Bringing mental wellness to Miami

Dr. Antonello Bonci is the Executive Chairman and Founder of the Global Institutes on Addictions (GIA). Before moving to GIA, he served for nearly a decade at the National Institute of Health (NIH) as Scientific Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Between 1999 and 2010, he was Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and held the Howard J. Weinberg Endowed Chair in Addiction Research while also serving as Associate Director for Extramural Affairs at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center.

Over the last 5 years, Dr. Bonci and his collaborators worldwide have successfully pioneered the translation of non-invasive brain stimulation such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), from the preclinical stage to the clinic, to treat cocaine use disorders and other types of addiction.

Dr. Amy L. Jarvis joins the Global Institutes on Addictions (GIA) as their new Medical Director. She is a board-certified Vascular Neurologist and comes to GIA after having been the Medical Director of North Shore Medical Center’s Comprehensive Stroke Center in Miami. In addition to cerebrovascular diseases, her specialties include neuro-critical care, women’s neurologic issues, and migraine and concussion/neuro-trauma, as well as functional and anti-aging medicine. While at North Shore, she was named Physician of the Year in 2016 and led it to become Miami Dade County’s first Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center.

Prior to her move to Miami, Dr. Jarvis worked as the Director of Stroke and Vascular Neurology and Administrative Chief of Neurology at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida. Dr. Jarvis was an NFL Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant for the Jacksonville Jaguars, where she worked with the NFL during games to monitor and treat the players’ concussions and head injuries. She assisted in setting up the Baptist Health tele-stroke network in Jacksonville.

Dr. Jarvis graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from the American College in London and initially worked in the management and marketing of coffee and cocoa production in London and Cameroon, West Africa where she lived before returning to the United States in the mid 1990’s. She subsequently went to medical school and completed her residency in Neurology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she was named chief resident. She spent part of her time at the Washington VA Hospital treating veterans of the Gulf War with neuro-trauma and addiction disorders. She then completed a fellowship in Stroke and Cerebrovascular Neurology at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta under the mentorship of Dr. Marc Chimowitz of the WASID and SAMPRIS clinical research trials which she assisted in presenting to the American Academy of Neurology.

Dr. Jarvis continues to be very active in the community and was on the Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of Greater Miami promoting international political and cultural awareness. She and her husband, a federal judge, and her son reside in Miami. 

Dr. Jarvis and her son have written a series of children’s books called The Intergalactic Boys Club inspired by their Georgia home in the low country of Tybee Island, GA.

Dr. Moreno graduated from University of Havana, School of Medicine, in 1994, and completed Family Medicine Residency in 1998 and Neurosurgery Residency in 2004. After being awarded with the International Fellowship Award in Pediatric Neurosurgery from the American Association Neurological Surgeons/Congress Neurological Surgeons in 2005, he went to Canada where he completed a Clinical Fellowship in Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario. He then completed 2 more years of Research Fellowship at Labatt Brain Tumor Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery of University of Toronto, Canada, under the mentorship of former President of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Prof James Rutka.

Dr. Moreno then moved to Miami, Florida, in 2010 where he has been working on Clinical Research on Neuroscience and Mental Wellness, completing several clinical trials on both Academic settings as well as private funded Institutions. Dr. Moreno is a Certified Principal Investigator by ACRP and a Certified Clinical Research Professional by SOCRA and trained through a board Certification on Anti-Aging and functional Medicine.

His passions and main areas of expertise are in the field of Neuroscience and Mental Wellness, where he has been exploring the fundamentals of signaling molecules and ion channels for Cognitive, Behavioral and Neurodegenerative pathologies. Specifically, he has mainly focused on applying Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on patients with Depression, OCD, Anxiety, Addictions, Pain, PTSD, Stroke and dementia.

In his free time, Dr. Moreno enjoys spending time with his family and reading. He is also passionate about helping people in need, for he is an active member of a Not-for-profit Organization called “Unknown Medical Crew” involved in working on areas of natural disasters throughout the world.

With decades of professional experience, Dr. Ignatov’s diversity in the field of psychiatry and addiction medicine has garnered him respect and recognition among colleagues. Known for his endless passion and versatility, Dr. Ignatov uses innovative, yet common-sense approaches to treatment. His expertise in the addiction process, understanding of multicultural spiritual traditions and knowledge of advanced medication management techniques have helped countless people with their unique experiences to restore balance, achieve stability and continue moving up through the various levels of life.

Dr. Ignatov received his MD degree from the Omsk State Medical Academy, one of the oldest medical schools in Russia, and completed psychiatry residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He is also a graduate of the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship at the University of Miami School of Medicine and has the forensic examiner’s credentials from the University of Florida. Dr. Ignatov is board-certified by American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) in General Psychiatry and by American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) in Addiction Medicine.

Francesco Del Governatore is a young and charismatic leader, serving as CEO and Board Member of GIA Miami. After graduating from Bocconi University in Milan, Francesco started his career at JP Morgan before successfully completing a Master in Project Management degree. Professionally, he learned his craft in large corporations as a member of multiple leadership teams. Francesco has extensive international experience and strong business relationships all over the world.

Dr. Lina Haji is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in psychodiagnostics assessment, forensic assessment, risk assessment, dual diagnosis treatment, serious and persistent mental illness, CBT, and substance abuse treatment. She completed a Master of Forensic Psychology degree at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a Master of Clinical Psychology degree from Albizu University, and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a forensic emphasis from Albizu University.

Dr. Haji’s clinical experience over the last 18 years includes working with dually diagnosed adults in inpatient and outpatient settings including correctional facilities, substance abuse rehabilitation centers, outpatient clinics, psychiatric hospitals and private practice in NY, NJ, CA, and FL. In addition, she has supervised master-level clinicians, post-doctoral residents, and served as clinical director for a 500-patient facility. Dr. Haji’s ultimate goal as a psychologist is to accurately diagnose and identify patient strengths and weaknesses regardless of population in order to better individualize treatment needs and goals.

Yeimi is a Colombian native raised in North Carolina who obtained her college degree in paralegal technology. Over the course of 7 years, she integrated her passion for procedural law by preparing documents for board certified plastic surgeons, ophthalmologist and general healthcare physicians. She is excited to start anew here in Miami and bring her healthcare industry expertise to GIA. Yeimi’s strong customer service skills and proficiency in administrative duties makes her a perfect fit for GIA’s executive assistant and experience coordinator role. She enjoys working out, exploring different corners of the world, and roller blading through the Venetian. Yeimi has an exceptionally caring and kind personality; her passion and goal is to make a difference for all patients and members of the GIA family.

Jackie Glass is a dynamic, enthusiastic, licensed psychotherapist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health and co-occurring disorders, providing individual, group and family psychotherapy at GIA and in private practice. She also conducts psycho-educational groups specializing in Drugs, Brains, Behavior, The Science of Addiction, Evidence Based Relapse Prevention, Aspects of Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships, Self-Esteem Training, Anxiety Management, Parenting Skills, LGBT issues, among other topics. Jackie is also a Qualified Supervisor of Mental Health and Social Work Interns who are sitting for licensure.

ackie has over 25 years of clinical experience providing therapy in a variety of psychiatric and addiction treatment settings, at all levels from inpatient to outpatient care. Jackie was one of the founding staff members of The Watershed Treatment Program and served as a primary therapist, as well as the Director of the Family Program for 20 years, conducting curriculum and therapeutic interventions for The Family Weekend Program offered once a month to significant, concerned friends and family of patients. She has worked with the Seminole Indian Tribe and has been an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University.

Dr. Chloe Jordan received her B.A. in Psychology & Biology with a specialization in Neuroscience in 2010 and her Ph.D. in Psychological & Brain Sciences in 2015 from Boston University. Her dissertation focused on understanding the long-term consequences of adolescent ADHD medications on cocaine abuse risk, using a preclinical animal model. She then worked for two years in the Department of Psychiatry at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, studying sex differences in neurodevelopmental risk factors and exercise interventions for cocaine use. Dr. Jordan joined the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in 2017 as a postdoctoral fellow in the Addiction Biology Unit, where she studied neural mechanisms underlying drug (cannabis, cocaine, and opioid) reward and aversion using transgenic and optogenetic approaches, as well as neural mechanism-based medication development for drug use. During her postdoc, Dr. Jordan also worked with the Center for Addiction and Pregnancy at Johns Hopkins. Thereafter, she served as a scientific program manager at NIDA to help launch the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study from 2019-2020. She is now a project director in the Division of Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction at McLean Hospital and an Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, where she works on clinical trials on treatment efficacy for opioid use disorders. At GIA, Dr. Jordan’s role is to help create and develop scientific, educational and outreach materials on mental health and mental health awareness, substance use and other psychiatric conditions, and neuroscience. In her free time she enjoys doing yoga, training for a marathon, sampling craft beer and reading pop science books.

A native of Athens, Greece, Dr. Lyketsos graduated from Athens College, Northwestern University and Washington University Medical School in St. Louis. He completed residency and Chief Residency in psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, as well as a fellowship in clinical epidemiology. An active clinician, teacher, and researcher he founded the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s Center which he directs. Dr. Lyketsos leads the Johns Hopkins Precision Medicine Center of Excellence on Alzheimer’s Disease, and is Associate Director of NIH-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

A world authority in treatment development for Alzheimer’s, he has received multiple major awards, and authored over 400 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, commentaries, as well as five books. His work has been cited over 52,000 times with an h-index of 123 (Google Scholar). Castle-Connolly has named him as one of America’s Top Doctors every year since 2001.

Regarding his specific expertise on Mental Health, Dr. Lyketsos developed one of the largest and most successful academic neuropsychiatry programs in the USA. Prior to taking leadership of Johns Hopkins Bayview Psychiatry, he was co-director of the Johns Hopkins Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry.

He has received numerous internationally recognized Honors and Awards, he is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, American College of Psychiatrists, and an Associate Editor of American Journal of Psychiatry, Deputy Editor of International Psychogeriatrics, Editor of International Review of Psychiatry, and Lead Editor of Psychiatric Aspects of Neurologic Diseases: Practical Approaches to Patient Care.

Deborah Mash is the CEO and Founder of DemeRx, Inc., a clinical stage drug development company advancing ibogaine and its active metabolite noribogaine for the treatment of opioid use disorder. DemeRx partnered in 2019 with ATAI Life Sciences — a global biotech platform — to develop ibogaine for those suffering from opioid use disorder.

Deborah is a neuroscientist, lecturer, and inventor who has dedicated more than 30 years of research to unlocking the secrets of the human brain. She is nationally recognized as a leading neuroscience researcher, playing a pivotal role in over 300 published studies investigating aging, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, drug development, and addiction neurobiology. She is the founder and former director of the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank, one of the six NIH funded NeuroBioBanks. She has held uninterrupted Public Health Service NIH funding to advance research studies focused on the role of the human brain in health and disease.

Ha recibido numerosos honores y premios reconocidos internacionalmente, es miembro de la Asociación Estadounidense de Psiquiatría, la Asociación Estadounidense de Psiquiatría Geriátrica, la Academia de Medicina Psicosomática, el Colegio Estadounidense de Neuropsicofarmacología, el Colegio Estadounidense de Psiquiatras y un Editor Asociado de la Revista Estadounidense de Psiquiatría , Editor adjunto de International Psychogeriatrics, editor de International Review of Psychiatry y editor principal de Psychiatric Aspects of Neurologic Diseases: Practical Approaches to Patient Care.

Dr. Jeremy Waletzky is a psychiatrist who has devoted his career to taking care of patients with depression and bipolar disease. Unfortunately, both frequently occur with addictions and all need to be treated. His expertise includes the use of medication and various forms of psychotherapy, including cognitive-behavior therapy, family therapy, meditation, and imagery. He is a clinical professor at The George Washington University and a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He has published on topics as diverse as the clinical use of anti-psychotics, Soviet children and the threat of nuclear war, and the inability of an “energy” healer to distinguish between fertile and infertile women. Following the death of his son from a cocaine arrhythmia, along with the Society for Neuroscience he established the Jacob P. Waletzky Award along which honors the best mid careerresearcher in addiction. He received a lifetime achievement award by the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

Dr. Waletzky has had considerable foundation experience including being on the board of trustees and executive committee of the Rockefeller Family Fund, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund , and the Fetzer Memorial Trust. In addition, he was on the board of trustees and chairman of The Fetzer Institute.

Ms. Clampitt has completed six years of conservatory acting training and has served for many years as a consultant to arts-focused and other nonprofit organizations, a role that has involved building and strategic planning as well as board and program development. She held senior executive positions as Director of Arts and Humanities Presidential Appointments at the White House; Executive Director and General Manager of WAMU 88.5 in Washington DC, one of the country’s leading National Public Radio (NPR) stations; Deputy Chair for Programs at the National Endowment for the Arts; founder and chair of America’s first museum education graduate program; Associate Director of Media and Communications at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and Curator at the Montclair Art Museum.

Appointed by three successive Washington DC mayors, Ms. Clampitt served as Commissioner on the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. She is a founding board member and Vice President of the Mosaic Theater Company of DC. She also serves regularly as a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. She is a recipient of the Fast 50 Award for entrepreneurship from FastCompany magazine and is a winner of the Mayor’s Arts Award for service to the arts.

Dr. Stefano Pallanti is a “Physician-Scientist” who applies cutting-edge neuroscience breakthroughs to clinical work by utilizing clinical activities to formulate research hypotheses. He is a NIMH grant co-PI in Theta Burst Stimulation of pathological gamblers.

Dr. Pallanti holds the position of Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Florence and Director of the Institute for Neurosciences in Italy as well as Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University Medical Center in Stanford, CA, where he works as a TMS Consultant. He has also been Visiting Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, Visiting Professor at Imperial College, London, and Adjunct Associate Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, where he also served as the Founder and Director of the Strategic Center of Excellence for OCD, Impulsive, and Behavioral Addiction.

Dr. Pallanti is an Executive Committee Member, the Chair of the Neuromodulation Network, and a member of the Scientific Board of the ECNP (European College of Neuropsychopharmacology) and also serves on its Educational Committee. He is the Advisory Council member of the International Center for Autism Research and Education (Icare4autism, New York), an international fellow, and served on the Advisory Board of the American Psychiatric Association for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, both for the DSM-IV and for the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Spectrum Workgroup for the DSM-V. He is a member of the board of directors of the International College for Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (ICOCS), a member of the PANDAS Physicians Network and of the International Neuroethics Society.

Since 2014 he has been a board member for the World Health Organization as an expert on anxiety. He served as a member of the board of directors of the Clinical TMS Society from May 2013 to May 2017. He is a member of the New York Society of Psychiatry. In 2019 Dr. Pallanti was appointed to the faculties of both the International Psychopharmacology Course of the Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Academy and the Training School at Clare College, Cambridge University, UK for the European Network for Problematic Usage of the Internet.

He is particularly active in rTMS, Neuromodulation, Photo-Bio Modulation, and Vagus Nerve Stimulation covering a broad area of Neuropsychiatry. He is Editor of the Archive of Behavioral Addiction, and Deputy Editor of CNS Spectrums, where he is also a columnist. He has published 187 peer-reviewed papers as of April 2020, 12 books, four manuals of Psychiatry. His H index is 55 as of April 2020.