Senada Bajmakovic-Kacila, MD

Assistant Professor  
Department of Psychiatry, Rush Medical College
Residency Training Director, Department of Psychiatry
Medical Director, Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic
Role: Administrator, Clinician and Faculty
Joined Rush in 2014

Bio

I was born in Montenegro in the former Yugoslavia, and I finished medical school in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. I immigrated to New York in November of 1991 and attended the Psychiatry Residency Training Program at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn from 1993 to 1997. I subsequently worked at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York for 17 years. In November of 2014, I moved to Chicago and started working at Rush as assistant professor of psychiatry and as a faculty member in the Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic. The following summer, I was made medical director of the clinic, and in December of 2017, I became the psychiatry residency training director, two positions which I still hold today.

What inspired you to get into your field?

I was inspired to study psychiatry by the special bond that psychiatrists share with their patients, and by the special role that they play in their patients’ lives.

What excited you about your work at Rush?

I love Rush’s strongly collegiate atmosphere.

What is your opinion of mentoring and sponsorship? Please comment about your experiences.

I have not yet been involved in the mentorship program.

Do you have tips or advice you would recommend for someone looking to enter your field of work?

With all the recent advances in neuroscience, psychiatry has become a more exciting field than ever before. Every patient has a unique story, and a busy psychiatrist is never bored!

What are your hobbies? How do you like to spend your free time?

Most of my free time is spent doing outdoor activities with my friends or with my husband and three kids.