Meet Dr. Niyati Dhand, MD

'Alaire' means to be filled with joy, and for me, joy is closely tied to purpose and meaning. Beyond providing thoughtful and tailored medication management, my psychotherapy work often explores purpose, meaning, identity, and resilience in the context of loss and hardship.

Losing a parent to heart disease at a young age deeply shaped my desire to become a physician, a path that developed as I connected with and processed my loss. Initially drawn to cardiology, I soon discovered that psychiatry offered the depth of connection and transformation I sought in medicine. I grew up in the 90s in a South Asian immigrant culture where mental illness was largely misunderstood and the treatment of it was inadequately regarded. Having witnessed the profound impact of depression on a beloved member of my community and their family, and later observing the remarkable changes possible with treatment during my time in medical school, I was inspired to pursue a career in psychiatry.

I found myself leaning into working with individuals and populations who experienced significant adversity and judgment. This is where I found an early interest in working with women & individuals with substance use disorders and subsequently discovered my passion for perinatal psychiatry as well. After completing a general psychiatry residency, I completed two post-graduate academic fellowships: an addiction psychiatry fellowship and later, a reproductive psychiatry fellowship.

Women’s mental health has always been a clinical interest of mine. Experiencing a second-trimester loss followed by years of infertility further grounded me in the purpose that had long guided my work and affirmed the importance of supporting others through the complex emotional and psychiatric challenges of reproductive health. While already in practice as a psychiatrist, in order to offer the excellence of care I wanted for my patients, I returned to complete an additional 1-year Perinatal Psychiatry & Women’s Mental Health fellowship at Northwestern University.

 In my journey as a psychiatrist, I have learned that certain challenges can be an opportunity for growth and healing, both for myself and for those I am privileged to serve. My psychotherapy work often focuses on exploring purpose, meaning, identity, and resilience in the context of loss and difficult life experiences. At Alaire, I am committed to walking this path alongside my patients, empowering them to find meaning in their own stories and to embrace a sense of hope in their lives.