Adult ADHD programs at New York academic medical centers

Large hospital systems in New York City run psychiatry departments that train doctors, run research studies and see patients. People with adult ADHD sometimes look to them first, for a second opinion, for group therapy that private offices rarely run, or for a research study. This article describes what six of those systems say about adult ADHD on their own websites, read in October 2026. It does not rank them, and it reports only what each page says. Where a page is silent, the article says so.

This practice is not part of any of these institutions. It is a private psychiatric practice that sees adults for ADHD evaluation and treatment, described on the adult ADHD evaluation page.

Side by side: what each center publishes

A page that does not mention ADHD does not mean a clinic will not see you for it. It means the page does not say, and you would need to ask.

NYU Langone: a named adult program with research attached

NYU Langone's program page lists four services: comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, medication consultation and management, individual and group cognitive behavioral therapy, and neuropsychological testing. It also says its specialists offer online visits through the NYU Langone Health app. The page does not name which states those visits can be taken from, so ask if you live outside New York.

The department's research page says the program develops scales for screening and diagnosing adult ADHD. With Ronald Kessler of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Adler helped create the 18-question Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) v1.1 Symptom Checklist and the 6-question screener, the same questionnaires described in ADHD screening tests explained. The page lists experimental treatments under study, including new psychotherapies, medications and neuromodulation such as neurofeedback, and names one study funded by Collegium Pharmaceutical as currently enrolling.

Mount Sinai: structured groups and an out-of-network billing model

Mount Sinai's Center of Excellence lists adult and college programs under the heading "Skills for College, Work, and Life." Its pages give more detail than most about format:

• CBT for Adult ADHD. Small groups meet for two hours a week for 12 weeks and work on time management, organization and planning. The program now includes an introduction to mindfulness skills, and the center says it was tested in a formal efficacy study supported by a National Institute of Mental Health grant.
• DBT-informed advanced group. A weekly six-week group, open only to people who finished the CBT program.
• College Student ADHD Treatment Program. Small groups of 4, 8 or 12 sessions, depending on the time of year.
• Medication management and adult neuropsychological evaluations, each with its own intake contact.

On payment, the center states that it does not bill insurance directly and provides forms you can submit to your insurer. Any insurance payment would then come through a claim you file yourself. How that works is explained in out-of-network reimbursement in New York.

Columbia and NYSPI: care through ColumbiaDoctors, research through NYSPI

ColumbiaDoctors' ADHD page says it provides "the full array of treatments for ADHD for children, adolescents, and adults," naming CBT and medication management. It says diagnosis is best made by a mental health professional such as a therapist, psychiatrist or neuropsychologist. A separate Adult Neuropsychological Evaluation Service describes a three-part process: an intake, one or two testing appointments, and a feedback session. Attention and executive functioning are among the areas it may assess, though the service page does not mention ADHD by name.

The New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) works with Columbia's Department of Psychiatry. Its research volunteer page says all research in the department and at NYSPI is reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board, and it points volunteers to Columbia's RecruitMe tool and to ResearchMatch. How to evaluate a study is covered in ADHD clinical trials in New York.

Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian: adult ADHD within a broader service

The Weill Cornell Psychiatry Specialty Center lists child and adult ADHD among its areas. Its ADHD section, though, is written about children and families: evidence-based treatments, medication, behavioral therapy, and parent education and support. The department's ADHD page says there is no single test to diagnose ADHD, describes a comprehensive evaluation that starts with a careful history, and notes that a majority of people diagnosed with ADHD continue to have functional impairments into adulthood. NewYork-Presbyterian's ADHD page, covering both its Columbia and Weill Cornell campuses, likewise centers on children and teens.

Northwell and Montefiore: general adult outpatient psychiatry

Northwell's Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Department at Zucker Hillside Hospital describes treatment for "a wide range of psychiatric diagnoses," with medication management and several therapies. Montefiore Einstein's Adult Outpatient Mental Health Program serves adults 18 and older in the Bronx, by telehealth or in person, and lists conditions such as anxiety, mood, trauma-related and sleep-wake disorders. Neither of those two pages names ADHD. Montefiore's Behavioral Health Center, which provides adult outpatient care at three Bronx locations, does list ADHD among the conditions it treats. If you are already a patient in either system, ask the department whether it evaluates or treats adult ADHD before you assume it does or does not.

What these pages do not tell you

None of the pages reviewed states a fee, a wait time or a list of accepted insurance plans for adult ADHD care. Before you schedule, ask:

1. Does the program evaluate new adult patients for ADHD, or only treat people already diagnosed?
2. Is the evaluation a clinical interview, formal testing, or both, and what does each cost?
3. Does the program bill your insurance, and is it in your network?
4. Do you need a referral from a primary care doctor?
5. Who would prescribe and follow up, and how often?
6. Can visits be by video, and from which state?

A longer checklist is in questions to ask before booking an ADHD evaluation. If your plan cannot offer an in-network appointment in time, New York's wait-time rule may help, as explained in what to do if you can't find an in-network ADHD psychiatrist.

Academic program or private psychiatrist?

Neither is the right answer for everyone. An academic program may suit you if you want group CBT, formal neuropsychological testing in the same system, or a research study. A private psychiatrist may suit you if you want one clinician for evaluation and ongoing medication follow-up. Weill Cornell's own ADHD page notes that there is no single test to diagnose ADHD; the difference between a clinical evaluation and formal testing is explained in clinical evaluation or neuropsychological testing. Lower-cost options, including training clinics, are in low-cost adult ADHD care in New York.

If you would like an evaluation with Dr. Shershow, the new patients page explains how to start, and the office can tell you the current fees and how insurance works with the practice.