Michael M. Reinhardt Jr., M.D., Appointed Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

By Office of Communications & Marketing | Aug 14, 2025

We are pleased to share news of the appointment of Michael M. Reinhardt, Jr., M.D., as Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, effective August 1, 2025.

A proud Downstate alum, Dr. Reinhardt is a distinguished academic psychiatrist, dedicated educator, and nationally recognized leader in geriatric psychiatry. As a board-certified psychiatrist and geriatric psychiatrist, he has devoted his career to advancing the care of older adults through clinical innovation, interprofessional education, and community partnerships with a deep commitment to fair access to care and a representative healthcare workforce.

Dr. Reinhardt has served Downstate for over a decade in multiple leadership roles: Clinical Advisory Dean, Director of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program, Director of the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease (CEAD), and Program Director of the federally funded Brooklyn Initiative to Develop Geriatrics Education (BRIDGE). Under his direction, the CEAD expanded its clinical volume. It now serves thousands of patients and caregivers annually while providing invaluable hands-on training to medical students, physician assistant students, residents, and geriatrics fellows.

Most recently, Dr. Reinhardt’s leadership of the BRIDGE program secured a $5 million HRSA grant to expand New York’s geriatrics workforce and strengthen partnerships with community healthcare sites, including Kings County Hospital and Brownsville Multiservice Family Health Center. Through BRIDGE, he has overseen the training of more than 1,500 healthcare learners and delivered interprofessional sessions reaching over 8,000 participants. His programming is widely recognized for its focus on community empowerment and culturally responsive care.

As a committed educator, Dr. Reinhardt has served on the College of Medicine’s Appeals Committee, Professionalism Committee, and Middle States Steering Committee, and as Course Director for Primary Care II: Geriatrics and Palliative Care, where he transformed and expanded the curriculum in the post-pandemic era. He often tells his advisees that his favorite role is Clinical Advisory Dean, mentoring medical students on their journey to career success.

Dr. Reinhardt’s scholarly contributions span late-life psychotic disorders, dementia care, and frailty in older adults. He is a past recipient of the HRSA K Award, the Geriatric Academic Career Award. He is also a member of the Global Center for AI in Mental Health (GCAIMH), a partnership between SUNY and the United Nations. He is actively pursuing grant funding to harness AI in Alzheimer’s disease care and caregiving.

His numerous honors include selection to the inaugural Future Leaders in Geriatric Psychiatry Program of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (2023), Outstanding Medical Educator for the Clinical Years (2023), Educational Service of the Year for the Psychiatry Residency Program (2019-2020 and 2023-2024), and the Fort Greene Council’s Impact Award (2022). He has recently completed a Master’s in Education of the Health Professions at Johns Hopkins University.

As Chair, Dr. Reinhardt will lead the department in strengthening clinical services, expanding research, and advancing innovative, community-rooted education models. His appointment marks a bold step forward in Downstate’s mission as a leader in urban academic medicine and health equity.

We extend our gratitude to Ramaswamy Viswanathan, M.D., DrMedSc., for his service as Interim Chair over the past three-and-a-half years, to Daniel Rosenbaum, M.D., Distinguished Service Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology, and to the Search Committee for their leadership in this national search. 
 
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Reinhardt on this well-deserved appointment.

Tags: Psychiatry, Faculty / Staff