Nick grew up in Brooklyn, NY, curious and inspired by his older sister – an SLP for children with autism. He received his B.S. in Psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he accidentally stumbled into the engaging worlds of dance, acting, and improv. Joining a troupe of 20 talented individuals opened new paths towards collaboration, listening, and “presence” – reinforcing the unique relationship between motion and emotion. The struggles of his peers motivated him to join CHILL as a mental health and wellness educator, guiding college students dealing with stress, depression, and thoughts of suicide. Knowing child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) could balance these interests seamlessly, he earned his D.O. as valedictorian at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM). While on campus, he focused on dismantling mental health stigma in his medical school peers as Vice President of the PsychSIGN LMU-DCOM branch, earning a spot in the inaugural Gold Humanism Honor Society class. During his third year, he created a model CAP rotation working with underprivileged children in state custody. He completed his adult psychiatry residency training at the Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital, where his world was enriched with a biopsychosocial-cultural lens as his passion for teaching developed. Through his training at the Yale Child Study Center – Solnit South track and beyond, he hopes to keep addressing stigma, promote health equity, and alter the trajectory of our youth’s lives. Though focused on transitional age populations, first-break psychosis, ASD, OCD, the role of dance/movement therapy and nutrition, he’s also committed to medical student/trainee education, weaving in humanities through role-play. He uses poetry and (a)pizza to process his experiences, while returning to the well of physicality from undergrad, channeling his waning dance skills, sharpening his attempts at improv, and finding new ways to keep fit whether in-home or getting lost on a hiking trail!