Howard Liu, M.D., named chair
of the UNMC Department of Psychiatry
From left, Nebraska Medicine CEO James Linder, M.D., Howard Liu, M.D., chair of the department of psychiatry, and Bradley Britigan, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine
Following a national search, Howard Liu, M.D., has been named chair of the UNMC Department of Psychiatry. The announcement was made Tuesday, January 22, by Bradley Britigan, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine. The appointment is effective immediately, pending approval of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.

"We had some excellent candidates to consider," Dr. Britigan said. "But, when it came time to make a decision, it was clear that Dr. Liu was the best choice. He stood out from the beginning of the process." Read more. 
Marley Doyle, M.D. selected as the new Director of BHECN

An expert in reproductive psychiatry at UNMC, Marley Doyle, M.D., has been selected as the new director of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN).

The appointment was announced February 4, 2019 by Rodney Markin, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the BHECN Executive Committee. Read more.
A letter from Dr. Howard Liu
Dear BHECN colleagues:

Thank you for the great privilege of serving as a workforce champion on the BHECN team since 2011. In that time, we have had much to be thankful for. Read more.
BHECN Mentorship Dinner 2019
Even with the # PolarVortex2019 plunging Omaha into below zero temperatures, the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN) persevered and played host to more than 100 students, faculty and staff members at the 2019 Mentorship Dinner at Joslyn Castle on Wednesday, January 30.

“Despite the frigid weather, it was a wonderful evening of career advice between mental health providers and trainees in psychiatry, psychology, psychiatric nursing, PA, counseling and addiction counseling," said Howard Liu, M.D., former director of BHECN. "I met students who aspired to become substance use providers and Spanish speaking psychiatrists to diverse populations. Overall, connections were made that will shape access and foster new workforce across our state!” 

BHECN hosted the 10th Annual Mentorship Dinner to provide a networking and mentoring opportunity for students, trainees, faculty members, providers and community leaders from multiple behavioral health disciplines and backgrounds. To see all the photos visit the photo album on Flickr.

To learn more about the event or becoming a BHECN Ambassador mentor, contact Ann Kraft at  [email protected] .
The evening of networking and mentorship started with appetizers and great conversations.
(Left to right) Michele Merrill, Echohawk Lefthand, Liz Meister, Carey Yungbluth, Kylie Funk, Annie Schmidt, and Tanner Clark
BHECN Annual Awards - Nominations Due March 15
Do you know someone who is making a
significant contribution to behavioral health in Nebraska?

BHECN is accepting nominations for our Annual Awards. Recipients can include providers, students, consumers and family members who are working to improve behavioral health for Nebraskans.
 
  • Ambassador Award - Recognizes outstanding efforts of an individual student or early career professional to reach out to other students/providers in building the future behavioral health care workforce across the state of Nebraska.

  • Courage Award - Recognizes outstanding service and outreach to the community by a consumer of behavioral health services or a family member.
 
The nomination deadline is March 15, 2019 .
 
Awards will be presented on Friday, April 12, 2019, during a luncheon at the UNO Thompson Alumni Center. Click here to learn more and to submit nominations.
BHECN Ambassador Spotlights
Lasting Hope Recovery Center
Resident of the Yea r –
Jeanne Ngo, M.D.
Lasting Hope Recovery Center (LHRC) awarded the 5th Annual Resident-of-the-Year Award to Jeanne Ngo, M.D ., a first-year resident from Boise, Ida ho. The other nominees included Geoffrey Allison, M.D . and Tyler Curry, M.D.
  
 
Group photo: (seated from left) 2018 ROY Candidates: Dr. Geoffrey Allison, Dr. Jeanne Ngo and Dr. Tyler Curry. (Standing from left): Dr. Faiz Qadri, Dr. Jeanna Benton, Dr. Maria McGee, Christine Johnson, Marilyn Rhoten, Robin Conyers and Dr. Hudson Hsieh .
Meet BHECN Ambassador and Psychiatry Interest Group President, Emily Royer
Emily is a third year medical student at UNMC from Elkhorn, NE. She attended Elkhorn South High School and then went on to get a Bachelor of Science from UNO 
in Sociology with minors in Chemistry and Medical Humanities. Helping her mother care for special needs children inspired her to pursue medicine. Read more.
Professional Spotlight - Alicia M. Lambert, M.S.Ed., PLMHP, PLADC
As a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney in December 2018, Alicia works as a Provisionally Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (PLMHP) and a Provisionally Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (PLADC) at the Behavioral Health Unit at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. She also works part-time as a mental health therapist at Morrill Elementary School.

Alicia's advice to students studying to go into the field of behavioral health is clear, "...Take care of yourself. It is important to make sure that you are healthy first so that you can help other people."
 
Training Opportunities
Learn more and register for Project ECHO calls.
Upcoming
Project ECHO Calls

Adolescent Pain and Substance Use Disorder
(Register by February 14)
Presented by Dr. Kenneth Zoucha , Addiction Medicine Specialist

(Register by Feb 25)
Monday, March 1, 2019
Presented by Dr. Todd Stull , addiction psychiatrist

(Register by Mar 14)
Monday, March 18, 2019
Presented by Aaron Barnes , addiction recovery coach and personal trainer

Opioids: Healthcare's Paradox
Education and Resources for the Workforce
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)  along with  The Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN)   and  The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)  will host Opioids: Healthcare's Paradox: Education and Resources for the Workforce   in Omaha at the Scott Conference Center on March 13 and in Kearney at the Younes Conference Center on March 14, 2019.

A conference with national and local experts for health care professionals to include physicians, physician assistants, nurses, advanced practice nurses, pharmacists, dentists, psychologists, social workers, licensed mental health professionals, licensed drug alcohol counselors, and peer support providers. 
Choose the day that works best for you!
(The same conference offered in two locations.)
Omaha, Nebraska
Wednesday
March 13, 2019
8:30 am-2:45 pm
Kearney, Nebraska
Thursday
March 14, 2019
8:30 am-2:45 pm
Funding for this conference was made possible from the State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grant 5H79TI080263-02 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ($68,136, 100% of projected funding) subgranted through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
BHECN Updates
New Look for
Nebraska Behavioral Health Jobs Website
Visit our website to see the changes!
 
A well-structured and engaging internship program can energize your organization! We offer all the resources you need to create or refresh your internship program. The Internship Toolkit includes a number of tools to help you get started, including:
  • Internship guidelines and policies
  • Sample job description and application
  • Recruitment and interview strategies
  • Orientation ideas
  • Sample evaluation
  • Providing a successful internship program can lead to a successful recruitment program.


 
Post your internships, volunteer opportunities and any job postings for free at NEBHJobs.com . Get started today!
BHECN's Mission
The Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN), pronounced “beacon”, was established in 2009 by a legislative bill to address the shortage of behavioral health professionals in rural and underserved areas of the state. It is a unique partnership among the state legislature, academic institutions, and community partners
to create a statewide workforce solution to increase the number of licensed behavioral health professionals.

View our video to learn more about our mission, programs and initiatives.
 402.552.7697 | [email protected]