Giselle Appel, MD student
My current research focuses on utilizing psychodynamic theory to inform better care that patients receive in both hospital-based and community settings, as well as for the physicians who treat them. I study medicine and applied to psychiatry residency for the 2025 match.
My chief clinical interests reside in the patient-physician relationship and object relations theory. I believe in the power of the therapeutic alliance and the holding environment - consisting of empathy, patience, and active listening - to best help guide a patient toward an understanding of their symptoms, their medical care, and ultimately their healing. Some of my academic curiosities involve addiction and transplant psychiatry, as well as the landscape of psychedelic medications for treatment-resistant addiction and depression, particularly the ethics surrounding implementation.
The most significant gratification in my work is drawn from directly engaging with those in my community surrounding their psychiatric and medical needs, especially those underserved, marginalized, or misled in their care.
Organizational Member:
American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychoanalytic Association, Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, and the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Education
MD Student, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA
Post-baccalaureate Premedical, Columbia University, New York, NY
AB Psychology, Barnard College, New York, NY