Volunteer Evaluators

Gunisha Kaur, M.D. earned her B.S. from Cornell University in 2006, graduated from Weill Cornell Medical College in 2010, and completed her Anesthesiology Residency training at Weill Cornell Medical College/New York Presbyterian Hospital in 2014. She is an anesthesiologist specializing in international health and is leading the Department of Anesthesiology’s Global Health Initiative. She also serves as the Program Director for the Anesthesia Global Health Fellowship. Dr. Kaur holds a Master’s in Medical Anthropology from Harvard University. In 2008, she published the book Lost in History: 1984 Reconstructed, which documents human rights violations in South Asia.

Abhishek Jaywant, Ph.D. is a neuropsychologist and clinician scientist who completed his PhD at Boston University, his clinical psychology internship at Brown University, and his postdoctoral training at Weill Cornell Medicine. His NIH-funded research aims to understand the neural mechanisms of depression and cognitive impairment after stroke, and to develop scalable digital interventions to improve neuropsychiatric symptoms after brain injury. He has been a volunteer evaluator with the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights since 2018 and since 2024, has been a co-medical director of WCCHR. As part of this work, he conducts, and trains students to conduct, psychological diagnostic evaluations for individuals seeking asylum in the U.S.

Andrew Milewski, M.D., Ph.D. is a physician-scientist who splits his time between his clinical work as an anesthesiologist and his research. His research focuses on the intersection between human rights and health in refugees and asylum applicants. In addition to serving as Co-Medical Director for the WCCHR, Dr. Milewski is also a faculty advisor for the Law-Med Collaboration between Weill Cornell Medicine and the Cornell Law School, and he also co-directs a course in Global Health for Cornell undergraduate students.

Thomas Kalman, M.D. has been on the Cornell Medical Faculty for 40 years since the completion of his psychiatric training at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. As Medical Director Emeritus of WCCHR, Dr. Kalman has volunteered with WCCHR since 2011 and had been one of our Medical Directors from 2015 to 2024. In addition to his full-time private practice of psychoanalysis and general psychiatry, he has worked with the FDNY treating survivors of the 9/11 attacks and has written widely on a broad range of topics, most recently about Split-care and communication between psychotherapists and prescribing psychiatrists. Dr. Kalman has recently been invited to serve as a reviewer for the journal, Torture, and his own research efforts have included papers on health care delivery, homophobia in the general hospital, and Internet Pornography. A frequent presenter at national and local meetings with more than 40 publications to his credit, Dr. Kalman also has a Master's Degree in Health Care Policy and Administration.

Joanne Ahola, M.D. is board certified in psychiatry. She is Medical Director Emeritus of WCCHR and has served on the voluntary faculties of both Columbia and Weill Cornell and maintains a private practice in general and psychodynamic psychiatry. Dr. Ahola has been a member of the volunteer Asylum Network of Physicians for Human Rights since 2000, conducting psychological evaluations of asylum seekers with PHR and WCCHR. Dr. Ahola has trained health professionals and students around the country in evaluating and documenting the psychological effects of torture and other forms of persecution. She has particular expertise in LGBT asylum, the one year filing deadline, and testifying in court asylum hearings.

Terri Gallen Edersheim, M.D. is a Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal Fetal Medicine. She is an AOA graduate of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The New York Hospital. She then completed fellowship training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine before joining the faculty in 1986, where she has practiced both on the full time and voluntary faculties. She has participated in the evaluation of torture victims seeking asylum with HealthRight International and Physicians for Human Rights. Dr Edersheim has worked extensively with Victims of female genital cutting and sexual abuse, who are seeking asylum in the United States.

Ellen Arfin, LCSW. is a practicing psychotherapist in New York City. She received her BA from Cornell University in 1971, and her MSW in 1976 from Columbia University. Her work is informed by her psychoanalytic training, her interest in attachment theory and trauma studies. For many years she taught a course in human development at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy. She was also faculty at the School for Visual Art, where she taught a course on psychological theories such as the psychology of the creative process. Ms. Arfin has presented on maternal hatred at various conferences and her paper, “Watching My Mother Die” was published in the Studies in Gender and Sexuality journal in 2011. Ms. Arfin joined WCCHR in 2017, where she continues to evaluate refugees seeking asylum in the United States. This work is particularly meaningful to her because it combines her clinical skills with her values of providing assistance to those seeking a safe haven in the United States.

Chelsea Dodgen, LCSW, is a psychotherapist specializing in recovery from trauma and violence. She received her MSW from the University of California, Berkeley and worked from 2006-2013 at the UCSF Trauma Recovery Center / Survivors International, where she treated victims of violent crimes and torture as well as those seeking asylum. From 2013-2017 she treated victims of terrorist attacks and those bereaved by homicide in greater London with ASSIST Trauma Care of the UK. While in London, Ms. Dodgen also co-founded and taught a yoga class and support group for homicide bereavement.

Angela Fairweather, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of traumatic stress and related disorders, especially mood disturbance, anxiety, and addiction. Dr. Fairweather completed her Ph.D. at the University of South Florida (Tampa, Florida) and predoctoral internship training at Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare (Newark, New Jersey). Dr. Fairweather also completed postdoctoral residency training in the assessment and treatment of acute and complex PTSD in the Women’s Program of Princeton Healthcare System (Princeton, New Jersey campus) and currently provides group psychotherapy services in this program (North Brunswick, New Jersey campus). Dr. Fairweather is a published researcher in the area of trauma and is particularly interested in the role of intimate relationships in mental health outcomes of trauma survivors.

Dominic Ferro, M.D. is a graduate of Emory Medical School, where he was a Woodruff Fellow. He trained in psychiatry at The New York Hospital-Westchester Division. He is on the faculty at Cornell Weill Medical College and at the NYU School of Medicine. He completed an Intensive Training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in General and Forensic Psychiatry, as well as by the American Board of Adolescent Psychiatry. Dominic has served as the President of SAP, Inc, and he is a past President of the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry. He is also a past President of the West Hudson Psychiatric Society, and he was recognized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness with the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award.

Sarah Jane Grossbard, M.D. is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and completed her residency training at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and New York University Medical Center. Dr. Grossbard has been a member of the volunteer Asylum Network of Physicians for Human Rights since 2014, conducting psychological evaluations of asylum seekers. She has been in private practice since 2004.

Karen Hopenwasser, MD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical. She focuses on treating adults with complex PTSD/dissociative disorders, in which she has integrated the use of hypnosis and herbs. Her publications and presentations have focused on the clinical and neurobiological understanding of dissociative states, with special attention to innovative and integrative techniques for healing. She graduated from the Stony Brook School of Medicine (SUNY), and completed her residency training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is a Member of the NGO Committee on Mental Health in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations, where she represents the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD).

Roy Laird, Ph.D, LCSW-R has worked in community mental health as a therapist, supervisor and director for 30 years, most recently as Director of Bronx Mental Health Services for Children's Aid. He also provides asylum applicants with assessments through HealthRight International's Human Rights Clinic.

Whitney Lieb, MD, MPH, is a board certified, attending physician in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She has completed a fellowship in Global Women’s Health at the Icahn School of Medicine in which she focused on international residency training and health work force capacity. She is an active member of Physicians for Human Rights and a voluntary faculty member at the Mount Sinai Humans Rights Clinic and Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights, aiding victims of female genital mutilation, domestic violence and sex trafficking in their applications for asylum to the United States.

Deborah Ottenheimer, M.D. is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine and was awarded the Paul Stolley Award in Clinical Epidemiology for her work on family planning practices in Cameroon, West Africa. Dr. Ottenheimer completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at St.Lukes/Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan. Dr. Ottenheimer went on to be an attending physician at Bronx Lebanon Hospital; later becoming Director of adolescent OB/GYN services and co-Director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Health Program. Dr. Ottenheimer is currently the Director of the Women’s Holistic Health Initiative at Harlem United/ URAM, Nest Community Health Center where she is focused on the development and implementation of a multispecialty medical service for women and girls affected by Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting. Dr. Ottenheimer also maintains a private practice as part of Maiden Lane Medical where she provides gynecologic care for women and girls throughout their lives, with a particular focus on adolescents and young adults, as well as survivors of sexual trauma. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Ottenheimer spends a significant portion of her professional time assisting asylum-seeking women who have suffered human rights violations. Dr. Ottenheimer serves as faculty at the Human Rights Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Weill Cornell Clinic for Human Rights, and the CUNY School of Medicine Human Rights Collaborative aiding victims of female genital mutilation/cutting, domestic violence, and sex trafficking in their applications for asylum. She has published and lectured extensively on human rights violations against women, with a focus on Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting. She has also worked in Haiti, Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of Congo, helping to improve the health and lives of women in low resource settings.

Nishant Patel, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist with the Trauma Services department at the Washington DC VA Medical Center and provides individual therapy at Fort Belvoir to veterans afflicted with traumatic stress. Dr. Patel completed his doctorate in clinical psychology at Widener University and his post-doctoral fellowship while working with Heartland Alliance in Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). In his role with Heartland Alliance, Dr. Patel conducted training and delivering technical assistance to local mental health paraprofessionals, therapy to Iraqi survivors of torture and managing programs. Prior to his position at DC VAMC, Dr. Patel served as the program coordinator and later acting director of the Cross-Cultural Counseling Center at the International Institute of New Jersey, providing treatment to survivors of torture seeking political asylum, international human trafficking survivors and immigrant survivors of domestic violence. Dr. Patel’s professional interests primarily include trauma work and cultural psychology.

Matthew Pius, M.D. is board-certified with the American Board of Emergency Medicine and currently practices in multiple emergency departments in the New York City area. He graduated from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed a residency at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. He has been conducting medical evaluations for asylum-seekers with Physicians for Human Rights since 2004 and joined the WCCHR team in 2015.

Ariel Shidlo, Ph.D. is a clinical/community psychologist. He practices cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR, and psychodynamic psychotherapy. Since 2005, he has been a volunteer for the Asylum Network of Physicians for Human Rights and conducted psychological evaluations of person fleeing persecution and survivors of torture. He has a Certificate in Global Mental Health from the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma. He is a member of Psychologists for Social Responsibility. He is co-founder of the Research Institute Without Walls (riww.org) where he does research on the impact of human rights violations on the mental health of LGBT persons. Dr. Shidlo speaks Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Hebrew.

Jill Silverman, M.D. is a board certified internist and rheumatologist who has been in clinical practice for over 30 years. Dr. Silverman did her undergraduate training at Brown University and medical education at Yale University. She completed her residency at Yale- New Haven Hospital and completed her rheumatology fellowship at the NIH and Georgetown University. Dr. Silverman has practiced in San Diego, Ca , Chapel Hill, NC and returned to New York City in 2003. She spends most of her time in a private practice on Madison Ave and 59th street but has a clinical affiliation with Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons where she has spent about 6 weeks a year teaching medical students in their medicine clerkship rotation. In the past Dr. Silverman has been medical director of 2 hospital based domestic violence intervention programs and has provided expert witness testimony of the clinical effects of strangulation.