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Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Inclusive Excellence Award Winners

2021-2022

Michelle-Sun-Headshot-min-2Michelle Sun, M.D.

Michelle Sun graduated from UCSD School of Medicine and is currently completing her psychiatry training at UCLA-VA as a first year resident. 

Michelle was a 2021-2022 CAP Inclusive Excellence Scholar. Throughout the year, she demonstrated leadership, kindness, positivity, and enthusiasm. She went above and beyond to learn and deepen her understanding of pediatric and family mental health and leaned into conversations about health equity, anti-racism, and cultural empathy. In learning spaces, she has been an inspiration through her welcoming and encouraging spirit.  Her community action project increasing mental health awareness with a partner school was well thought through and collaborative. Michelle is an extraordinary future physician leader who will continue to thrive at UCLA-VA Psychiatry!

2020-2021

debha amatyaDebha Amatya, M.D., Ph.D.

Debha is an medical student alumni of the UC San Diego School of Medicine. After graduating UCSD SOM, he joined the psychiatry residency training program at UCLA, and he plans on pursuing a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship training afterwards. 

Debha has been committed to pursuing research and clinical training in psychiatry since his undergraduate studies at Stanford University. In college, he was first introduced to child and adolescent psychiatry by Manpreet Singh while collaborating on a neuroimaging research project. He deepened his interest in neuropsychiatric research through research experiences with Karl Deisseroth and decided to pursue a career in both neuroscience research and psychiatry. Debha joined the MD, PhD program at UCSD in 2014. He completed his doctoral research in the lab of Fred Gage, where he has published peer-reviewed studies about the genetics of autism spectrum disorders. As he returned to clinical training, Debha confirmed his passion for psychiatry and particularly found hope in addressing mental illness in youth. His interests in child psychiatry were solidified through joining the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Inclusive Excellence (CAPIE) program in 2020-21. He states that the program greatly expanded his horizons and allowed him to build leadership and outreach skills through designing two mental health workshops that engaged youth in the San Diego area. Debha endeavors to become an academic psychiatrist that advocates for his patients through a combination of clinical practice, outreach, research, and cultural humility.

 

rangel garcia ceciCecilia Rangel-Garcia, M.D., M.P.H

Cecilia completed a dual MD-MPH degree at UC San Diego School of Medicine. She is now continuing her psychiatry training as a resident at UC San Francisco - Fresno.

Cecilia is a proud recipient of the CAP Inclusive Excellence Award. The CAP Inclusive Excellence Program was truly life and career changing. Throughout the program, Cecilia cultivated leadership skills, dove into the field of CAP, and really became a proud member of this medical student group. With the help and support of this program and Dr. Shapiro, Cecilia now envisions a career supporting and serving communities that are continuously marginalized, a career that focuses on the strengths and aspirations of her future patients/teachers, and a career centered on compassion and hope. Cecilia is deeply grateful for this award, for the CAP Inclusive Excellence Program, and Dr. Shapiro.