The Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce the relaunch of the Aaron Stern, M.D., Ph.D. Program in Psychodynamic Psychiatry and the appointment of Alyson Gorun, M.D., as Acting Director and Norman Greenberg, M.D., as the Psychodynamic Psychiatry Fellow, effective July 1, 2026.
Established in 2019 through a generous donation from Aaron Stern, M.D., Ph.D., and Betty Lee Stern, the program was created to develop psychodynamic methods for treating personality disorders. Dr. Stern, who was a distinguished psychoanalyst, educator, consultant and author of the influential book “The Narcissistic American,” played an active role in the program's early development through teaching and collaboration with faculty and trainees.
Under its renewed vision, the Stern Program will expand access and utilization of psychodynamic principles in education, clinical care and research across medical specialties. Complex patient interactions can be among the most meaningful and high-impact moments in clinical care. Psychodynamic approaches provide valuable tools for understanding and managing these interactions effectively, yet training in this approach has been waning in modern psychiatry residency programs. Through education, interdisciplinary collaboration and research, the program aims to advance these concepts across psychiatry and other medical disciplines.
Together, Drs. Gorun and Greenberg will help guide the program's next phase of growth, building on its strong foundation to advance our longstanding commitment to excellence in psychodynamic psychiatry.
Dr. Gorun is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and serves as Associate Training Director and Director of Psychotherapy in the Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program. In these roles, she has developed innovative psychodynamic curricula for psychiatry residents and holds national leadership roles in psychotherapy education. As Acting Director, she will oversee the program's strategic direction and the Aaron Stern, M.D., Ph.D. Distinguished Visiting Professorship.
Dr. Greenberg completed his psychiatry residency at Weill Cornell Medicine, where he served as Chief Resident. His academic work focuses on improving psychiatric care through the education of psychiatry residents and other medical practitioners. As Psychodynamic Psychiatry Fellow, he will contribute to advancing the program's educational and scholarly mission, with a focus on integrating psychodynamic approaches into clinical training and interdisciplinary care.
The renewed Stern Program will continue to grow key initiatives such as the Aaron Stern, M.D., Ph.D. Distinguished Visiting Professorship while creating new opportunities for interdisciplinary education, scholarship and collaboration.