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Michael R. Privitera, M.S., M.D.

Contact Information

Phone Numbers

Appointment: (585) 275-3505

Fax: (585) 276-0161

Faculty Appointments

Patient Care Settings

Neurology, Psychiatry

Biography

Dr. Privitera is not accepting ongoing private patients. He continues to provide two visit consultation in the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Consultation Clinic, and the Outpatient Psychiatry Consultation Clinic. Consultation can be obtained by calling 275-3505.

Professional Background

Dr. Privitera is Professor of Psychiatry at University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), a consultation/liaison psychiatrist and directs the outpatient division of the Psychiatric Consultation/Liaison Service. This is a two visit consultative model to be a support to primary care clinicians, and second opinions on treatment resistant mood disorders to other psychiatrists.
He is a member of the UR Medicine Workplace Safety Committee, Staff Support Committee, Patient and Family Centered Care Council addressing disruptive behavior, patient satisfaction and Burnout in physicians. He Co-Chaired Workplace Violence Committee in Psychiatry for 6 years with Catherine Cerulli PhD JD and assembled national and international experts in the workplace violence field which culminated in editing and writing for the book: Workplace Violence in Mental and General Healthcare Settings (Jones and Bartlett Publishers 2011). This book won the 2012 Manford Guttmacher Award, given by the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL), a forensic psychiatry division of The American Psychiatric Association.
In recent years, Dr. Privitera has been focusing on the issue of physician burnout. He is one of the main architects of URMC's hospital-wide multimodal approach to addressing clinician burnout by supporting individuals and making institutional/ organizational changes in his hospital role as Medical Director of the Medical Faculty and Clinician Wellness Program. He is a member of a national collaborative group of academic medical centers referred to as "CHARM" (Collaborative for Healing and Renewal in Medicine) centered at MGH/Harvard. He is a member of the Federation of State Medical Boards Task Force on Physician Burnout and was Chair of the Medical Society of the State of New York Committee on Physician Wellbeing and Resilience from 2015-2019.
He has written in publications of The Joint Commission, American Hospital Association, National Patient Safety Foundation, Medscape and Journal of Hospital Administration on physician burnout.

Credentials

Education

1974
BA | Northwestern University
Biology

1975
MS | SUNY Coll at Buffalo Graduate Medical-Dental Education
Arts & Sciences

1979
MD | Univ at Buffalo SUNY School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Medicine

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

09/01/1981 - 06/30/1983
Residency in Psychiatry at University of Rochester Medical Center

09/01/1979 - 06/30/1981
Internship in Psychiatry at University of Michigan Medical Center

Awards

2019
American Medical Association Joy in Medicine Award 2019
Sponsor: University of Rochester

2018 - 2019
Patient Safety Award; Integrated Model: Patient Safety and Staff Wellbeing
Sponsor: MCIC Vermont (Malpractice Carrier) Patient Safety Award Project

2017
Best Doctors In America

2015
Best Doctors in America

2014
Sidney Rubin, MD Award for Excellence in Psychiatric Residency

2014
Doctor of Excellence
Sponsor: Board of Leaders in Healthcare Network

2012 - 2012
Manfred Guttmacher Award 2012 in Forensic Psychiatry
Sponsor: American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law/APA
Location: Philadelphia PA, 5/6/12

2009
Friend of Residents Award – (URMC Psychiatry Resident Class)

2009
Irma Bland MD Award (APA) for Excellence in Teaching Residents

2007 - 2009
Best Doctors in America

2006
Top Psychiatrists in America

2005
URMC, Dept of Psychiatry Excellence in Clinical Care Award

2005
Best Doctors in America

2004
Sidney Rubin, MD Award for Excellence in Psychiatric Residency

2001
Sidney Rubin, MD Award for Excellence in Psychiatric Residency

1999
Mary Lou Meyers, MD Award for Excellence in Medical Student

1998
Best Doctors In America

1997
Nancy C.A. Roeske, MD Award (APA) for Excellence in Medical Student Education

1995
Fellow (now called

1986
Sidney Rubin, MD Award for Excellence in Psychiatric Residency

1983
Sandoz Award in Psychopharmacology

1979
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
Location: (SUNY @ Buffalo, of Medicine)

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Publications

Journal Articles

8/2023
Farley HL, Harry EM, Sinsky CA, Boehm EW, Privitera MR, Melnick ER. "Humans as an Essential Source of Safety: A Frameshift for System Resilience." Mayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes.. 2023 Aug; 7(4):241-243. Epub 2023 Jun 02.

6/21/2021
Epstein RM, Privitera MR. "Finding Our Way Out of Burnout." JCO oncology practice.. 2021 Jun 21; :OP2100233. Epub 2021 Jun 21.

2021
Epstein RM, Privitera MR. "Finding our way out of burnout JCO Oncology Practice 2021" . 2021; : 1-4.

Books & Chapters

2021
Book Title: Organizational Interventions to Reduce Burnout in Healthcare.
Author List: Privitera MR.
Edited By: D'Souza RF, Nimmagadda S, McIntyre J, DeSousa A.
Published By: Oxford Press 2021

2021
Book Title: Burnout in Healthcare: The effect of halo bias on clinician expectations in burnout.
Author List: Privitera MR.
Edited By: Herman I.
Published By: Unknown 2021

2020
Chapter Title: Managing the Disruptive Physician.
Book Title: The periFACTS OB/GYN Academy
Author List: Privitera MR, Hengerer AS, and Apostolakos MJ.
Published By: Unknown 2020

VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONS