March 5th, 2021
Dr. Sudhakar Shenoy is one of our newest psychiatrists at Clarity Clinic. He’s an active member of various professional organizations, is well-published, and has worked with offices of senators and representatives in regard to healthcare advocacy and policy.
Dr. Shenoy's achievements are a result of his passion for psychiatry and ability to overcome obstacles that arose on his path to becoming the excellent physician he is today.
An acronym Dr. Shenoy often references with his patients is ART: actions, reactions, and thoughts. He believes that the art of life revolves around these three attributes and if his patients can work on each of them consistently, they will live a happy life. Helping his patients succeed is the most fulfilling part of his work.
When Dr. Shenoy was young, a life-threatening accident required him to need surgery. Due to a lack of resources and hospitals in India, it was initially difficult for him to receive access to medical care; however, the physicians that treated him provided such compassionate and excellent care that he was inspired to become a doctor himself. The impact that these doctors had on him continues to be a driving force to provide exceptional care to his clients.
During his time in medical school, Dr. Shenoy became fascinated by the complexities of the brain. He was drawn to the challenge presented by the fact that you can scan the brain itself but not the mind. This influenced him to seek specialty training for psychiatry.
Unfortunately, due to systemic issues, he faced discrimination in his attempt to receive this training. Rather than accept defeat, Dr. Shenoy decided to move to the United States and pursue higher education.
Moving to a new country without knowing anyone in it, along with facing difficulties making ends meet at times made for a very humbling experience for Dr. Shenoy at the beginning.
Despite all the challenges he endured, Dr. Shenoy completed his residency training in psychiatry at Southern Illinois University and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry. He also received research training at Virginia Commonwealth University and Harvard Medical School to further expand his skillset.
All of these experiences have shaped the way Dr. Shenoy cares for his patients. His goal when treating children and adolescents is to help their fast-developing brains grow to their optimal potential and heal from whatever mental health challenge they’re going through.
When Dr. Shenoy first moved to the United States, he began taking pictures of cities he visited to send to his family back home in India. This led to him becoming passionate about photography and taking it up as a hobby.
During quarantine, he enjoyed going on long walks and taking pictures along the way. One of his pictures was selected for the city of Naperville’s Christmas card this past year!
Here are some of Dr. Shenoy's photographs. Photo credit to Dr. Sudhakar Shenoy.
City skyline
Washington DC
Dr. Shenoy chose to join Clarity Clinic as a Child psychiatrist because he believes in the combination of therapy and psychiatry services for optimally treating clients. He feels that this approach sets Clarity apart from other clinics and that it aligns with his own values and believes. We’re excited to have him on our team and look forward to seeing what he will accomplish in the future!
AACAP Award Spotlight Sudhakar Kateel Shenoy, MD. (2020) JAACAP Connect, 7(3), 22.
AACAP Award Spotlight Sudhakar Kateel Shenoy, MD. (2020). AACAP News, 51(5), 233.
Member Spotlight - Sudhakar Shenoy, MD. (2020). Mind Matters, (44).
Shenoy, S. (2020). Advocating for our Child and Adolescent Patients and Psychiatrists. Mind Matters, (45). https://illinois.psychiatry.org/news-events/mind-matters/mind-matters-winter-2020/advocating-for-our-child-and-adolescent-patients-a?viewmode=2&lang=en-US
Shenoy, S. (2018). Movement Disorders and Antipsychotics: The Nuts and Bolts. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 57(10), S98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2018.07.411
Shenoy, S. et al. (2014). Psychotherapy in the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu Scriptural Text. American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(8), 827-828. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13081092
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