DONISHA DUNN, MD
About Dr. Dunn
Donisha Dunn, MD is a physician board certified in psychiatry and internal medicine. She is also a meditation and yoga teacher, and the founder of The Mind Body Collective. A native of New Orleans, she completed medical school at LSU New Orleans in 2003, then a combined Internal Medicine/Psychiatry residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. She returned to New Orleans in 2008 and served as faculty at Tulane University.
As a primary care provider, psychiatrist, and Director of Behavioral Health she lead the integration of mental health care into the Patient Centered Medical Home and Residency training programs for young physicians at Tulane Community Health Center.
She later transitioned to a private psychiatry practice in 2014, with a continued focus on integrating primary and mental health care for adults in Greater New Orleans. And during the COVID19 pandemic crisis she developed a telemedicine practice. Most recently, she has created The Mind Body Collective, a co-working space for Wellness Practitioners and Community space for integrative wellness services and events.
Dr. Dunn started practicing yoga in 2009 and found it to be highly effective for increasing insight about the mind and body, reducing anxiety and depression, and changing cycles of unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Having also been trained in cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic therapies, she decided to deepen her practice and became a yoga teacher in 2013 through Swan River Yoga 400-hr teacher training. In 2023, she completed the 2-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, lead by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, through the Awareness Training Institute and the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Hospital Privileges
Seaside Behavioral Center, New Orleans, LA
7/2020-present
Beacon Behavioral Hospital, New Orleans, LA
1/2023-present
Psychiatrist
Private practice
09/2014-Present
Psychiatrist
National Alliance on Mental Illness New Orleans, LA Providing psychiatric care for people with serious mental illness who are enrolled in psychosocial rehabilitation, intensive case management, and permanent supportive housing programs
10/2015-Present
Psychiatrist
PACE Greater New Orleans Providing psychiatric care for seniors and consultation to primary care providers for this Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly
3/2019-Present
Staff Psychiatrist
Seaside Behavioral Center provided psychiatry services on a 26-bed inpatient unit for adults
7/2020-8/2021
Staff Psychiatrist
Oceans Behavioral Hospital staff psychiatrist managed a 12-bed inpatient psychiatric unit for seniors
6/2019-6/2020
Consultant, Psychiatrist
Jencare Neighborhood Medical Centers. Consultant Psychiatrist to Primary care providers; providing psychiatric care for adult and elderly patients in the primary care setting, implementing a population-based approach
06/2014-4/2019
Primary Care Physician and Psychiatrist
St. Anna’s Mobile Medical Mission, treated patients on a mobile medical unit for acute general medical and psychiatric care
08/2008-06/2014
Primary Care Physician and Psychiatrist
Heartland Alliance Health Outreach to the Homeless, Heartland Alliance, Chicago, IL, provided acute medical and psychiatric care at local homeless shelters and food pantries
ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS
Director of the Behavioral Health Center of Expertise
Jencare Neighborhood Medical Centers Working with Medical Directors across multiple markets to develop programming addressing behavioral health needs of adults and seniors
01/2015-08/2015
Director of Behavioral Health Services
Tulane University Community Health Center, New Orleans, LA. Developing and directing mental health services and quality improvement initiatives in an NCQA tier 3 patient centered medical home, including internal medicine and psychiatry residency clinics
8/2008-6/2014
Chief Resident
Combined Internal Medicine and Psychiatry Residency Program Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
07/2007-06/2008
TEACHING
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Department of General Internal Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana
12/2009-06/2014
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Department of Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana
08/2008-06/2014
Clinical Instructor of Clinical Medicine
Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana Department of General Internal Medicine
08/2008-12/2009
Attending faculty, General Internal Medicine, Tulane Community Health Center supervising residents in General Internal Medicine and Combined Internal Medicine and Psychiatry programs in their community clinics
08/2008-06/2014
Lecturer, Tulane General Internal Medicine Residency program, Psychiatry Residency program, Medical students, Masters of public health students
08/2008-06/2014
Executive team member, lecturer, REACH NOLA Mental Health Infrastructure and Training Project, New Orleans, LA. Involved in directing and facilitating a project aimed at building community capacity for treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in post-Hurricane Katrina environment
08/2008-06/2010
2EDUCATION
Bachelor of General Studies (Chemistry, Zoology, Sociology)
Louisiana State University. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
08/1994-05/1999
Doctor of Medicine
Louisiana State University School of Medicine. New Orleans, Louisiana
08/1999-05/2003
POSTGRADUATE TRAINING
Internship and Residency
Internal Medicine and Psychiatry Residency Program Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
07/2003-06/2008
Swan River Yoga Teacher Training 400 hours
1/2013- 10/2013
Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. Awareness Training Institute and the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California at Berkeley
2/2021-2/2023
CERTIFICATIONS
American Board of Internal Medicine 2009
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology 2010
Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 2007
Swan River Yoga Teacher Training 400 hours 2013
Awareness Training Institute (pending)
Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training c/o 2023
Greater Good Science Center at the University of California at Berkeley (pending)
Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training c/o 2023
ASSOCIATIONS
Member, American Psychiatric Association
Member, Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association
Member, Association of Medicine and Psychiatry
RESEARCH
Co-Investigator (Eboni Price-Haywood, PI)
New Orleans Charitable Health Fund (07/01/2012-06/30/2014) (07/01/2012-06/30/2015)
Optimization of Medical Home Care Teams and Health Information Technology to Integrate Primary Care and Mental/Behavioral Health Care: A prospective cohort study with the following goals: (1) improve the quality of care and health outcomes for patients with depression; (2) establish formal workforce development on the integration of primary care, mental/behavioral health and social services in the medical home setting.
Co-Investigator (Eboni Price-Haywood, PI)
Mississippi Institute for Improvement of Geographic Minority Health Grant (09/01/2012-08/31/2013)
Improving Care Quality for Patients with Depression and Co-morbid Medical Conditions: A prospective cohort study with the overarching goal to develop a replicable, sustainable, patient-centered model of high quality care for patients with co-morbid physical and mental health conditions. Develop and test pilot an ecological approach to collaborative co-management of patients with depression and diabetes/hypertension
Co-investigator (Ben Springgate, PI)
RAND Health and Resiliency Project, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, (8/2009-6/2010)
Project aimed at building community capacity for treating depression and posttraumatic stress disorder in post-Hurricane Katrina environment
Co-investigator (Ben Springgate, PI)
Red Cross Foundation (8/15/08-8/30/09)
Development and evaluation of primary care/mental health collaborative care model
ABSTRACTS & PUBLICATIONS
“Integrating Mental Health and Primary Care in a Patient Centered Medical Home” Abstract. Southern Society of General Internal Medicine, Regional Conference February 2010
“Community Perspectives on Post-Katrina Mental Health Recovery in New Orleans” Partnered Participatory Research that Builds Community Capacity and Address Mental Health Disparities and Disasters. Ethnicity & Disease 2011; 21 ( Suppl 1), pp. 52-57
“Supporting post-disaster recovery and resilience in New Orleans and beyond through community-academic partnerships” Abstract, discussion. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition November 15-19, 2014
“Medical home care team optimization to integrate mental/behavioral health in primary care” Poster. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition November 2014. Eboni Price-Haywood, MD, MPH, Donisha Dunn, MD, Jewel Harden-Barrios, MEd
“Collaborative Depression Care in a Safety Net Medical Home: Facilitators and Barriers to Quality Improvement” Price-Haywood Eboni G., Dunn-Lombard Donisha, Harden-Barrios Jewel, and Lefante John J. Population Health Management. February 2016, 19(1): 46-55. doi:10.1089/pop.2015.0016.
PRESENTED SYMPOSIA, COURSES & WORKSHOPS
“Depression and Diabetes: Assessment and Management Using a Collaborative Approach” Southeast Louisiana Coordinating Body of the American Association of Diabetes Educators. April 9, 2016; American Diabetes Association September 26, 2016
“Mental health impact in greater New Orleans” Leadership Jefferson, Health Care Session, November 10, 2015
“Behavioral Health: Challenges and Innovative Solutions” New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute Healthcare Session February 20, 2014
“Grief, Loss, and Letting Go” The Brinton Family Health and Healing Center public community workshop, 711 N Broad New Orleans, LA January 2013, April 2014
“Second Generation Antipsychotics” Tulane Psychiatry Residency Training Program didactic course, August 2011-2013
“Integrating Mental Health and Primary Care” Tulane University School of Public Health, Masters of Public Health Student lecture series September 2011
“Promoting Post-Disaster Mental Health Recovery Through Evidence-Based and Novel Practices” The Mississippi Interfaith Task Force Community Wellness Conference. Biloxi, MS, May 2010
“Medical Homes, Integrated Care and the Role of Behavioral Health” Dialogues on Behavioral Health Care, New Orleans, La, November 2009
“A Community Collaborative Model for Treating Depression” Department of Psychiatry and Neurology Grand Rounds, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, La, August 2009
“Serious Mental Illness.” REACH NOLA Mental Health Infrastructure and Training Project Conference community health worker training. New Orleans, LA, August 2009
“Collaborative Care in Treating Depression.” EXCELth, Inc Primary Health Care. New Orleans, LA, August 2009
“Collaborative Care for Treating Depression: Primary Care Providers” Tulane Internal Medicine Resident Ambulatory Conference. January- August 2009
“Collaborative Care for Treating Depression: Primary Care Providers” REACH NOLA Mental Health Infrastructure Training Project Conference, New Orleans, LA, February 2009, May 2009
“Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder” REACH NOLA Mental Health Infrastructure and Training Project Conference, New Orleans, LA, February 2009
“Models of Integrated Primary Care: Barriers and Opportunities” Internal Medicine and Psychiatry Grand Rounds, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, February 2007
“Primary Care for those with Serious Mental Illness” Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, March 2007
“Death and Dying: Palliative Care Practices in the Acute Care Setting” Internal Medicine/ Psychiatry Grand Rounds, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, January 2006A
My Practice
Location
New Orleans, LA
Make an Appointment
Accepting new patients in Louisiana for telepsychiatry visits
Office Hours
Monday to Friday : 8am – 5pm Central Standard Time (CST)
