Akif Khawaja, MD

Dr. Maria is a Board-Certified Adult Psychiatrist with specialized training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She earned her medical degree from Andes University in Colombia, completed her Psychiatry Residency at The Wright Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and pursued further training through a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship at Louisiana State University in New Orleans.

Dr. Maria is deeply committed to providing kind, thoughtful, and inclusive care. She creates a warm, welcoming space where patients of all ages feel safe, listened to, and truly seen. Her approach blends evidence-based practices with compassion and patient collaboration. She works closely with each patient to understand their unique story and help them move toward meaningful, personal goals.

She takes time to build strong, trusting relationships and conducts thorough evaluations to understand each person’s experiences and needs. Her treatment often includes psycho-education, supportive therapy, and medication management—always shaped by what matters most to the patient.

Dr. Maria has experience treating a wide range of mental health conditions, including ADHD, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, OCD, and Bipolar Disorder. She is especially passionate about supporting minority and marginalized communities, and she strives to ensure everyone feels valued and cared for.

Dr. Maria practices with a patient centered approach, focusing on each patients unique needs. She practices evidence based medicine with empathy, warmth and in a supportive, nonjudgmental environment.

It is important to Dr. Maria to build trust with patients, so they feel comfortable during their visits. She provides a thorough evaluation to understand symptoms, challenges and personal goals. Dr. Maria conducts visits that incorporate both medication management and psycho-education through supportive therapy. She works with her patients to set clear goals that align with their preferences.

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Dr. Yacoub received his medical degree from Alexandria University and completed his psychiatry residency at Stony Brook University Hospital. He is double board certified in both general adult psychiatry and consultation & liaison psychiatry with over 20 years of clinical experience. After serving as chief resident, he joined Stony Brook University and became Associate Professor in clinical psychiatry. During his tenure at Stony Brook, Dr. Yacoub was director of the ECT service treating many patients with complex psychiatric disorders, which include treatment-resistant depression, severe bipolar disorders, psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder. He also served as director of the medical student psychiatry clerkship where he received numerous teaching awards like Alpha Omega Alpha and Aesculapius Award for Excellence in Medical Education. Dr. Yacoub is an excellent diagnostician with expertise in complex mood disorders, psychotic disorders, interventional psychiatry, and advanced psychopharmacology. He has multiple publications and abstracts presented. Dr. Yacoub focuses on the interconnectivity of the mind, body, and soul. His care is only exceeded by his vast medical knowledge. In addition to medication management, he is proficient in supportive and interpersonal psychotherapy. He has treated adults, geriatric patients, and diverse populations including but not limited to LGBTQ+ and veterans. He is dedicated and empathetic to all his patients.

Dr. Melody Stupey is a board-certified psychiatrist with over 26 years of experience treating adults in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She earned her medical degree from Oregon Health Sciences University and completed her residency at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Stupey is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Stupey believes in a collaborative approach to treatment, emphasizing active listening, compassion, and respect. She strives to create a warm, supportive environment where patients feel safe and empowered to speak openly without fear of judgment.

Her treatment process is holistic, considering physical, emotional, and lifestyle factors. She evaluates diet, physical activity, sleep habits, and thought patterns alongside medication needs. Dr. Stupey prioritizes using the lowest effective dose of medication to meet treatment goals while supporting the patient’s overall well-being.

Dr. Ismail is double board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in both Adult Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She earned her medical degree from Cairo University, where she also completed her neurology residency at Cairo University Hospitals. Following this, she pursued psychiatric training at New York Medical College at St. Vincent’s Hospitals, where she was appointed Chief Resident and recognized as Resident of the Year.

Dr. Ismail further specialized with a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UMDNJ/Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Her career includes multiple leadership roles, notably serving as Chief of the Child and Adolescent Partial Hospital Programs (PHP) at Rutgers University in Newark, NJ, where she provided direct care to young patients. She has also held Medical Director positions across various clinical settings, including child and adolescent inpatient units, outpatient programs, and intensive outpatient services for both adolescents and adults with mental health and co-occurring substance use disorders.

An active educator, Dr. Ismail has been a teaching faculty member, delivering lectures and providing supervision and evaluations for medical residents and child and adolescent psychiatry fellows. Her academic contributions extend to research, where she has served as a principal investigator on multiple studies.

Throughout her career in leadership and teaching, Dr. Ismail maintained an integrative private practice in New Jersey, serving residents of the NJ and NY metropolitan areas before relocating to North Carolina.

Dr. Ismail is passionate about integrative medicine, which combines evidence-based alternative therapies with conventional treatments to optimize outcomes. Her approach focuses on promoting overall wellness, keeping both the body and mind in harmony.

During the diagnostic evaluation, Dr. Ismail will review your medical history and past treatments to develop a comprehensive, personalized treatment plan that prioritizes your overall wellness. In addition to medication management, she incorporates supportive, cognitive, or psychodynamic psychotherapy during follow-up visits, as time allows. When appropriate, she may also recommend referrals to specialized psychotherapists to address your individual needs as part of a holistic treatment approach.

Dr. Bloom is a psychiatrist with over 30 years of clinical experience. She earned her medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry in Rochester, NY, and completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Cincinnati.

"What should a new patient know about working with you?"

Throughout her career, Dr. Bloom has worked in a variety of settings including inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and consultation services, with a focus on the public sector. She has been privileged to treat underserved populations and military veterans and has enjoyed mentoring medical students and psychiatry residents. Dr. Bloom has expertise in treating a wide range of psychiatric conditions, including clinical depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other anxiety disorders.

Dr. Bloom takes a collaborative approach to care, believing that the best outcomes are achieved through a close partnership with her patients. She views them as experts in their own experiences and works with them to combine their insights with her expertise in medication management to minimize suffering. Patient education is a cornerstone of her practice. She typically combines supportive psychotherapy with medication management and is also trained in mindfulness techniques and Internal Family Systems psychotherapy.

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Dr. Stephen Byrd is a clinical psychiatrist at Talkiatry. He is board-certified in both psychiatry and addiction medicine. He has been practicing for over 31 years in a wide variety of settings, including working with inpatients and outpatients in private practice, community mental health, geriatric, VA, and community hospital/medical center settings. Dr. Byrd's practice focuses on evidence-based medication management, usually provided in conjunction with 30-minute supportive psychotherapy, which is informed by cognitive behavior therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and motivational enhancement. When more intensive therapy is needed, Dr Byrd may ask you to include a therapist as part of your care team. He received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio and completed his residency training in psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland. Throughout his career, he has treated patients with a wide variety of conditions in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Additionally, He has served as director of inpatient geropsychiatry at Lutheran Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, program manager of the substance abuse treatment program at the Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, and medical director of outpatient behavioral health at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Throughout his career, Dr. Byrd has been active in training medical students and psychiatry residents, and he has held clinical teaching appointments at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, University of Washington School of Medicine, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine and Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine.�.�