Regina Lara

Dr. Regina Lara joined Columbia Health in 2008. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City, and her Medical Degree at the University of the East – Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, also in the Philippines. She came to New York City for her residency in general adult psychiatry at Beth Israel Medical Center. Afterward she completed her two-year fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine/Mount Sinai Hospital. 

Lara worked as an attending physician on the child/adolescent inpatient unit, as well as medical director for the Child/Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic and Integrated Family Care Program at the  Mount Sinai Hospital. She also worked for two years as a child psychiatrist with the Staten Island Mental Health Society.

Lara enjoys the opportunity to engage with young adults  who are discovering and developing their identities while also navigating the challenges of an exacting academic institution. She is as interested in working with issues of adapting to a new country or culture while remaining steadfast in holding important traditions and beliefs. While working with her will usually entail the use of medications, whether for anxiety, or depression, or ADHD, she always emphasizes that incorporating non-pharmacologic practices and cultivating meaningful and healthy relationships are essential for anyone to achieve true mental and psychological health.