By Gregg Shields

Dr. Dinara Triantafyllou carries a passion for helping others.

“Dinara is the rare student who excels in research, clinical work, and advocacy for the underserved,” said Dr. Adam Brenner, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and a mentor to Dr. Triantafyllou. “She has both a very big heart for our psychiatric patients, and a first-rate intellect for scholarly work."

Dr. Dinara Triantafyllou

Her skills, enthusiasm, and experiences led Dr. Triantafyllou to be honored as recipient of the 2015 North Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians Award for Outstanding Medical Student in Psychiatry.

“One of the most satisfying experiences in the past four years was working with my classmates on reopening the Monday Psychiatry Clinic,” Dr. Triantafyllou said. “The clinic is a student-run initiative that screens an underserved North Dallas community for major depression, substance abuse, and domestic violence. I was so fortunate to work with this amazingly smart, hardworking, and fun group of people, who believed in this project and made it happen.”

Dr. Triantafyllou came to Texas from Podolsk, Russia, when she was 11 years old. She graduated from Lamar High School in Houston and Rice University with a degree in biochemistry and cell biology. She is returning to Houston to begin residency in psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine.

She credits Dr. Brenner and Dr. Carol North, Professor of Psychiatry and Surgery, as valued mentors during her education at UT Southwestern.

”Dr. North and I worked on several research projects together, and I learned so much from her about research and psychiatry,” Dr. Triantafyllou said. “Her work ethic and dedication to teaching are qualities I really admire. Dr. Brenner also was instrumental in my decision to become a psychiatrist and to focus on therapy as I move ahead with my training. His advice, support, and book loans made me realize how diverse and rich the field of psychiatry is and how much I want to be a part of it.”

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