AHN Appoints Ewurama Sackey, MD, as Medical Director of Maternal-Infant Mental Health

Ewurama Sackey, MD, a psychiatrist with clinical expertise in child and adolescent psychiatry and parent-child mental health, has joined Allegheny Health Network (AHN) as medical director for the Maternal-Infant Mental Health program within the Women's Behavioral Health (WBH) program.

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Ewurama Sackey, MD, a psychiatrist with clinical expertise in child and adolescent psychiatry and parent-child mental health, has joined Allegheny Health Network (AHN) as medical director for the Maternal-Infant Mental Health program within the Women's Behavioral Health (WBH) program.

Dr. Sackey joins AHN following a child and adolescent fellowship program at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where she trained in pediatric psychopathology, psychopharmacology, parent training, and individual, group, and family psychotherapy. Prior to that, Dr. Sackey completed a residency in General Adult Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania where she also served as chief resident. She is board certified in both Child and Adult Psychiatry.

Dr. Sackey has received numerous awards including the APA/SAMHSA Fellowship Award, APA Fellowship Award, UPenn Department of Psychiatry Outstanding Senior Resident Award, UCLA Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Greenblatt Award, and the Association of Women Psychiatrists Alexandra Symonds Fellowship Award.

As medical director, Dr. Sackey will oversee all aspects of the Maternal Infant Health program at AHN, an innovative program that focuses on strengthening the relationship between parent and child, while also equipping parents and caregivers with the tools they need to be attuned to their child's emotional needs.

The goal of the Maternal-Infant Health program is to help parents with young children (newborn to age 5) work on parent-specific challenges, such as attachment and bonding, or child-specific challenges like managing behavioral issues, developmental delays and concerns and early exposure to trauma.

"Joining a health care organization that is nationally recognized for its parent-infant mental health program is incredibly invigorating," said Dr. Sackey. "I'm excited to lead and grow such an esteemed program, which has positively changed the lives of thousands of patients."

AHN is one of the few hospitals in the country to offer intensive mother-baby outpatient treatment for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Since launching in 2018, the WBH program has helped over 15,000 women experiencing mental health disorders during and after pregnancy.

"The services offered at AHN have set the standard across the nation for how perinatal mood disorders should be treated and how families should be supported," said Anthony Mannarino, PhD, child and adolescent psychologist and chair of the AHN Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Institute. "Dr. Sackey has a dynamic vision that will continue to drive the Women's Behavioral Health program forward."

The Alexis Joy D'Achille Center for Perinatal Mental Health at West Penn Hospital serves as the flagship location for the Women's Behavioral Health program. The 7,300-square-foot facility houses rooms for individual therapy, as well as space for the intensive outpatient program. The program also offers appointments via telehealth, at the AHN Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion, and in Erie.

Media Contact

Emily Beatty, Allegheny Health Network, 5136789620, [email protected], www.ahn.org

SOURCE Allegheny Health Network