About me
Dionne Smith Coker-Appiah, PhD, MAED, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. She is affiliated with the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and provides clinical care for adolescents and emerging adults. Dr. Coker-Appiah has also engaged in a focused program of research that has focused on Rural Adolescent Dating Violence Prevention and Rural Adolescent Mental Health. Her research program has enabled her to build a comprehensive, domestic and international, Adolescent Dating Violence (ADV) Prevention research program, utilizing community-based participatory research approaches. More specifically, her research program is designed to: (a) prevent ADV and the associated health implications (mental, sexual, physical) among rural African Americans and international youth of Color, (b) build effective and sustainable community partnerships that build community capacity to address these issues, and (c) design culturally and geographically appropriate ADV prevention interventions. She directs the Adolescent Dating Violence Prevention Laboratory, which, in addition to conducting research, provides training and mentoring to numerous students (undergraduate, graduate, medical) and fellows. Her research has been funded by both federal and non-federal grants. Dr. Coker-Appiah’s most recent research has focused on building community partnerships to promote mental health and prevent ADV in rural North Carolina (Project LOVE) and Ghana, West Africa (GEAR UP-Ghana). She is also currently exploring, from an intergenerational and key stakeholder perspective, knowledge, perceptions and beliefs about mental health in rural communities (Minding Our Business). Dr. Coker-Appiah has dedicated her career to engaging in innovative research designed to prevent ADV and promote the mental health of youth in rural communities of Color. She is passionate about using her clinical skills and research and prevention efforts to ensure that all adolescents are mentally healthy and able to live healthy, violence-free lives.
Clinical areas of focus
- Behavioral Disorders
- Bipolar Disorder
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Depression
- Mental Health
- Mood Disorders
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Psychopharmacology
- Psychosis
- Psychotherapy
- Suicidal Ideation
- Women's Mental Health
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Acute Stress Disorder
- Addiction Disorders
- Adjustment Disorder
- Agitation
- Alcohol Addiction
- Alcohol Dependency
- Anger Issues
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Antisocial Personality Disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Autism
- Behavioral Disorders
- Behavioral Issues In Dementia
- Bereavement
- Bipolar Disorder
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Brief Psychotic Disorder
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Complicated Bereavement Disorder
- Compulsive And Addictive Behaviors
- Conversion Disorder
- Cyclothymic Disorder
- Delusional Disorder
- Dependent Personality Disorder
- Depression
- Disruptive Behavior
- Dissociative Disorders
- Dual Diagnosis
- Dysthymia
- Eating Disorders
- Executive Function Disorder
- Gender Dysphoria
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Grief
- Hallucinations
- Hoarding Disorder
- Hypochondriasis
- Hypomania
- Impulse Control Disorders
- Intermittent Explosive Disorder
- Mania
- Mental Health Disorders
- Mood Disorders
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Panic Attack
- Paranoia And Delusional Disorders
- Perinatal Mental Health Disorders
- Perinatal Mood Disorders
- Persistent Depressive Disorder
- Personality Disorder
- Phobia
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
- Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
- Psycho Oncology
- Psychopharmacology
- Psychosis
- Psychosomatic Disorders
- Schizoaffective Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Self Harming Behaviors
- Somatic Symptom Disorder
- Somatoform Disorders
- Substance Addiction
- Substance Dependence
- Suicidal Ideation
- Suicide Attempt
- Thought Disorder
- Trichotillomania
Procedures I perform
- Adult Psychiatry
- Anger Management
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Men's Mental Health
- Mental Health
- Neuropsychiatry
- Psychotherapy
- Transplant Psychiatry
- Women's Mental Health
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Kaiser Select
- Cigna Choice Fund PPO
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Cigna EPO
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- Aetna Open HMO/Open HMO Option/Open EPO Plus
- United Navigate
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network (VA CCN)
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- United Select Plus (POS)
- Anthem Plus BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- United Golden Rule
- Anthem HMO - BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
- United Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- I-SNP
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans)
- CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced
- Carefirst BlueChoice HMO
- Cigna Indemnity
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Carefirst BlueChoice Open Access
- Medicaid - Maryland
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- United Group Medicare Advantage Plans
- Cigna HMO Open Access
- United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- Kaiser Signature
- Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN)
- Police and Fire Clinic
- Aetna Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- United AARP Medicare Complete
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- Innovation Health: Open POS II
- United Choice
- Cigna POS Open Access & Open Access Plus
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- HumanaChoice PPO
- Kaiser Select-Added Choice
- United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose
- Cigna Network Open Access
- United Student Resources
- Cigna Preferred Medicare
- Anthem (POS & Open Access POS) BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
- United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO)
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO) |
- WellPoint Maryland
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP
- HealthyBlue PPO
- United MD IPA Preferred (POS)
- United Erickson Advantage Plans
- Cigna PPO and PPO Plus
- United Optimum Choice
- Medicaid - Virginia
- Aetna HMO
- Tricare Reserve Select
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Traditional Medicare Fee for Service
- Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Open Access
- Kaiser HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- United MD IPA (HMO)
- United Mamsi Life & Health
- United Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- Kaiser Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA
- Innovation Health: POS
- Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO
- CareFirst NASCO
- Medicaid - District of Columbia
- Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- United Choice Plus
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Cigna POS/Network POS
- Tricare East Prime
- Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- Virginia Premier
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- HumanaChoice Honor’s plan PPO
- Kaiser Medicare Plus
- Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- Aetna HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Aetna Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Tricare East Select
- Tricare for Life East
- Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS)
- CareFirst Administrators
- D-SNP)
- Carefirst EPO
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Kaiser Flexible Choice
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- United Core Essential (HMO)
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- Beech Street PPO
- Cigna HMO & Network (HMO)
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- First Health PPO
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
Education
Fellowship Program: National Institute of Health - NIMHD (2013)
Fellowship Program: Johns Hopkins Hospital (2006)
Graduate Education: University of Tennessee- Knoxville (2004)
Internship Program: The Ohio State University (2004)
Fellowship Program: UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health ()