Vermont Center for Children, Youth and Families

Hi, I’m Mike!

I was born and raised in Connecticut and lived in Massachusetts for six years before moving to Washington, DC to attend medical school at The George Washington University and residency at Georgetown University Hospital.  Vermont was a big move for me and my family, but joining the wonderful community at UVM has made this an easy transition.  Training in child and adolescent psychiatry is a dream come true!  I was drawn in particular to UVM because of their family-based approach to care and strength in promoting wellness in patients, families and their communities.  Outside of work I enjoy music, “retro” video games and exploring The Great Outdoors.  I’m also fascinated with different species of otters (river otters, sea otters, etc).  Did you know that a group of otters is known as a romp?  Well, now you do!

Hi all, I’m Christopher David, and I am one of the first year CAP fellows. I’m originally from Detroit, Michigan, but my medical career has taken me all over the country to explore new cities and places to continue my psychiatry training. For my undergrad studies, I pursued Biopsychology at Cornell University, and then went to the NIMH and worked in the Child Psychiatry Branch for 3 years studying the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of Childhood Onset Schizophrenia. I completed my medical school training at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where I also studied mitochondrial etiologies of Parkinsonian pathology at the Pittsburgh Institute of Neurological Disease. I also specialized in LGBTQI-patient centered medical care and worked to implement new LGBTQI-patient oriented curriculum in the clinical training for future classes of medical school students. 

I traveled to sunny California and completed my general psychiatry residency at University of California San Diego, and during my annual visits to the AACAP conference, quickly fell in love with UVM’s Child program and their Family Based Approach. Even in California, it became clear how important and much needed family-oriented and trained CAPs are all over the country, and so I could not be more thrilled to match at my top-choice program to come train at the very source of this care philosophy. Vermont offered an unbeatable two punch combo of professional excellence alongside the highest quality of personal life-work balance that I found on the interview trail. I love to hike, cook traditional Romanian cuisine, and explore the rolling hills and mountains of Vermont with my golden doodle pup Ozzy. 

I grew up in Oregon and come from five generations of farmers on one side of my family, and educators on the other. My educational background includes a B.A. from St. John’s College, a medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University, and adult psychiatry residency here at the University of Vermont (UVM). I’m delighted to be continuing my training here in the child and adolescent fellowship at the UVM.  

I have enjoyed working with kids and young people for a long time, and particularly enjoyed teaching middle and high school for two years at a public-charter school after undergrad. In medical school I gravitated toward working with kids and young people, and found psychiatry fascinating, challenging, rewarding, and well-suited to my desire to learn from and help others. The Vermont Family Based Approach here at UVM allows us care for the whole family and take into consideration multiple facets of our patients and families lives - improving the quality of care we offer.  

My interests within pediatric and general psychiatry are widespread, though I have a special interest in developmental and neuropsychiatric problems. 

When not working with patients, families, or learning from our talented group of clinicians, I can be found spending time with my family, biking, or enjoying the lake or hiking trails here in the green mountain state. 

I am thrilled to be coming back to Vermont for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship. I grew up just over the Connecticut River in New Hampshire and was the first grandchild (or child!) to follow in my grandmother’s Catamount footsteps by attending the Larner College of Medicine for medical school. I have managed to venture out of New England at least few times, most recently completing my general psychiatry training at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The Vermont Family Based Approach was a major influence in my decision to pursue psychiatry. As a medical student, I loved that even the case presentation order modeled a holistic and strengths-based approach, rather than jumping straight to pathology and psychopharmacology. I saw firsthand how “wellness” is more than a buzzword at VCCYF, and I am looking forward to being a part of a department that emphasizes evidence-based practices not only for patients and their families, but also ourselves. Some of my specific interests include psychodynamic psychotherapy, LGBTQ+ mental health, and addiction medicine. During fellowship I am particularly interested in gaining a better foundation in neurodevelopment, as I have found it to be crucial not only for child and adolescent psychiatry but for my practice as a whole.

I have a hard time coming up with answers to superlative questions, but one of the easiest ones for me growing up was “What is your favorite place in the world?” Lake Champlain has always had my heart, and I can’t believe how lucky I am to be able to now call it home!