A Full Scholarship Leads to a Calling in Neuropsychiatry   

A Full Scholarship Leads to a Calling in Neuropsychiatry

Earlier this month, Long Island native Jordan Intrator, M.D., walked across the stage at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine’s Commencement Ceremony at NJPAC to proudly accept his medical degree. Now, Dr. Intrator is headed to New York University’s prestigious and highly competitive neuropsychiatry program - where only one student is admitted each year. He credits his great success to the full scholarship he received to attend Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and an array of hands-on clinical opportunities, thanks to the spectacular power of philanthropy. 

Dr. Intrator always knew he wanted to be a physician. While in a high school psychology class, he found great interest in people, science and the science of people. His interest later led him to obtain a psychology degree from Hunter College at the City University of New York,  where he had his first clinical experience at the famed Bellevue Hospital. He recalls a number of formative patient interactions, all of which furthered his curiosity in the science of treating the mind.

“I realized how fortunate I was, being able to just work with patients and see them recover, and seeing them in acute psychiatric distress, and then get better through both therapy and medication. It was very moving,” says Dr. Intrator. “Along the way, I started asking myself: What is causing this? What is happening in this person’s life? What is bringing this on? How did they get better? How can we keep them better? And how can I be a part of that?"

Dr. Intrator pursued medical school and found himself accepted to several institutions. He knew that Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine was the right one for him, partly because he received a full scholarship, but also because it offered a humanistic-driven, progressive vision of how to become a physician in the 21st century. It was an inspiration to be the best he could be.

“Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine saw something in me,” says Dr. Intrator. “I told myself, I’m going to prove to them that it was the right decision to invest in me.”

With his desire and determination, Dr. Intrator seized the opportunity, throwing himself into a number of groups: the School’s Medical Education Committee, a student representative to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Peer Mentoring Group and the presidencies of the Psychiatry Student Interest Group, the Student Interest Group in Neurology and the Neuroscience Journal Club, the latter of which he founded. 

He was also involved in a slew of research projects that spanned across the Hackensack Meridian Health network, including investigations into the use of psychotropic drugs, stimulants and depressants, in combination with other stimulations and therapies. But, an interaction with Florian Thomas, M.D., M.A., Ph.D., M.S., chair of the Neuroscience Institute and Department of Neuroscience at Hackensack University Medical Center, led him to his true calling: neuropsychiatry. 

“Dr. Thomas connected me with Dr. Siddhartha Nadkarni, a double-boarded neuropsychiatrist, who kindly allowed me to shadow him on rotations as part of my independent study,” says Dr. Intrator. I found the experience to be completely immersive and thrilling. The blended practice of neurology and psychiatry was precisely what I had been searching for. I finally honed in on exactly what I want to do and what kind of physician I want to be.”

Neuropsychiatry combines psychiatry’s examination of mental health disorders with neurology’s search for root causes of brain disorders. Through the course of his years working in rotations and observing mental health and the barriers to it, Dr. Intator remains convinced that the future is combining psychiatry with neurology to understand the physiological workings of the brain.

“For me, it’s about defining neuropsychiatry, breaking down how the brain affects behavior and giving people their autonomy back,” says Dr. Intrator. “I want to heal patients to the best of my ability and conduct vital research, which can help them in a myriad of ways. Had it not been for Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine’s confidence in me, and my scholarship, all of this may not have been totally possible. The opportunities afforded to me through the school were extraordinary, and I am grateful.” 

We congratulate Dr. Intrator on his commencement and wish him the best of luck as he advances his studies as a physician. As he goes out into the world, we know that he will represent Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine well!

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