On the Mind with Dr. Daniel Knoepflmacher

In this special edition of On the Mind, host Dr. Daniel Knoepflmacher is joined by Dr. Johanna Inamagua and Dr. Michelle Zhou, first-year psychiatry residents at Weill Cornell Medicine, for an Ask Me Anything (AMA) episode geared toward medical students applying to psychiatry residency. Together, all three answer med student-submitted questions including how many programs to apply to, how to gauge competitiveness, how to research program culture and fit, what factors carry the most weight in a holistic review, and what makes for a strong personal statement, letter of recommendation, and interview. This episode offers practical, first-hand guidance for medical students navigating the psychiatry residency application process, drawing on the combined perspectives of a program director and residents who went through the match themselves.

In this episode of On the Mind, host Dr. Daniel Knoepflmacher speaks with Dr. Frank Yeomans, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and Director of Training at the Personality Disorders Institute, about how to assess personality in a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. Dr. Yeomans traces the shift from the DSM-5’s traditional categorical model of personality disorders to its dimensional alternative model, which identifies difficulties in one’s sense of self and relationships with others as the core features underlying all personality pathology. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, he walks through six key dimensions clinicians can assess in any patient: identity, defenses, aggression, reality testing, interpersonal relationships, and moral functioning, illustrating each with vivid case examples. The conversation also addresses how to sensitively discuss a personality disorder diagnosis with patients, the key distinctions between borderline and narcissistic personality disorder, and why understanding personality pathology as existing on a spectrum we all share can reduce stigma in clinical practice.

In this episode of On the Mind, host Dr. Daniel Knoepflmacher speaks with Dr. Frank Yeomans, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and Director of Training at the Personality Disorders Institute, about how to assess personality in a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation. Dr. Yeomans traces the shift from the DSM-5’s traditional categorical model of personality disorders to its dimensional alternative model, which identifies difficulties in one’s sense of self and relationships with others as the core features underlying all personality pathology. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, he walks through six key dimensions clinicians can assess in any patient: identity, defenses, aggression, reality testing, interpersonal relationships, and moral functioning, illustrating each with vivid case examples. The conversation also addresses how to sensitively discuss a personality disorder diagnosis with patients, the key distinctions between borderline and narcissistic personality disorder, and why understanding personality pathology as existing on a spectrum we all share can reduce stigma in clinical practice.

In this episode of On the Mind, host Dr. Daniel Knoepflmacher speaks with Dr. Dhruv Khullar, a hospitalist and Associate Professor of Population Health Policy and Economics at Weill Cornell Medicine and a contributing writer for The New Yorker, about the promise and peril of artificial intelligence in mental health care. Their conversation explores the rapid expansion of AI into clinical documentation, diagnostic reasoning, and patient navigation, as well as the risks of cognitive de-skilling, sycophantic chatbots, and profit-driven apps that cloak commercial motives in the language of clinical care. They also discuss how AI's simulation of empathy and relational interaction is hacking the fundamental human bonds of attachment, trust, and genuine connection that lie at the core of effective psychotherapy and healthy human development. Dr. Khullar shares his thinking on the regulatory frameworks and research infrastructure needed to help ensure these technologies serve patients rather than exploit them.

In this episode of On the Mind, host Dr. Daniel Knoepflmacher speaks with Dr. Alyson Gorun, a reproductive psychiatrist and Acting Director of the Aaron Stern, M.D., Ph.D. Program in Psychodynamic Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, about mental health during the perinatal period. Dr. Gorun discusses the psychiatric conditions most commonly associated with pregnancy and the postpartum months, how pre-existing diagnoses can be destabilized by hormonal and psychosocial changes, and the complex risk-benefit considerations that guide medication decisions. She also addresses the psychological weight of new parenthood, structural disparities in perinatal care, and evidence-based approaches to both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatment.