GREENWICH CHILD - Key Persons
Andrea Wegner, PhD, has been a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at the Wilkins Center for over 23 years. She treats both adolescents and adults with anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive overeating. Her therapeutic approach utilizes cognitive behavioral, humanistic, and psychodynamic styles.
Dr. Wegner earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Oberlin College and her Doctorate Degree from New York University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Adult Psychiatry
- Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University
David Greenfeld, MD, is the Director of Adult Psychiatry and joined the Wilkins Center team over 10 years ago as a noted physician, teacher, author, and speaker. Dr. Greenfeld has dedicated more than 30 years to advancing the treatment of people with psychiatric problems, including eating disorders.
Dr. Greenfeld is a Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University. He served as the Head of the Adolescent and Young Adult Treatment Unit at Yale, New Haven. He was awarded the prestigious Nancy C.A. Roeske Award of Excellence in Medical Student Education by the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Greenfeld's numerous articles are published in peer-reviewed medical journals. He is a former member of the American College of Psychiatrists.
Dr. Mickley is an internationally-recognized expert in treating people with eating disorders and weight control issues. She founded Wilkins Center in 1982, and has provided highly effective, highly personalized care to over 8,000 individuals - helping them overcome the devastating effects of eating disorders and lead healthier lives.
Over the years, Dr. Mickley has received a number of awards for her outstanding leadership and contributions to her profession and community. She is the recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Clinician of the Year award from the Academy for Eating Disorders.
She received the "Woman of Inspiration Award" from the American Anorexia and Bulimia Association for advancing the treatment of eating disorders through clinical research, hands-on treatment, and organizational leadership. She was the recipient of the National Eating Disorders Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Mickley was also honored with the Greenwich YWCA's BRAVA Award.
Job Titles:
- Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Member of the American Academy of Child
Dr. Ayotunde Ayobello is the Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is a Yale-trained Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, having done his Adult Psychiatry Residency at the Yale University School of Medicine as well as his Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center. While at Yale, he was awarded the Arthur P. Gold Award for Humanism and Excellence in Teaching and subsequently inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society, which recognizes excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion and dedication to service.
Dr. Ayobello has a personal background as an elite athlete, having played power forward/center on the Crimea State Basketball Team from 2008-2014, giving him unique understanding of psychological parameters in children and adolescents involved in competitive athletics.
Dr. Ayobello is also an award-winning oil painter. He was awarded Best in Show by the National Arts Foundation for his work, "Contemplation". He received a Yale Poorvu Center Grant in support of the development of an art project for trainees at the Yale Child Study Center. He has particular expertise in figurative and surrealist paintings with psychiatric/psychological under themes.
Dr. Ayobello is a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association. He is a native speaker of English and Yoruba, and also fluent in Russian.
Dr. Ayobello sees patients by appointment, and can be reached at Greenwich Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 203-531-1030.
Dr. Elisa Mambrino is a psychologist licensed in Connecticut and in New York, respectively. She completed the Marie Kessel Postdoctoral Fellowship (supervised by Neuropsychologist Alice Medalia, Ph.D.) in the Department of Psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Mambrino also completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Yale University School of Medicine's Child Study Center.
In 2003, Dr. Mambrino received her Ph.D. from Columbia University's Teachers College in School Psychology, a program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Mambrino completed an APA-accredited, pre-doctoral internship in Clinical Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology at Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan. For three consecutive years prior to that, she was a clinical trainee in the Neuropsychological Assessment Service at New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH), Weill Cornell Westchester Division. Additional clinical training included a consecutive two-year clinical externship on the Adolescent Unit at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Rose F. Kennedy Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) in New York City.
In her training as part of multidisciplinary hospital-based treatment teams, Dr. Mambrino performed neuropsychological assessments (often with projectives) in a variety of hospital settings for patients across age groups (i.e., school age children through older adults): Outpatient clinics, day hospital, day treatment, locked inpatient psychiatric units, inpatient spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation settings as well as an outpatient hospital-based rehabilitation clinic.
As part of her other training, Dr. Mambrino received supervised clinical training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Rose F. Kennedy Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) in New York City. She administered individual psychotherapy as well as group psychotherapy to adolescent outpatients at CERC. Training and experience in individual and group treatment within a CBT modality additionally included features of psychodynamic and family systems theory.
At New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) Westchester Division, Dr. Mambrino co-led an outpatient weekly psychotherapy group for fourth- and fifth-grade boys. The children were referred to the group, secondary to an ADHD diagnosis. Note that this weekly outpatient psychotherapy group was pet-assisted by certified therapy dogs, who were all graduates of a formal training program provided by a private foundation. One certified therapy dog (accompanied by a corresponding owner-handler) attended each of these outpatient group sessions. The certified therapy dogs represented a variety of purebreds, ranging widely from a Miniature Poodle to an Irish Wolfhound.
On the inpatient units at Mount Sinai, Dr. Mambrino provided bedside supportive psychotherapy to patients and conducted family sessions. She also was a co-therapist for an inpatient brain injury group devoted to cognitive remediation. With regard to outpatients at Mount Sinai, Dr. Mambrino was a co-therapist for an outpatient psychotherapy group plus cognitive remediation with adults who were six-to-12 months post injury.
Dr. Mambrino also has experience in aspects of research. During her Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale, Dr. Mambrino completed the NIMH Research Seminar in Childhood Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Plus, she received clinical training and was the Project Director for a randomized clinical trial of a cognitive-behavioral intervention conducted in the State of Connecticut's Judicial Branch Court Support Services Division. At NYPH, Dr. Mambrino was appointed as the Research Coordinator for a randomized, double blind comparison of the time course in two extended-release oral delivery systems of methylphenidate given to school-age children diagnosed with ADHD. Finally, over nearly the past 20 years, Dr. Mambrino has also maintained a particular professional interest in the neurocognitive and social-cognitive aspects of expository essay writing skill acquisition in children, adolescents and young adults.
Please note that Dr. Mambrino's professional qualifications, experience and or interests include but are not necessarily limited to those described in this bio.
Job Titles:
- Director of Psychopharmacology
Dr. Marianne Wudarsky joins us with decades of expertise in the care of children and adolescents with behavioral difficulties as well as major psychiatric illness.
She is sophisticated in the treatment of ADHD and related behavioral and emotional dysregulation, learning issues, anxiety and depression, OCD, trauma and social deficits.
Dr. Wudarsky has provided direct patient care, run comprehensive programs, done research, and trained young psychiatrists. Her particular focus is the management of psychiatric medication, as well as the assessment of acute situations and planning of treatment.
Dr. Wudarsky comes from Klingberg Family Centers in New Britain and Hartford, CT, where she served as Medical Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Services. Prior to that she treated child and adolescent girls and boys at the Solnit Children's Center in Middletown CT. She spent over a decade supervising fellows in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Yale Child Study Center. Her prior experience also includes time as Medical Director of the Out-Patient Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger Institute at the Sheppard Pratt Hospital in Baltimore, MD then Medical Director for the Inpatient Child Psychiatry Unit at Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health in Rockville, MD.
Dr. Wudarsky received a PhD in Immunology and Cell Biology from Stony Brook School of Basic Health Science, which informs her deep understanding of the workings of psychiatric medication. Her MD is from the Stony Brook School of Medicine. She did her residency in General Psychiatry at Yale and her fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at University of California, San Diego. Following this she did research at the National Institute of Mental Health, Child Psychiatry Branch, working on immunological contributions to OCD related to infections. Dr. Wudarsky has practiced in venues, often as leader, with teams of mental health professionals from fields including psychology, psychological testing, occupational and recreational therapy. This provided opportunities for a comprehensive approach to patients that enabled long-lasting change.
Asked to provide a comment on her personal interests, Dr. Wudarsky offers:
"When not exercising and enjoying the athleticism of my two standard poodles, I pretend that I am writing poetry!"
Job Titles:
- Director of Men 's Services
James Wegner, PhD has been a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at the Wilkins Center for over 20 years. He treats adolescents and adults with eating disorders and has a special interest in males with anorexia and bulimia. Dr. Wegner has expertise in neuropsychological testing. His therapeutic approach uses interpersonal and cognitive behavioral approaches for the treatment of eating disorders.
Dr. Wegner earned his undergraduate degree from the City University of New York at Queens College and his Masters and Doctorate Degrees in Clinical Psychology from St. John's University. He has published over 30 articles in peer-reviewed psychiatry and psychology journals.
Pearl Berger, LCSW, MSW is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in psychotherapy for people of all ages with eating disorders and a wide range of emotional difficulties. Ms. Berger has an extensive background in working with adolescents on building self-esteem and utilizes a variety of techniques designed to address each child's unique needs. With adolescents and young adults, she works collaboratively in setting goals and empowers them to achieve success and happiness. Ms Berger has a gentle and compassionate manner that invites participation and growth.
Ms Berger earned her Masters of Social Work degree from Fordham University. She is an advocate for her profession and a spokeswoman in local news media. Ms. Berger is a member of the National Eating Disorders Association and the National Association of Social Workers.