Ayanna Cooke-Chen, MD, PhD

Education

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B.A. 

• Harvard University

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MD, PhD (Neuroscience) 

• University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

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Residency in Psychiatry 

• The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania 

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Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

• The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

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Certification:

• National Board of Physicians and Surgeons

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Professional Associations:

• American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

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Work Experience

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After completion of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, I worked for three years as a Staff Psychiatrist at the Forbush School at Glyndon (part of the Sheppard Pratt Health System). In this position, I provided medication management and psychotherapy to children with significant social, emotional and behavioral disabilities that impaired their access to education. My work also comprised of writing several components of the Individualized Education Plan, including Functional Behavioral Analyses and Behavioral Intervention Plans. Therefore, I was an active participant in IEP Team meetings and became familiar with many aspects of Maryland state regulations.

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I then served as Medical Director, Emotional Disability Day Schools for six years, which broadened my role to entail supervision of other school psychiatrists and nurses within the System; staff training on asphyxiation, locked-door seclusion, and anaphylaxis; and spearheading improvements in the delivery of psychiatric and medical care within the school setting using a LEAN-based value system. I have developed a reputation among patients, parents, school administrators and colleagues as a caring clinician; communicative teammate; collaborative change-maker; and passionate, vocal children's advocate, with integrity and strong clinical skills.

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Children First MD, LLC was formed in 2016.

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