Training Office Welcome

Welcome to the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Department of Psychiatry Office of Training!

SUNY Downstate is one of the largest health science centers in the United States. Downstate is rooted in a century-old tradition of teaching, patient care and research. Originally founded in 1860, Downstate today is the center for academic medicine in Brooklyn. It is the seventh largest medical school in the nation, with schools of nursing, health related professions and graduate studies.

The General Psychiatry Residency Training Program is a four-year accredited educational program and as the only university-based program in Brooklyn it is also the largest with a total of 48 residents training in general psychiatry. Our residents are trained at various outstanding clinical sites in Brooklyn and Manhattan including: University Hospital at Downstate, Kings County Hospital Center, Lenox Hill Hospital, Brooklyn Veterans Administration Medical Center, South Brooklyn Health Hospital, and Kingsboro Psychiatric Center. Together, these sites offer the residents a diverse patient population to treat and an exposure to every facet of mental health treatment.

The Department of Psychiatry has a rich history in community psychiatry, dynamic psychiatry, psychopharmacology, neuroscience and research. We are now at the forefront of psychiatric research with both the Center for Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease and the Institute for Genomic Health.

Like the borough of Brooklyn itself, we pride ourselves on the diversity of our residents. Applicants to the program hail both from across the United States and across the world. The resident classes here at SUNY Downstate are a mix of US medical graduates and International Medical Graduates—American citizens who have completed medical school abroad and others who are foreign nationals on visas. We believe that the diverse array of patients we serve benefit greatly from this cultural and ethnic diversity.

Residents here at SUNY Downstate also have the invaluable experience of teaching the medical students. Because we are grounded in a medical school-setting, our residents are integral in teaching medical students, an experience that enriches the learning experience for both. Universally lauded by our students and residents. Research is expected as well, and our protected one-month rotation in the PGY2 year is the springboard for this endeavor. Didactics are comprehensive and built into all four years of training. We are committed to community psychiatry. Not only do all of our residents gain experience assessing and treating individuals with mental illness who are homeless but most "give back" to the community by volunteering at the Brooklyn Free Clinic, the annual NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Walk, the annual AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) Walk or other initiatives.

The academic and clinical rigor of our program, along with its focus on research, produces graduates with impressive CVs who go on to compete for highly sought after fellowships, academic positions, hospital appointments, community employment or private practice work. We take pleasure in having launched some of the most talented and exemplary psychiatrists both here and abroad. We hope that exploring our website will give you more detailed information about our training program. Thanks for visiting and don't hesitate to contact us directly. As we say to our new recruits: "Welcome to the family."

Interim Director, Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program

About Me

Bio coming soon

Associate Program Director
Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program

About Me

Dr. Mirza is a New York native who graduated cum laude from St. John’s University with a degree in Biology. He received his medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, where he was on the Dean’s List and honored for his research presentations. He completed residency in Adult Psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. While at Downstate, he served as Chair of the Graduate Medical Education Committee Resident Forum, a resident representative on the GME committee, as well as a member of the Wellness Committee. He served with distinction as a Chief Resident in his fourth year and was integral in improving the shift-to-shift sign out on the CL services, leading his class on a year-long QI project. After residency, Dr. Mirza completed a fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. During this year, his passion for work in the public sector deepened. He is published in work related to the neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19, including a case report on command suicidal hallucination as the initial presentation of COVID-19. He maintains active memberships in the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law, and the Phi Chi Medical Fraternity.

Dr. Mirza has returned to his residency home and has been appointed the Associate Program Director of the General Adult Psychiatry Residency at SUNY Downstate.  In his clinical role, he works with and supervises residents in the Adult Walk-In Clinic at Kings County Hospital. He also maintains a clinical role as an Emergency Psychiatrist at the Veterans Affairs Hospital, Brooklyn campus. 

Residency Administrator
Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program

About Me

Audra is a Brooklyn native and a member of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and the Department of Psychiatry since 2008.  Audra was a Staff Assistant for her first 7 years at Downstate in the Adult Psychiatry outpatient office alongside our Faculty and Residents.  In 2016, she became the Psychiatry Clerkship Coordinator in the Undergraduate Education role where she further developed leadership and interpersonal skills.  Audra played an important role in the Undergraduate Medical Education developing many procedures and strategies from her position that is used by all clerkships.  Audra’s knowledge and professional work integrity was apparent when in 2019 she took on an added clerkship for the Department of Surgery as the interim coordinator.  Managing the two clerkships with a student roster of more than 80 for 5 years has prepared her for her role as the Department of Psychiatry Resident Coordinator.  Audra transitioned to the Resident Coordinator role in early 2023 and has made a seamless transition. 

Department Administrator
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

About Me

Dr. Kino Williams, a Brooklyn resident, serves as the department administrator for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, where he has been a staff member for over 22 years. He started at Downstate in 2002 as a staff assistant, first working in the Department of Surgery, then promoted to residency coordinator in the Department of Psychiatry in 2007. He would be promoted again to senior staff associate in 2011, moving to the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, where he led the orthopedic surgery division. His last position before returning to Psychiatry (in June 2025) was as a senior staff associate within the Department of Radiology (2017-2025), where he functioned as the department's performance improvement administrator and residency administrator of the Radiation Oncology program (2019). Dr. Williams also founded and functions as CEO of Dr. Keenz Consulting LLC. 

Dr. Williams holds a Doctor of Psychology in Human and Organizational Psychology, a Master’s in Business Economics, a Bachelor’s in Human Resources, and an Associate of Arts degree in Business Administration. He also holds the following certifications: Certified Training Administrator of a Graduate Medical Education (C-TAGME), Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), Lean Six Sigma and Social Media Management.

Dr. Williams has received numerous awards and accolades such as the prestigious Debra L. Dooley GME Program Coordinator Excellence Award , the SUNY Chancellor Award for Excellence in Professional Service, the National Association of Health Services Executives 2024 Men of Distinction, New York State Assembly Citation and Proclamation honoring “A Career of Excellence,” and the Humanitarian award from the Residency Program Coordinator Forum (RPCF) in 2021 for his work and efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.