BronxCare Health System

Ketki Shah, M.D.

Chairman
Psychiatry

Primary Location
BronxCare Hospital Center
1276 Fulton Ave
Bronx, New York 10456

(718) 901-8440 (main)

  • Email
  • Specialties
    Adult Psychiatry
  • Clinical Focus
    outpatient
  • Education
    M.D., Miraj Medical College, Maharashtra, India
    Residency, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital
  • Languages
    English, Gujarati, Hindi
  • Biography

    Dr. Ketki Shah’s path to becoming Chairman, Psychiatry is as extensive as it is impressive. Following a three-year Psychiatry Residency at BronxCare, Dr. Shah joined the BronxCare team as Attending Psychiatrist in 1988. In her initial position as Clinical Director, Day Treatment Program, Dr. Shah was instrumental in establishing it as a model program in New York State. “We were successful in preventing re-hospitalizations for many of our patients,” stated Dr. Shah. Her success led to a position as Clinical Director, Outpatient Psychiatry. Dr. Shah served in this capacity for six years prior to becoming Vice-Chairman, Psychiatry, and three years later, the Chairman of this Department.

    Dr. Shah sees her lifelong passion of helping those in need and particularly those with emotional problems, as being fulfilled at BronxCare. “Our community is economically disadvantaged with a population that also has a high incidence of mental health and chemical dependency problems. We must dedicate ourselves to delivering the highest quality services to them,” stated Dr. Shah.

    Under Dr. Shah’s leadership, the Department of Psychiatry is providing more than 200,000 visits annually, offering comprehensive care for mental health and chemical dependency problems impacting adults, adolescents, and children. Dr. Shah is also actively involved in supervising the hospital’s Psychiatry Residency and fellowship programs in Addiction Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Psychosomatic Medicine. “I enjoy helping our Residents learn and grow and, most importantly, seeing them become Directors, Chairmen, and outstanding specialists in the Psychiatric field,” stated Dr. Shah.

    It is in her native India that Dr. Shah has also devoted her efforts to helping the economically challenged. She has worked tirelessly to improve health care in some of the poorest areas of India, including reducing infant and maternal mortality, as well as working with the Share and Care Foundation, an organization that is directing its efforts towards transforming the lives of children, women, and families living in remote parts of India.  She has also helped establish Centers for Adolescent Mental Health, a unique program that teaches livelihood skills to women, while promoting gender equality, equity, and personal safety. Its graduates are then connected to businesses that require their skills. Her family also funds and manages a school in rural India.

    During her long career at BronxCare, Dr. Shah has received numerous recognitions, including Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her accomplishments and inspired service in the Psychiatric field. She is also dually Board Certified in General Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine and is a certified Psychopharmacologist.

    As she looks to the future, Dr. Shah sees “great things on the horizon for BronxCare and success in enhancing quality mental health care and launching new programs and initiatives.”