Issue 51 | June 5, 2024

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Dear Faculty, Staff and Trainees,

June is a time of transition for our Department, and that is doubly true this month, as we are celebrating the retirement of a long-time colleague.

Dr. Seshagiri Doddi has been with us since 2012, but his contributions to the field of psychiatry span decades before that. After receiving his medical degree at Andhra University, India, he immigrated to the United States in 1976 and completed residency training in Mount Sinai Services, New York, in 1981. Dr. Doddi then served as unit chief of the Long Island/Jewish Hillside Hospital psychiatry residency training unit, and later as Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry Service at St. Vincent’s hospital in Harrison, New York. Upon joining our Department, he has further developed his expertise in neurocognitive disorders in the elderly, and most recently assisted in building our Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation center for treatment-resistant depression.

Dr. Doddi, we all thank you for your service and contributions to our Department, and congratulate you on this next chapter!

We have scheduled a celebratory party for Dr. Doddi from noon to 4:30 PM on Wednesday, June 5 at Room 115 of the Campus Center, including the fireplace lounge as well.

I also want to congratulate our graduating residents and fellows! On Thursday, June 13, we will hold our Certificate Ceremony from 9:00-11:30 at the Elm A room at the Campus Center. The University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt Psychiatry Residency Program, the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program and the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship Program will celebrate graduation at that time.

And so, to our PGY-4 Residents Jane Anne Chen, M.D., Andrea Kristine Haake, M.D. Sarah Elizabeth Johnson, M.D., J.D., Margaret Kneifel, M.D., Zofia K. Kozak, M.D., Rachel Marie LeMalefant, M.D., Sara Mariam Mahmood, M.D., Drew Allison Myers, M.D., Nana Yaa Asantewa Nimo, M.D., Eric William Prouty, M.D., Ph.D., Caroline Wiley Quaglieri, M.D., Lauren Nicole Simpkins, M.D., and Andrew Donald van der Vaart, M.D., as well as our graduating fellows Cassandra Chioma, M.D., Alkeem Savage, M.D., Isabelle Samantha Seto, M.D., Mohammed Akbar, M.D., Chelsea Cosner, M.D., Rida Malick, M.D., Elaine Meyers, M.D., Christina Seojung Schin, M.D., Tripti Soni, M.D., Zachary DiAngelo, M.D., Kelly Thao Pham, M.D., Snehdeep Hanspal, M.D., Neha Navneet Sharma, M.D., and John Wilson, M.D., congratulations!

I want to thank you all for giving us the privilege of being involved in your education, as well as your years of service. We’re all excited to see what you accomplish next! 

Finally, Research Day is tomorrow! In addition to hearing from our esteemed speaker, Dr. Nolan Williams, on the topic of Interventional Neuropsychiatry, I know we’re all looking forward to the tremendous outpouring of hard work and talent from all our participants!

Respectfully recognizing all,

Jill A. RachBeisel, MD

Dr. Irving J. Taylor Associate Professor and Chair,

Department of Psychiatry

Faculty Spotlight

Dr. Todd Gould was chosen to succeed Dr. Donna Calu as Director of the Program in Neuroscience after Dr. Calu stepped down on May 17.

This elevation is a recognition of the strong mentoring experience that Dr. Gould brings with him, and his experience holding directorship roles as the Research Director of the Psychiatry Residency Research Training Program, and as a Director of the Division of Translational and Basic Science Research in the Department of Psychiatry. 

Congratulations, Todd!

Staff Spotlight

A big congratulations to our amazing Psych OT team for receiving the "Special Friend of Nursing Award" after being nominated for the honor by their colleagues!

From left to right: Maria James, Michelle Kravchenko, Kelsey McGonigle, Pooja Bhatnagar, Greg Raymond, Kendra Jones, Pratik Parmar, Pamela Walker, and Samantha Kaplan.

As we near the end of the academic year focusing on Belonging and Inclusion, it is important to share a reminder of what these terms mean and why they are important to us.

“Inclusion refers to how our defining identities are accepted in the circles that we navigate. Belonging evolves from inclusion; it refers to the extent to which individuals feel they can be authentic selves and can fully participate in all aspects of their lives. Inclusion is a state of being valued, respected and supported.”

As we continue to evolve in our journey around these terms, please consider how each of us can contribute to increasing a sense of both of these concepts in our workspaces.

An example of Belonging and Inclusion in action: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpveU_2P5a_/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY%3D

Upcoming Events:

June 27 4pm End of Year Diversity committee meeting link: https://umaryland.zoom.us/j/97407561683?pwd=ZWpoTW5ET1ROWVZPNW04YXpnT3JHUT09

July 11 noon DEI Year in Review Presentation: https://umaryland.zoom.us/j/92663499974?pwd=Q3RxWjNrK1draSsyQktyZEVtZS9VUT09

Tomorrow: Research Day!

Register Now: 11th Annual Maryland Conference on Problem Gambling

Link to register: https://www.mdproblemgambling.com/conference-2024/

Coming Up: MPRC's DANA Internship Lecture Series!

Honors & Awards

Dr. Todd Gould was part of a group of researchers that's just been issued a patent certificate for Japanese patent No. 737567 for a method for the manufacture of (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine or (2S,6S)-hydroxynorketamine.

The staff at UMB is now working with NIH to market the invention for commercialization.

Congratulations, Todd!

Dr. Stephanie Hare was awarded a 5-year federal grant on Tuesday, April 30, totaling $890,381. This Career Development grant from the National Institute of Mental Health will enable Stephanie and her team to study cognitive and neural correlates of TMS motor intracortical inhibition in schizophrenia.



Dr. Annie Kleykamp and Dr. Mimi Belcher both received two grants of $50,000 each to advance the Center for Addiction Research, Education, and Service (CARES)'s mission in addressing the adverse impact of addiction on individuals, families, communities, and society.

Dr. Kleykamp received a grant for her research titled "A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of E-cigarettes for Reducing or Stopping Smoking among Older Adults with Opioid Use Disorder.

Dr. Belch's grant is for research titled "Xylazine in West Baltimore: Prevalence Testing and Assessment of Knowledge, Perceptions, and Motivations for Use."

To read more about CARES grants and the Center's mission, click here.

In the Media

Dr. Deanna Kelly appeared on Fox 45 News to discuss the benefits to mental health that the keto diet can provide, especially for those with severe mental illness who aren't seeing benefits from traditional medicines.

To watch her interview in full, click here.

Recently Published

Dr. Marissa Flaherty's article "Learning to Decompartmentalize as Self-Care" appeared in AAMC last month. In it, she argues that decompartmentalization deserves more focus as a trait to allow us to be truly humanistic physicians, and to allow for a better balance and understanding of our needs as physicians and humans.

Don't Miss: Today's Conte Seminar

Monthly Conte Center Seminar, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center

Time: 1 PM, Wednesday, June 5

Link: https://umaryland.zoom.us/j/91004875241?pwd=MUIrSEFjd0R6NkF4dkZKQ0YrVDRFQT09

Francisco Bolaños-Jiménez, Ph.D.

Professor, Physiologie des Adaptations Nutritionnelles, Université de Nantes, France:

“Obesity-related Memory Impairments: a Role for Kynurenines”

Host: Robert Schwarcz

A Link to Tomorrow's Grand Rounds

Link: https://umaryland.zoom.us/j/93450804057?pwd=VjdvaTRFUmQ4NGc2aXdEMlduU3FUZz09

Help Out Our MACS Team: A Quick Survey Below

As part of an ongoing effort to understand the landscape of buprenorphine access, the Maryland Addiction Consultation Service (MACS) is surveying prescribers across the state.

We would greatly appreciate your assistance with this effort by taking a few moments to complete this voluntary survey. The survey can be accessed online by using this link https://rb.gy/1x3u8n or by using the QR Code displayed above.

Instructions to return this survey via mail or fax can be found by accessing the survey link. MACS provides free support to prescribers and their practices in addressing the needs of their patients with substance use disorders and chronic pain management. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a few moments to complete this voluntary questionnaire.