Karthik Sivashanker MD, MPH, CPPS

Dr. Sivashanker is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine and is as a staff consultation-liaison psychiatrist in VA Boston Healthcare. Dr. Sivashanker has a passion for patient safety and serves as the PI of a quality improvement initiative to enhance the screening and transfer process for patients seeking substance detoxification. This was selected as a Gold Status practice in a nationwide competition by the Under Secretary for Health.Dr. Sivashanker’s research interests are examining how the opioid epidemic affecting VA patients, the absence of transplant services in New England VA Healthcare, regional interfacility transfer difficulties, and off-label use of parental ketamine for treatment-refractory depression and suicidality.