Joshua R. Wortzel, MD, MPhil, MS(Ed)
Founding Director
Dr. Wortzel completed his undergraduate degree in human developmental and regenerative biology at Harvard College, his master’s in clinical science at Cambridge University as a Herchel Smith Cambridge Scholar, and his medical degree at Stanford University Medical School. He completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Rochester as a Chief Resident and his child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Brown University as an R25 Research Fellow. He also holds a master’s degree in health professions education from the University of Rochester.
Dr. Wortzel is an attending psychiatrist with the Institute of Living Young Adult Services (YAS) Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Program, and adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University.
A nationally recognized expert in climate mental health, Dr. Wortzel has received numerous awards, including the Haffenreffer Family House Staff Excellence Award, Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry Fellowship, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Pilot Research Award, the American Psychiatry Association/APA Foundation Leadership Fellowship, and Academic Psychiatry Editorial Fellowship. His research has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, AACAP, and Wellcome Trust.
He serves as co-chair of the AACAP Committee on Climate Mental Health, a member of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry Climate Committee, and a Scholar of Extreme Weather Events and Counteradaptation at NIH. Dr. Wortzel has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals on climate mental health and other topics, and he has been featured in major media outlets including The New York Times, Time Magazine, and ABC News. He is also deeply involved in creating didactic material and curricula for mental health providers and the lay public about climate change and mental health.
In addition to climate mental health, Dr. Wortzel’s clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of catatonia, for which he helped create an internationally used curriculum based on the Bush-Frances Catatonia Rating Scale.
Isaac McAlister, PhD
Having recently completed a doctorate in linguistics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Dr. McAlister joined the HEAT-MIND Lab as a clinical research associate. His doctoral research examined patterns of language comprehension and production among adult language learners as functions of the perceived relatedness between one's first language(s) and a subsequently learned language, cross-linguistic (a)symmetries in how intended meaning is mapped onto linguistic form, and socio-affective factors.
Before his graduate studies, Dr. McAlister was a bilingual research assistant on National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded clinical studies into psychiatric and behavioral health interventions. This experience, in addition to his PhD, conducting in-depth interviews and managing international research protocols, positions him to contribute to the real-world monitoring and laboratory components of the HEAT-MIND lab's work.
He will also work to expand participant diversity and develop culturally informed approaches to understanding heat's impact on mental health. His multilingual capabilities will enhance the lab's ability to include underserved young adults in climate mental health research.
Google Scholar webpage
Grace Egazarian
Egazarian earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Connecticut and works as a recovery support specialist at the Institute of Living, where she facilitates support groups and engages in community outreach through the Family Resource Center. Passionate about advancing her impact in healthcare, she is taking classes in nursing.
Beau Triba
Triba, who has worked at the Institute of Living since 2022, draws on lived experience as a person in recovery to support and advocate for others. He is interested in continuing his work in patient advocacy by practicing self-compassion, empowerment, and vulnerability.
Tucker Voorvaart
Voorvaart earned his recovery support specialist (RSS) certification through Hartford Hospital's Recovery Leadership Academy in 2022 and works as an RSS on the Institute of Living's psychiatric inpatient units. He facilitates peer support groups and provides emotional support using his own lived mental health experience.