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Biological Anthropology in 2002.  She then attended Mount Sinai School of Medicine, obtaining her MD in 2006 and stayed on in the Department of Psychiatry as both a resident and chief resident, graduating from the residency in 2010.  Dr. Batista completed a fellowship in Psychosomatic Psychiatry at New York University in 2011, and is now a member of the faculty at the Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs [CMCA] as Associate Director for Recruitment and Retention as well as the Department of Psychiatry as Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry.  Together with the faculty and staff of CMCA, Dr. Batista is involved in mentoring programs to encourage under-represented minority students to pursue careers in science and medicine, as well as serves as a resource for current medical students at the School of Medicine.  In addition to her responsibilities at CMCA, Dr. Batista continues her clinical work in the local community as an attending psychiatrist at the Center for Comprehensive Health Practice, a family-oriented treatment program for persons affected by addictions as well as medical illnesses.  Dr. Batista’s private practice is focused on the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders in adults with a specific emphasis on cognitive behavior therapy.

Dr. Batista’s research and clinical interests are focused on understanding the relationships between mental illness, especially including addictive disorders, and severe and complex medical illness.  Her work in these fields began during her medical training and psychiatric residency at Mount Sinai and while still a resident she began to publish in this area.  Together with her mentor, Dr. Mary Ann Cohen, she has authored a book chapter in the Comprehensive Textbook of AIDS Psychiatry (Oxford University Press, 2007), and an ethics article in Psychosomatics (2007) entitled “DNR Versus DNT: Clinical Implications of a Conceptual Ambiguity.”  Most recently, she was one of seven authors of a guide for clinicians working with HIV-positive patients, the Handbook of AIDS Psychiatry (Oxford University Press, 2010). Dr. Batista has also given a poster presentation for a project she conducted during her residency entitled “Survey of Current Practice Regarding Marijuana Abuse in Liver Transplantation Patients Prior to Transplantation” at the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine 2008 Annual Meeting.  It was for this project that she was awarded funding from the American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education/Janssen Resident Psychiatric Research Scholar Award from 2009 through 2010.  In May of 2012, Dr. Batista will be presenting a symposium at the American Psychiatric Association’s Annual Meeting entitled “Trauma, PTSD, and HIV: Psychodynamic and Educational Approaches to Adherence in a Community Medical Setting.”