BOSTON, MA

Head mental health counselor in a state psychiatric locked unit facility working with a diverse population of 80-100 patients ranging from low functioning schizophrenics to bipolar patients with suicidal ideation to patients convicted of murder and rape.  

Responsible for management and flow of the ward heading up a staff of 22 mental health workers and nurses. 

Conducted individual and group therapy sessions. 

MMHC was a highly volatile psychiatric center which turned down no patients, whether they came in off the street brought in by the police or were from Bridgewater State hospital for the criminally insane. Despite being stabbed and strangled, Mike got to work with and help patients in extreme need supervised by the best Psychiatrists in the country.

Supervised by Chief Psychiatric Resident, Marianne Badaracco MD Harvard Medical School

CLINICAL RESEARCHER, JOINT PROGRAM OF NEONATOLOGY

BRIGHAM & WOMEN’S HOSPITAL, CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL 

BOSTON, MA 

Clinical researcher for The Infant Health and Development Program, The IHDP was a national collaborative randomized trial of a medical and social intervention for low birthweight premature infants and their families. The goal of the study was to determine how prematurity ultimately affects learning behavior in adolescence and adulthood and whether the intervention affected the problems normally associated with prematurity.

Mike was trained in neonatal research by a Pediatrician.

Monitored infants and gathered data from the neonatal intensive care unit to decide on appropriate candidates and interpreted data

Supervised by Michael Yogman MD, Pediatrician, Professor, Harvard Medical School

Supervised by Dan Kindlon, PhD, Professor Harvard Medical School. Author: Raising Cain

CLINICAL RESEARCHER, INFANTS OF DIABETIC MOTHER’S STUDY

HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL RESEARCH GRANT

BOSTON, MA

The goal of the study was to learn how the fluctuating insulin levels in newborns, due to their mother’s diabetes, affected alertness and ultimately learning behavior in the infant and whether the intervention of adjusting their diet affected the problems normally associated with infants of diabetic mothers.

Recruited candidates (High risk diabetic mothers) and monitored the baby’s and mothers’ progress through labor and delivery and then monitored newborn in Intensive care. Gave newborns their first 30-40 feedings in life of sugar water versus plain water and then monitored their REM sleep eye fluctuations as a measurement of alertness.

EMERGENCY ROOM ORDERLY, BETH ISRAEL HOSPITAL 

BOSTON, MA

Basic care of incoming emergency room patients. Helping with triage, preparation of patients for doctors and performed emergency care including CPR on heart attack victims.

THERAPIST, HUMAN RESOURCE INSTITUTE 

BOSTON, MA

Therapist in a private psychiatric hospital working with a patient population consisting mainly of adolescent drug and alcohol abusers.