The mission of the Aaron Stern M.D., Ph.D. Program in Psychodynamic Psychiatry is to increase access to and utilization of psychodynamic psychiatry concepts and approaches in education, clinical care and research across all medical specialties. The program is dedicated to extending the use of psychodynamic approaches beyond psychiatry into other disciplines in medicine, with the goal of enhancing clinical understanding, strengthening the therapeutic alliance and improving patient outcomes. Established through the generous philanthropy of Aaron Stern, M.D., Ph.D., and Betty Lee Stern, the program builds upon Weill Cornell Medicine Psychiatry’s longstanding tradition of excellence in psychodynamic psychiatry. This approach has demonstrated particular efficacy in the treatment of complex conditions, including personality disorders, and remains a vital component of contemporary medical practice.
Mission and Goals of the Program
Psychodynamic approaches are essential for understanding and managing complex patient interactions and are associated with improved patient outcomes and greater physician satisfaction. Yet these principles remain underutilized in clinical care, particularly outside of psychiatry, and are often insufficiently emphasized in residency training, including within many psychiatry programs.
This gap presents a meaningful opportunity to reshape how physicians across all specialties are trained to engage with patients. Integrating psychodynamic thinking into everyday medical practice can strengthen therapeutic relationships, improve the quality of care and enhance physician well-being. It also opens the door to innovative research to better understand and evaluate the impact of psychodynamic principles across diverse clinical settings beyond traditional psychotherapy.
The Aaron Stern, M.D., Ph.D. Program in Psychodynamic Psychiatry is dedicated to advancing this vision by developing innovative educational and clinical initiatives and by generating new research to define and measure their impact across disciplines.
Components of the Program
Acting Director of the Aaron Stern, M.D., Ph.D. Program in Psychodynamic Psychiatry
Alyson Gorun, M.D.
Aaron Stern, M.D., Ph.D. Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Psychodynamic Psychiatry
Norman Greenberg, M.D.
The Aaron Stern, M.D., Ph.D. Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Psychodynamic Psychiatry
Invited visiting professors teach faculty, trainees and staff on topics related to psychodynamic psychiatry as part of a department-wide symposium.
Distinguished Visiting Professors:
Diana Diamond, Ph.D.
“Treating Pathological Narcissism with Transference Focused Psychotherapy”
Susan Vaughan, M.D.
“Psychodynamics 2.0: Thoughts on revitalizing psychodynamic training and treatment within psychiatry through integration of psychodynamic principles with ideas and findings from allied fields”
Eric Plakun, M.D.
“A Psychodynamic Perspective on the Difficult Patient”
Richard Hersh, M.D.
“Applied Transference Focused Psychotherapy: How It Developed and Why It Matters Now”
Psychoanalytic Model of the Mind Video Series
Educational videos created by Dr. Betsy Auchincloss, the former Aaron Stern M.D., Ph.D. Professor in Psychodynamic Psychiatry, aimed at advancing the training and education of psychodynamic approaches to treat personality disorders.