Dr. Vatsal G. Thakkar is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, and director of the Graduate Medical Education Wellness Team at NYU. Dr. Thakkar received his bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and his doctor of medicine from the University of Tennessee in Memphis. He trained in psychiatry at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was chief resident and then recruited as junior faculty. Prior to coming to New York, he was medical director at the Vanderbilt Mental Health Center, supervising residents and nurse practitioners, and directing a course for second-year medical students. In 2006, he completed two textbooks on psychiatry which serve as primers on mental health for a young adult audience. He has been a psychiatric consultant to attorneys, an employee assistance program, and to the press, including the New York Times and NBC's Today Show.

Dr. Thakkar's pursuits outside of psychiatry include photography and filmmaking. His last photo exhibit, "Fortitude," consisted of portraits of cancer survivors and is part of the permanent collection of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. Dr. Thakker has also written and directed Ravaged, a film about the plight of a man with post-traumatic stress disorder, which debuted in 2001 and has screened multiple times as recently as 2008. He is currently working on several media projects and running a private practice, Solstice Psychiatric Consulting, in Manhattan. More information can be obtained at www.solsticenyc.com.