Unit Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry
NYC Health + Hospitals/lincoln

Profound Lessons from Patients

As a young boy growing up in Bangladesh, Pronoy Roy was fascinated by doctors. In high school he volunteered at free clinics that cared for the poor and resolved to one day become a doctor himself. After earning his medical degree in his home country, Dr. Roy decided that psychiatry would be his way of helping people. He immigrated to New York in 2005, served a residency at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, then joined the inpatient psychiatry department of Lincoln.

“I always aspired to practice medicine in an underserved community and make a difference,” Dr. Roy said. “The proudest moment of my career was my first day as an attending at Lincoln Hospital.” Dr. Roy has made quite a difference in the 10 years since that day. He became unit chief in 2015, and in addition to his empathetic care of his own patients he has made important contributions to the quality of treatment throughout the unit by conducting projects to improve patient engagement and reduce lengths of stay.

“I consider it a privilege to work in a community that is one of the poorest in the city and know that anyone can come in here and get help,” Dr. Roy says. “Mental health problems are chronic issues that affect every sphere of a patient’s life. We’re continuously trying to help our patients lead productive lives.”

Dr. Roy is also a mainstay of the hospital’s teaching program, widely admired as a role model for medical students and psychiatry residents. But he’s quick to point out that his work makes him a student as well: “I’ve learned many of life’s most profound lessons through the stories, struggles and triumphs of my patients. Medicine puts me in a position to speak for those who may not otherwise have a voice. It makes my medical career a journey worth completing well.”

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