Meet the Experts

Aimee Chiligiris, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health concerns.

Dr. Chiligiris serves on the faculty as an Instructor in Clinical Psychology (in Psychiatry) and sees patients at Columbia Doctors. Dr. Chiligiris completes diagnostic assessments, engages in individual therapy, and facilitates substance abuse groups. She completed her doctorate at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and internship and post-doctoral residency at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, specializing in the treatment of adolescents and young adults with co-occurring concerns and their families. She also received training in psychodynamic psychotherapy, dialectal behavioral and motivational interviewing approaches for treating co-occurring presentations. She has worked with clients of all ages in a variety of levels of care including inpatient, residential, day treatment, and outpatient settings. She has treated patients struggling with mood disorders, anxiety, characterological concerns, substance use disorders, disordered eating behaviors, and trauma related concerns. She has served as adjunct faculty for a course on addictions and completed research regarding building resilience for at-risk youth. Her special interests include the assessment and treatment of co-occurring disorders in early adulthood.

She also has interest in working with patients to build motivation, connection and skills in recovery, working with family members influenced by addiction, and assessment and treatment planning for complex co-occurring presentations.

Burton Edelstein DDS MPH is professor of Dental Medicine and Health Policy & Management at Columbia University where he chairs the Section of Population Oral Health.

He is also senior fellow in Public Policy and president emeritus of the DC-based Children’s Dental Health Project, a nonprofit policy organization that advances the oral health interests of children and their families. A board-certified pediatric dentist, Dr. Edelstein practiced pediatric dentistry in Connecticut and taught at Harvard before relocating to Washington, DC, to serve as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow and Health Legislative Aide to the U.S. Senate Minority Leader. From 2009 to 2014, he served on the federal Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) that advises Congress, Agencies, and States on Medicaid and CHIP policy. His academic and consulting contributions focus on public policies that affect children’s oral health and their access to care. Through CDHP, he has helped secure legislation and regulation for dental coverage in CHIP and Health Reform (ACA) while protecting the dental benefit in Medicaid.

His more than 100 publications include contributions to the peer-reviewed dental literature, book chapters, commissioned papers, and policy documents.

Kareem Merrick DDS graduated from Howard University College of Dentistry in 2009 earning a Doctor of Dental Surgery.

During his tenure at Howard University, he was a Minority Biomedical Research Support Program Scholar and a Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholar. Upon graduating from Howard University, he completed his General Practice Residency at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York in 2010. Dr. Merrick is currently the Dental Director of Oral Health Service at BrightPoint Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center serving the areas from The Bronx to Staten Island, with 23 operational sites located in all 5 boroughs. Dr. Merrick has also served Instructor of Clinical Dental Medicine at Columbia University College of Dentistry and New York University Langone’s Advanced Education General Dentistry Programs.

He engages pre- and post-doctoral dental trainees in treating inner-city homeless and low-income adults of inner-city homeless and provides care to special needs children at Smile Savers Pediatric Dentistry in the Bronx.

Marc Schlenoff DDS, a 1981 graduate of the University of Maryland Dental School, practiced general and esthetic dentistry in New Jersey since 1985.

He has directed the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program as Assistant Professor of Dental Medicine in the Division of Prosthodontics. Dr. Schlenoff completed all levels of the Rosenthal Institute Aesthetic Advantage, where he has been a lecturer and clinical instructor for the past 12 years. He has also taught hands-on courses for the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, helping dentists master esthetic dental techniques. As an attending dentist at Morristown Medical Center, where he has trained dental residents in both clinical dentistry and in practice management, Dr. Schlenoff was the recipient of the first annual Morton Wertheimer Award for teaching excellence. Dr. Schlenoff is affiliated with the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was honored as the Attending Dentist of the Year. The Consumer's Research Council of America has named Dr. Schlenoff one of America's Top Dentists for Cosmetic and Restorative care for ten consecutive years. Dr. Schlenoff is an active member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, American Dental Association, and Academy of General Dentistry, where he is a Fellow.

He has published articles in Dental Economics and Inside Dentistry and has completed a certificate program at Rutgers University in Essential Business Skills for Dentists.