Psychiatrist Sharon Batista named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor

    NEW YORK, NY, July 21, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Sharon M. Batista, MD, has been recognized as a 2023 Castle Connolly Top Doctor — the first time she has received the prestigious Top Doctor honor. Only about 7 percent of the nation's licensed physicians are selected annually as Castle Connolly Top Doctors in their regions for their specialties.

Dr. Batista is a psychiatrist and the medical director of Balanced Psychiatry of New York, the Manhattan private practice she founded in 2010. She is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with subspecialty certification in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine.

Dr. Batista has a special focus on women's mental health, multicultural psychiatry, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, and psychopharmacology.

She diagnoses and treats adults with conditions that include anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and mood disorders, including reproductive-health-related issues such as those that can occur during pregnancy and postpartum.

Dr. Batista believes that her hands-on approach and attention to detail sets her apart from many psychiatrists.

"The relationship we get to have with patients as psychiatrists and psychotherapists is very special. It's an amazing feeling when that 'aha!' moment happens," she says. "It's rewarding to help people understand how they are feeling, what is going through their minds that could be leading them to feel a certain way, and how to empower them to be able to do something about it. It's also very rewarding to help people who have tried other 'standard' therapies but who have not improved as much as they would like to."

Dr. Batista is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, as well as a Fellow of both the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and the American Medical Women's Association. She also serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committees at the American Academy of Psychodynamic Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis and the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrists.

"As a professional and a person of color, I've made an effort to be part of the leadership within professional organizations that I am a part of," Dr. Batista says. "It's a priority to advocate for people of color, including helping our psychiatric culture to acknowledge that culture and gender do have an impact on one's health, that a person's culture of origin can impact the treatment a person receives."

Dr. Batista is licensed and equipped to offer telemedicine/telehealth care to people in states that include New York, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.

She's an advocate for telemedicine because it means more people can get the help they need.

"There's a lot more freedom and convenience since, for example, now we don't have to commute a long distance for psychiatry or therapy appointments and patients don't have to use their sick or vacation time for care or disclose to their boss that they have a medical appointment," she says.

Some patients have some concerns about receiving care remotely, including privacy. Dr. Batista understands those concerns and has taken steps to make sure the technology she uses is much more secure than the typical remote meeting software.

"Maintaining our patients' privacy is top of mind. Our sessions are never recorded and we use an encrypted software that meets compliance standards for health care, including HIPAA compliance."

Dr. Batista earned her medical degree at Mount Sinai-Icahn School of Medicine. She completed a four-year psychiatry residency at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she served as Chief Resident, and a fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at NYU-Affiliated Hospitals. She also holds a bachelor's degree (cum laude) in anthropology from Harvard University.

She has served since 2011 as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and is affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital.

Top Doctors are nominated by peer physicians and selected by the physician-led Castle Connolly research team.

"It's been such an honor to be nominated for this recognition. I feel that my peers are backing me up, expressing similar values in terms of the quality of patient care that I deliver and that is so gratifying to me," Dr. Batista says. "I make a great deal of effort to create strong collaborations with other medical practitioners to help my patients achieve their goals."

About Castle Connolly
Castle Connolly publishes its Top Doctors list at castleconnolly.com and in a variety of print and online partner publications. Nominations are open to all board-certified MDs and DOs. The Castle Connolly team chooses honorees based on nominee criteria that includes their medical education, training, hospital appointments, and disciplinary histories.

Doctors do not and cannot pay to be selected as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor.

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