Meet the team
Sherie holds a Family Nurse Practitioner degree from the University of Cincinnati and a post‑master’s certificate in psychiatry from Duke University.
As a first‑generation American from an immigrant family, she understands what it means to grow, adapt, and sometimes feel caught between multiple worlds. These experiences, along with moving frequently throughout her life, have taught her resilience, flexibility, and empathy, qualities she brings to her work.
Before becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner, she spent several years in primary care, which shaped her holistic perspective on mental and emotional health. She is currently working toward certification in perinatal mental health and ADHD. Her goal is not only to manage medications but also to create a safe, culturally sensitive, and affirming environment where every part of a person’s identity is welcomed and supported.
Sherie Ajayi, Nurse practitioner, MSN
Owner & CEO
Robert J. Mendola, MD
Collaborating psychiatrist
Robert J. Mendola, MD is an American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) certified psychiatrist with 35 years of clinical experience. He has held staff and faculty positions at Cornell University and the University of Southern California, and his clinical interests include anxiety disorders such as OCD, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety as well as mood disorders including depression and bipolar illness.
Dr. Mendola completed his medical training at the State University of New York at Buffalo and his adult psychiatry residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. While he will not be seeing patients directly at Pérola psychiatry, he will serve as the collaborative physician for the practice, supporting high‑quality, evidence‑based psychiatric care.