Introduction

Dr. Himanshu (Manny) Agrawal was born in New Delhi, India but spent his childhood living with his family in Bangladesh, London, Moscow, and Nepal.  In searching for a practice location, Dr. Agrawal was particularly interested to find a mental health system that valued psychiatry and the use of medications yet shared his philosophy that medications, while sometimes useful, are most useful when used as one part of an otherwise dynamic treatment plan.

Education

After completing medical school in New Delhi, India, Dr. Agrawal moved to Minnesota in 2002 to pursue postgraduate training.  He received his training in General Psychiatry at the Hennepin-Regions program in Minneapolis-St. Paul where he was the Chief Resident, and completed his fellowship, also as Chief Resident,  in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota in 2008.  As a Chief Resident, Dr. Agrawal gained valuable experience in collaborative problem solving, and working with dynamic and multifaceted mental health systems and administrative issues.

Experience

Dr. Agrawal is board-certified in both general psychiatry and the subspecialty of child and adolescent psychiatry.  He maintains a specific interest in psychodynamic approaches.  He also holds specific interest in community psychiatry and is a firm believer in the bio-psycho-social model of mental health.  He is a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, the American Psychiatric Association, and the Indo-American Psychiatric Association.  Dr. Agrawal has also given many presentations on a wide range of psychiatry and mental health topics.

As a full-time member of our clinical team, Dr. Agrawal provides psychiatric care for the clients of each of the Northwest Passage residential treatment programs, engages in ongoing consultation and clinical collaboration with our full clinical team, and has established an outpatient practice in Frederic, Wisconsin serving both children and adults.

Introduction

Dr. Dave Ammend has been involved with Northwest Passage since 1992 when he first joined the Board of Directors.  A passion for providing medical care to at-risk children drove his interest in working with Northwest Passage and lead him to join our team full time in 1996.

Education

Dr. Ammend attended medical school at the University of Minnesota from 1985 to 1989 and completed his residency in pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics in 1992.  Dr. Ammend graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Political Science from the University of Minnesota in 1982.

Experience

Following his residency, Dr. Ammend pursued a general pediatrics practice at the Duluth Clinic in Ashland, Wisconsin from 1992 until 1996.  During that time, his practice gravitated toward an increasing number of clients & families facing mental health issues.  After moving his practice to Frederic in 1996, Dr. Ammend continued to see outpatient clients while also providing services for residents at Northwest Passage.

He worked as an Advisory Committee Member of the Rural Autism Project and the Medical Advisor for a Five County Birth to 3 Program.  Dr. Ammend is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Wisconsin State Medical Society, and the Polk County Medical Society.

Driven by the continued complexities of the inpatient population and the desire to provide these children with comprehensive medical care, including addressing issues with psychotropic medications, Dr. Ammend eventually discontinued his outpatient practice.  Dr. Ammend has given multiple presentations to parent groups, educators, and mental health clinicians regarding the assessment and treatment of mental health disorders in children and adolescents.

The Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ammend provides oversight of the medical services provided to NWP residents, guides clinical policy development, and assists in staff training and development.  He provides specific training to Northwest staff on a variety of topics in mental health and pediatric medicine as well as participating in ongoing case consultation and clinical collaboration.

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Introduction

Dr. Cynthia Boykin joined the Northwest team in 2002.  Her varied background in psychology as well as special education led her to become interested in providing comprehensive assessments not only within the inpatient programs but for a variety of outpatient clients as well.

Education

Dr. Boykin received her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the School of Applied Health and Educational Psychology at Oklahoma State University in 2000.  She earned a Masters degree in Learning Disabilities and Psychometry with additional accreditation in Mental Retardation and Autism from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1985.  She graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Psychology with a concentration in Child Development and Minor in Biology from Western Washington University in Bellingham Washington in 1976.

Experience

Before joining the Northwest team in 2001, Dr. Boykin completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Iowa’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Project at the University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development.  Dr. Boykin also completed an APA accredited doctoral internship with Quality Living, Inc. a consortium based in Bellevue, Nebraska.  Prior to pursuit of her doctorate and neuropsychology training, Dr. Boykin was a special education teacher with the Jenks Public School district where she received grants for her work and was nominated as Teacher of the Year.  Dr. Boykin has published numerous works and has recently been asked to author a chapter in a text book focusing on brain injury in children.  She has also given multiple conference and community and state presentations on a variety of mental health topics.  Professional Memberships include the National Academy of Neuropsychology, the International Neuropsychological Society, and the American Psychological Association – Clinical Neuropsychology.

Dr. Boykin’s ability to connect with clients and families as well as her ability to approach complex cases thoroughly and explain complex diagnoses in understandable terms have made her an invaluable resource on our team and within the mental health community of northwest Wisconsin.  She provides inpatient assessments at the Northwest Passage Child and Adolescent Center, provides psychological oversight and consultation services at the Northwest Counseling & Guidance Clinic Siren Day Treatment Program, and provides outpatient assessments to clients through the Frederic office.

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Introduction

Dr. Bob Law joined the Northwest team in 2008.  Dr. Law’s strong background in pediatric neuropsychological assessment makes him a vital member of our clinical team and he brings with him a focus on assessing neurodevelopmental challenges and disorders.

Education

Dr. Law completed a Ph.D. in Biopsychology and Mental Health from the University of Chicago in 2002.  From 1989 to 1993, he was a Fellow with the Harris Center for Developmental Studies and a recipient of a Century Scholarship from the University of Chicago, from which he earned a Masters degree in Biopsychology in 1993.  He earned his Bachelors degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989.

Experience

Immediately before coming to Northwest Passage, Dr. Law was a Pediatric Neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Schmieding Developmental Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.  From 2000 to 2002, he was a Neuropsychological Associate with the Learning Support Center at Texas Children’s Hospital.  Dr. Law completed a pre-doctoral neuropsychology fellowship from 1998 to 2000 and a post-doctoral neuropsychology fellowship from 2002-2004 both at Texas Children’s Hospital/ Baylor College of Medicine in the Learning Support Center.  He completed a doctoral internship at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in 1998.  He has completed numerous publications and is a member of both the International Neuropsychology Society and the National Academy of Neuropsychology.

Dr. Law provides inpatient assessments at the Northwest Passage Child and Adolescent Center, provides psychological oversight and consultation services at the Northwest Counseling & Guidance Clinic Ellsworth Day Treatment Program, and provides outpatient assessments to clients through the Frederic office.

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