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Dear Faculty, Staff, Trainees, Colleagues, and Friends of the Department,
We find ourselves in volatile times. Daily, it seems, there is news of another agency being reduced through layoffs, funding being cut, state programs closing down, and basic services such as Medicare and Medicaid being threatened. Education is also under fire, threatening training programs and even the basic right to education. Indeed, our ability to deliver high-quality education and clinical care to our community and State is threatened. The vital contribution to science that supports discovery of effective treatments is being undermined. There is a growing sense of fear, often resulting in silence in the hope of being unnoticed, overlooked, and saved from sacrifice.
Yet, this is the very time, the moment, when it is critical that we stand up and our voices be heard. Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century,” provides an historical account of the collapse of past democratic republics and the tactics used to bring this about. He highlights that we are in a unique position to learn from history and be warned. Mr. Snyder reviews 20 lessons and suggests guidance in reacting to these perilous times.
As a faculty in a public institution of higher learning, we should heed these lessons and be proactive in standing up for what we believe, so that we may continue to care for the sick, educate the next generation, and discover causes and cures to disease. For those inclined, that can mean concrete actions such as attending UMB or SOM town halls for updates on action being taken, taking an active role in redefining our Departmental priorities, or attending our Departmental/Community Engagement Committees.
I would like to highlight just a few of these lessons that I believe apply to our work as physicians, scientists, and educators.
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1. Defend Our Institution: By acting on behalf of our institution, we preserve decency.
2. Remember Professional Ethics: Professional commitments to Just practice are vitally important.
3. Stand Out: As Snyder eloquently says: “Somebody has to. It is easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom.”
4. Believe in Truth: To abandon facts is to abandon freedom.
5. Investigate: Snyder suggests: “Figure things out for yourself. Read long articles, beware of the internet, turn to printed media, and take responsibility for what you communicate to others.”
We are an apolitical institution. But in these times it is critical to stand up, speak out, and defend what is needed in Science, Healthcare and Education.
“Somebody has to.”
Respectfully recognizing all,
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Jill A. RachBeisel, MD
Dr. Irving J. Taylor Professor and Chair, Department
of Psychiatry
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Dr. Sam Latorre joined the Consultation-Liaison division in 2019, and is the Fellowship Associate program director. She is a valued member of the Consultation-Liaison service, and was honored with a residency teaching award in 2022. Dr. Latorre is friendly, collaborative, and well-liked by faculty and staff. She helps to lead the proactive consultation service with shock trauma and has an academic interest in women’s mental health. She has supervised elective experiences in the NICU as well as in the MFM clinic for Consultation-Liaison fellows.
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Deia Hawkins has been an administrative assistant for the Consultation & Liaison division since 2023. She is organized, professional, and keeps the Consultation & Liaison service running smoothly. Deia is very thorough and we appreciate her contributions to the service. Deia can be quiet but she loves chocolate and gives out stickers to the faculty when they do a great job! The Consultation & Liaison service would not be the same without her help.
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The Taghi Modarressi Center for Infant Study celebrated its 44th anniversary by hosting the 27th Taghi Modarressi Memorial Lecture Awards Ceremony, and an advisory board meeting on March 20.
Longtime collaborator with the Center Dr. Maria Muzik, University of Michigan Medicine Professor of Psychiatry, presented on her research and clinical program "Zero to Thrive," while Tammy Roberts and Debra Tribble of the Chrysalis House Recovery Treatment Programs received the Alma Troccoli Award for Excellence in Advocating for the Mental Health Needs of Young Children and their Families.
| | And Mark Your Calendars for Wednesday, April 30... | | |
On Wednesday, April 30, Rob White will receive the 2024 Employee Service Award, in recognition of his 35+ years of service to our Department.
Rob joined our Department on July 1, 1989, and is now Director of External Affairs and Business Development. He has received awards from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence in Maryland for outstanding contributions to the field of addiction treatment, and has chaired the Annual Tuerk Conference on Addiction Treatment for over 30 years.
Congratulations on a distinguished career of 35 years and counting, Rob!
| | Announcing: The Department of Psychiatry's New Engagement Committee | | |
In the spirit of Engagement, we want to highlight some learning opportunities.
UMB Development and Engagement Workshops for People Leaders: These workshops will help you to orient and align your role/job to lead inclusively and to deepen your connection to UMB’s core values.
Please register below for one of these workshops using the links below! There is a limit of 40 registrants for each session. Sessions will fill up quickly. Session 2: April 23, 2025, 10:00-12:00 or 1:00-3:00 pm.
Link: https://umbedi.wufoo.com/forms/k3aupxx0zt7c6t/
Navigating Federal Orders and Guidance: To help the University community navigate federal orders, UMB's Issues Management Advisory Group has launched a website to serve as a central hub for information regarding evolving policy, the status of executive orders, UMB leadership communications, and external resources.
Link: https://www.umaryland.edu/navigating-federal-orders/
The April Engagement Committee Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 24 at 4:00 pm. All are welcome to attend.
Please see the meeting link here: https://umaryland.zoom.us/j/97407561683?pwd=ZWpoTW5ET1ROWVZPNW04YXpnT3JHUT09
| | Welcoming a Familiar Face Back to Our Department | | |
We are excited to welcome back Temitope (Temi) Akinladenu, DNP, as a full-time employee as she rejoins us from the NIH!
Temi joined our Department in 2020 as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She completed a fellowship program in various areas of psychiatry, including adult and child inpatient units, the Emergency Department, and substance abuse, in 2021.
As a Senior Psychiatric Adult Nurse Practitioner, she will provide quality patient care at the Adult-Psych Day Hospital and EDBU, and mentor and supervise other Psych NPs at the Midtown Campus.
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At the Mental Health Association of Maryland's Legislative Briefing and Reception held on February 24, the Paula Hamburger Child Advocacy Award was given to Kay Connors, MSW, LCSW-C, (third from left) in recognition of her mental health work focusing on early childhood in the State of Maryland.
Congratulations, Kay!
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Dr. Gustavo Costa Medeiros was awarded the New Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology. The program aims to expose awardees to the breadth of opportunities available to clinical researchers and facilitate the establishment of a national peer group for new investigators. Dr. Costa Medeiros will join the other awardees for the 2025 ASCP Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona in May.
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Dr. David Gorelick was quoted in an article appearing in Consumer Affairs reacting to a study showing that schizophrenia diagnoses related to cannabis use disorder increased in Canada after adult-use (nonmedical) cannabis was legalized.
Calling it a "well-designed study," that shows a significant association between severe cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia development, Dr. Gorelick points out that the findings may not be applicable to those without severe cannabis use disorder, which is the majority of all cannabis users. For more details on the study, click here.
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Working with On Our Own of Maryland, Dr. Alicia Lucksted presented two practical research-based virtual workshops titled “Bystander Intervention: Reducing Stigma in Social Situations.”
In her presentation emphasizing that stigma is a social process--something people do to each other, not something someone "has"--the workshop offered diverse strategies for safely, civilly interrupting and reducing harm. For details on the 3 parts of stigmatization, and the 5 "Ds" of effective bystander intervention, click here.
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On April 28 in Salt Lake City, Dr. Deanna Kelly will present on the emerging evidence in the Ketogenic Diet for mental health treatment, as part of a gathering of pharmacists and other medical professionals focused on discussing the latest psychopharmacology updates.
To learn more about her session, click here.
| | Don't Miss: The Center for Excellence on Problem Gambling's Last Legislative Update of 2025 | | |
As part of her collaboration with colleagues at the CIRC Center at UMass Chan Medical School, the NIDILRR-funded study that Dr. Alicia Lucksted co-leads with Dr. Kathryn Sabella has been selected as part of a panel discussion at the April 2025 national NARRTC Conference: Minding our Methods, Enhancing Community, Health, and Employment Outcomes with People with Disabilities. The study is titled “Community Participation in the post-COVID Era: A Mixed Methods Study of Marginalized Youths’ Experiences, Needs, Priorities, and Contexts."
To register for the April 22 conference in Alexandria, Virginia, click here.
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Dr. Peter Manza published an article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a prestigious, multidisciplinary journal that publishes research across an array of fields. Titled “Neural basis for individual differences in the attention-enhancing effects of methylphenidate," it examines differences in how healthy adults respond to methylphenidate, a stimulant medication that boosts dopamine, using PET scans to estimate levels of brain dopamine receptors and fMRI scans to measure brain activity during an attention task. To see his findings on what correlates most strongly to improved brain function and task performance with methylphenidate, click here.
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In Case You Missed It: The 11th Annual Telemental Health Grand Rounds
On March 6, Monica Chmielewski, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP presented on AI regulation and recent developments in the field, as well as its implications for mental health.
For a full replay of her presentation, click here.
| | A Note for Prescribers: Please Take a Moment on Our MACS Survey! | | |
As part of an ongoing effort to understand the landscape of buprenorphine access, MACS is surveying prescribers across Maryland.
We would greatly appreciate your assistance in taking a few moments to complete this voluntary survey, which can be accessed online using the link below. In addition, please feel free to share the survey with your own network.
https://umaryland.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_envunthp59exTh4
| | Register Now... And Claim Your Discount to the 37th Annual Tuerk Conference! | | |
This year’s Annual Tuerk Conference on Mental Health and Addiction Treatment will be held (In-Person) on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at the Baltimore Convention Center.
All employees of the Department are eligible for a discount on registration--get yours here.
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Follow Us On Social Media!
If you're on Facebook or Instagram, please consider following our Department's accounts to help get the word out on the work we do.
Each week, we post links to presentations, research findings, media appearances by colleagues, and more!
Instagram: @umpsychiatry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UMPsychiatry
If you have any content or news you would like our Department to share on these accounts, please contact Will Dahl at WDahl@som.umaryland.edu. He can also help with edits and updates to the Department website.
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