About Creatives Care

Alana is a Harvard and Columbia educated psychiatrist and neurobiologist based in New York City. In addition to seeing patients in her private practice, she is currently a research fellow at Columbia’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute studying the organization of subcortical brain circuits that underlie many psychiatric and movement disorders. She has won a number of awards as a clinician, researcher and educator, including the NIMH Outstanding Resident Award and the Gold Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award. A lifelong music lover, Alana is a classically trained violinist and has performed with the Columbia University Medical Center Symphony Orchestra and the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Orchestra.

Email: amendelsohn@creativescare.org

Amy is a graduate of NYU’s School of Social Work with extensive training at institutes including Columbia University’s Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, the Psychoanalytic Association of New York, the Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis, the White Institute, and the Anna Freud Center. She also runs her own private practice in New York City. A former artist herself, Amy has treated a wide breadth of actors, dancers, writers, and musicians and knows first-hand the challenges people in the creative arts face finding affordable, empathic care.

Amy spent many years working in community mental health and city agencies serving under-resourced patients and is passionate about making sure people from all walks of life have access to quality care. In her role with Creatives Care, Amy is working to create a space where performers and providers can gain a deeper understanding of artists’ challenges and emotional needs, and provide artists of all backgrounds with the mental health support that will help them fully realize their talents.

Email: arosenthal@creativescare.org

Lidziya (Lida) (they/them) is a licensed therapist in the states of New Jersey and New York. They hold a Master of Social Work degree from New York University and a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Boston University with a specialty in technical theater. As a proudly non-binary, queer immigrant, Lidziya deeply values inclusivity and is committed to providing care for those populations who have historically been excluded by healthcare systems. Their passion is helping queerdos and creatives discover intimacy, agency, and personal embodiment.

As a manager and events professional, Lida loves both the excitement and challenge of engaging in collective action to solve important problems. They thrive in taking on new projects and are proficient in building the plane as they fly it.

Email: lrubanava@creativescare.org

Dr. Skye Shannon Savage is a researcher, educator, and vocalist based in New York City. She received her PhD from Columbia University in 2025 after completing a dissertation on the history of literature and psychiatry in post-World War II Germany. She is also the director of Pro Fano, a small vocal ensemble dedicated to early music performance. In her research and teaching she seeks to unite inquires into scientific and creative epistemologies, looking to history to understand the interactions of art and science and their role in generating the conditions we live in today.

Email: ssavage@creativescare.org

Eric is an active venture capital investor and advisor to early-stage technology companies. He previously founded Trinnacle Capital Management, a quantitative hedge fund focused on algorithmic trading. Since his physics studies in Switzerland, he has lived in South America, Europe, and the US. A classical music enthusiast (and hobby pianist), Eric is a regular at many concert halls and music festivals around the world. He is actively involved in music philanthropy and has supported classical music institutions around the world.

Email: ekohlmann@creativescare.org

Vicky works in revenue and growth strategy for a fintech start-up, and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and public policy from the College of William & Mary. Vicky was a classical concert violinist for 10 years, studying under a Juilliard pre-college teacher. She performed several seasons with two youth orchestras, including as concert mistress for performances at Lincoln Center, and in first violin at Carnegie Hall and Kupferberg Center.

With Creatives Care, Vicky is in pursuit of expanding transparency and access to mental healthcare within the artist community, which in itself is to support the arts in New York City and beyond. Vicky believes that creating fairer and more conspicuous mental healthcare access today will benefit generations of artists and creatives to come.

Email: vma@creativescare.org

Chengkai is a Vice President within Morgan Stanley’s Tactical Value Investing Team (MSTV), with a focus on investing in consumer, media, entertainment and sports businesses. Prior to his current role, he worked in investment banking in J.P. Morgan’s Industrials and Transportation Group where he was responsible for financial analysis and deal execution on LBO, M&A and IPO transactions. He holds a B.A. in Mathematics-Statistics from Columbia University. Outside of work, he is currently studying music composition part time at The Juilliard School. In addition to his Creatives Care work, he serves on various event hosting committees at the New York City Ballet’s Young Patron’s Circle and the Acquisition Committee of the Guggenheim Museum Young Collectors Council.

Email: chu@creativescare.org

Gianni is applying to Clinical Psychology PhDs for 2026. While attending high school in New York City, he performed and organized concerts within the DIY communities of Brooklyn and Manhattan. His focus shifted to literature during his college tenure, specializing in 20th century avant-garde poetics. He received his Bachelors in English from Columbia and his Masters in English from Oxford. After finishing his masters, his writing practice expanded into sociology and politics, exploring topics such as strategic interaction, media ecology, and the history of conspiracy theories. His recent work looks at communication’s central place in all social interactions, whether at the micro or macro level, and how language can be used to mediate truth and obscure exploitative hierarchies. His transition into psychology is born from a desire to help others by reframing miscommunications in non-adversarial terms, bridging the gap between what we mean to say and how we’re understood by others and the world at large.

Email: gdefalco@creativescare.org

Ariana is a high school student at Ethical Culture Fieldston School, located in NYC. She is a classically trained pianist and jazz enthusiast. Ariana started her career as a composer at eight years old, and since then, has written a variety of pieces, impromptus, a sonata, and songs of all genres. Ariana hosts an annual fundraiser, In Tune with Mental Health, where she performs solo and alongside her band, featuring songs about mental health. In addition, there is a panel discussion with adolescent psychiatrists. By virtue of this event, Ariana hopes to touch audiences through music while simultaneously raising awareness for mental health. Evident by her concert and work with Creatives Care, Ariana is interested in the medical field and wants to pursue this passion academically and professionally.

Email: asidman@creativescare.org

Hong is a private equity investor at Apollo Global Management and was previously an investment banker at Evercore advising technology, media and entertainment companies. Prior to his career in finance, Hong Kiu was a classical concert violinist and spent the majority of his time in New York, London, and Hong Kong. He has performed extensively around the world, including solo performances before Queen Elizabeth II in Her Majesty’s Jubilee, Carnegie Hall in New York, Kursaal Auditorium in San Sebastian and regular appearances in the Windsor Festival.

Hong Kiu holds a BA in Financial Economics from Columbia College.

Email: hkmak@creativescare.org

Michaela is an undergraduate student at the University of Vanderbilt. She is studying medicine, health, and society with a concentration in health behaviors. She plans on pursuing a business minor in conjunction. Michaela advocates for mental health in her university by working with their Eating Disorder Awareness Club. Also, she has a passion for international relations which is evident through her participation in Vanderbilt’s Travel Model United Team and her tutoring Ukrainian youth in English through ENGin. Michaela enjoys visual arts with an emphasis on fashion design. She has sewn her own garments and volunteered with the Vanderbilt Fashion Week. Outside of academics, her hobbies include scuba diving, reading, and trying different coffee shops. Michaela plans on pursuing a career that intersects medicine and business. She hopes to create a lasting impact on mental health treatment.
Email: michaelawolfe@creativescare.org

Marlee Sidor is a junior at Stuyvesant High School in NYC. She has received vocal training, played the piano for nearly 10 years, and acted in several musicals, both locally and at school. She is passionate about psychology, the arts, and their intersection. As vice president of Stuyvesant’s psychology club, Pstuychology, Marlee works to raise awareness and inspire interest in mental health and neuroscience, collaborating with fellow students to educate others. Additionally, through her project, Presents with Presence, Marlee strives to inspire change and break barriers of exclusivity in her community. In her free time, she enjoys music, writing short stories, and learning languages on Duolingo. Marlee plans to pursue further education in psychology, with a potential minor in musical theater or cultural studies. 

Email: msidor@creativescare.org