Shanicka Reynolds, MD

I was raised in Bloomfield, CT, a suburb right outside of Hartford. I decided in high school that my career would center around the coolest thing I read on Wikipedia- the brain. I knew at that time that I wanted to work closely with people, so I combined my love of the brain, science, and helping others and decided at a young age to pursue neurology.After graduating from Bloomfield High, I attended the University of Connecticut where I (spoiler alert) was initially a physiology and neurobiology major but found myself drawn to psychology and switched majors. At UConn, my research focused on understanding effort related behaviors in depression and treatments that would target motivation. After graduating, I attended a post-baccalaureate program and spent time working at a physical therapy office until I attended Quinnipiac University School of Medicine. I continued to conduct research, this time focused on epilepsy and psychiatric co-morbidities and side effects of anti-seizure medications all while still pursuing neurology. However, as medical school progressed, I noticed that what I loved most was speaking with patients, hearing, and validating them, and diving into their past while helping them prepare to handle their current reality. Neurology residency began and I continued to think of my career. I found myself gravitating more towards patients with psychiatric illness and their stories. When I envisioned my day-to-day life, I knew that psychiatry would be the best fit for me and I decided to go for it.Since I have arrived at psychiatry as my foundation, I am currently in the process of learning my specific interests. Throughout my life, community focused work has always filled my cup and I know that it will be a large portion of my career as a psychiatrist. My interest outside of psychiatry include trying new restaurants and foods with friends, relaxing with my two cats, learning how to keep plants alive, pottery, traveling (my last trip was to South Korea for the amazing food!), aerial hoop, and sewing what I hope will be wearable clothing.