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Dear Faculty, Trainees, and Staff,
Tomorrow is Research Day—and I hope to see you all! Held at the 3rd Floor Multipurpose Room 349 at SMC, the poster session will be from 8:30-11:00, with coffee and tea available before a light lunch. With 17 staff and faculty presenting, alongside 51 trainees including residents, psychology interns, post-doc fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students, I know we are all excited for the tremendous display of talent and hard work!
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I am also thrilled to announce the formal launch of the Women’s Mental Health and Reproductive Psychiatry Program (WMHRPP). Dr. Samantha Latorre (pictured right) will be stepping up as Medical Director to lead this program on August 1, 2025.
A smaller program has been present since 2017, but an expanded WMHRPP will begin providing patients with perinatal and post-partum care, expanding care to pre-menopausal patients and providing fertility counseling, as well as counseling to patients experiencing grief and birthing trauma—not just for birthing parents but for their loved ones and partners as well.
Dr. Latorre envisions the WMHRPP as a vital training ground and educational experience for our Psychiatry residents—a robust, hands-on outpatient treatment experience, a future case conference where multiple residents can come together in learning how to provide effective and compassionate mental health care around reproductive health, and a journal club to expand education to all levels of trainees as well as interested staff and faculty. I want to congratulate Dr. Latorre on her elevation to Medical Director of the WMHRPP—and acknowledge four others who have played a vital role in making this program a reality.
A special thanks to Dani Knight-McCoy, LMSW, a perinatal therapist and social worker whose specialty in perinatal health gives valuable expertise to those we serve. A special thanks to Pat Widra, MD, who will be using her expertise in reproductive psychiatry to expand our resident education to include a women’s mental health track within the Faculty Practice. I also want to welcome Angela Lee, MD, recently hired and starting August 2025, who will join Dr. Widra in the Faculty Practice to provide clinical care and resident supervision. Last but certainly not least, a special thanks to Rachael Wallace, LCSW-C, our Clinical Director of the Faculty Practice, who has been instrumental in assisting with the workflow and operations of our newly expanded WMHRPP.
In addition to being Pride Month and the month of Juneteenth, June is the month of our graduation ceremonies, and I want to highlight our graduating residents and fellows! On Friday, June 13, we will hold our Certificate Ceremony from 9:00 to 11:30 at the Elm Room in the SMC 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 conduct graduation at this time.
Please join me in congratulating all our graduates! We are grateful for the privilege of being involved in your education and excited to see what you accomplish next!
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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Please join me in congratulating Stephanie Knight, MD, DFAPA on her promotion to Chief of Clinical Affairs for the Department of Psychiatry in the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Dr. Knight has served as Chief of Psychiatry at UMMC-Midtown for over 9 years. She spearheaded the development of UMMC's new inpatient units, and was instrumental in starting a COVID-positive inpatient Psychiatric unit for UMMS.
In her new role, Dr. Knight will oversee acute, emergency, and ambulatory Psychiatry services; work to expand clinical services in Psychiatry, focus on Quality, Regulatory, and Compliance initiatives, and enhance collaboration with other departments to provide mental health and addiction services in non-behavioral health spaces and practices.
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Douangchan (Chan) Sesum has been with the Department since October 2022 when she joined us as an Accounting Associate, but she has worked at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) since 1997.
In the words of her supervisor, Chan has "played a critical behind the scenes role in the finance team processing Accounts Payable and performing other accounting duties. Chan is always ready to assist whenever needed. We are incredibly happy to have her as part of the finance team."
| | Save the Date: July 24 for the Engagement Committee's Year-in-Review Meeting | | |
As the FY25 academic year draws to a close, the Engagement committee would like everyone to reflect on this year’s theme: “Revisiting Diversity." Diversity includes celebrating our differences and realizing a longer term departmental goal of increasing diversity in leadership. We also want to celebrate the ongoing commitment and efforts of all the members of the committee in bringing these values to life.
Please save the date: July 24 at noon, for our Engagement Committee Year in Review presentation as we highlight the committee’s activities over the past year.
We are excited to share recent activity from the Research Engagement sub-committee: On April 10, Kathryn McDonald (below, right) and Dr. Gloria Reeves (below, center) attended the Baltimore KIPP Academy first ever evening science fair event! They served as judges and met with the middle school student presenters and some of their family members. Mr. Ryan Green-Ellis, Assistant Principal and dedicated science teacher (below, left), organized the event. All participants received a gift bag from our Department with science buttons, stickers, and Kathryn-made “baseball cards” to inspire with information on some elite STEM professionals who are from Maryland.
| | The Engagement Committee will resume monthly meetings for FY26 in August. Please be on the lookout for the updated meeting link and invitation. | | |
On Thursday, June 19, we recognize the national holiday of Juneteenth, commemorating the abolition of slavery and the progress that has been made in America since, as well as the work that remains to be done.
To honor the holiday, the Division of Community Psychiatry is having their annual Juneteenth celebration in the courtyard of 701 W Pratt St. from 11:00 to 1:00 pm. There will be music, food, and games! All are welcome to drop by.
| | The STEM Club and the Poe Experiment | | |
Dr. Stephanie Hare and Dr. Gloria Reeves recently joined the Mother Mary Lange Catholic School Girls STEM club. This club is run by the inspiring Dr. Cynthia Tilghman-Lee, a former veterinarian who serves as Middle School Science Teacher and STEM Programs Coordinator.
Instead of giving a presentation on science careers or activities, they decided to tap into the strong brain power of these middle school girls by designing an experiment together. They invited the UMB Police Department Comfort K-9 team (PFC Summers, the COAST K-9 Handler of the UMB Police Department, and Poe, dedicated K-9 (pictured below) to join in on the fun. Their experiment “Does the police dog know his name?” allowed them to talk about key aspects of designing a study.
Over 90 minutes, the girls interviewed the officer to learn more about Poe and his job, developing study procedures to minimize confounding, standardizing outcome measures by two independent observers, and training their science teacher to help conduct the experiment. Their data did not support the hypothesis that Poe knew his name, and they discussed the importance of replication studies and how to improve their protocol in future studies. Poe was an excellent scientist (no barking the whole time!) and his interesting life story (he was adopted from a shelter to serve as a comfort K-9) helped them think about how his experience may have shaped his behavior in the experiment (we realized that Poe has probably had multiple names over his lifetime!).
Stephanie is a “regular” guest at this STEM girls club – it is her third appearance! She has presented on her scientific career and did a fun “zombie” activity over Halloween to teach the girls about the brain.
| | We are pleased to announce that Dr. Brittany Patterson and Dr. Jill Bohnenkamp are assuming new leadership roles as Co-Directors of the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH). | | |
Dr. Patterson (above, left) received her Ph.D. in 2015 and completed her postdoctoral fellowship with the NCSMH. Dr. Jill Bohnenkamp (center) joined our Department in 2012 as a postdoctoral fellow and has been at the Center for over 10 years. These Co-Directors bring a wealth of expertise and deep commitment to advancing school mental health policies and programs to support learning and success for America’s youth.
Dr. Patterson and Dr. Bohnenkamp are stepping up to these roles as Dr. Sharon Hoover retires from the University of Maryland School of Medicine after almost 25 years of dedicated service.
We are deeply grateful for Dr. Hoover’s leadership at the NCSMH—and are pleased to announce that her fellow Co-Director, Dr. Nancy Lever (right), will be remaining at the NCSMH in her new role as Executive Director of School Mental Health.
Congratulations, Dr. Patterson, Dr. Bohnenkamp, and Dr. Lever on your new roles—and to Dr. Hoover on a new life chapter!
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Alden Littlewood, MD, is succeeding Dr. Knight as Chief of Psychiatry at UMMC-Midtown.
Dr. Littlewood became Medical Director of the Midtown Adult Day Hospital in 2023, and Medical Director for Midtown’s Adult Inpatient Units in 2024. She was appointed to the Maryland State Board of Physicians in 2023 by Governor Wes Moore and has since served on the Board. She is passionate about advocating for patients with mental health needs both inside and outside of the hospital.
In her new role, Dr. Littlewood will be the face of Psychiatry at MTC for the Department of Psychiatry and the newest member of the Department’s clinical leadership team. Congratulations, Dr. Littlewood!
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Congratulations to Priscilla Gutierrez Cammarata (above, center), winner of the Nurses Week 2025 award for Excellence in Ambulatory or Community Service!
Priscilla was recognized for providing a range of services to patients diagnosed with multiple conditions like major depression, dementia, and Parkinson’s. In the Advanced Depression Treatment Center, she prepares patients for treatment of depression with both esketamine and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Recently, she assisted with a presentation in which she provided educational resources to individuals and families whose lives had been profoundly affected by Parkinson’s.
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Meka McNeal, Senior Consultant and Trainer in DPSR's Evidence Based Practice Center, received the 2025 Excellence in IPS Training Award at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the International IPS Learning Community in Tennessee. This award, given by the International IPS Learning Community, a network of 26 states and 7 countries, recognizes individuals or teams demonstrating excellence in IPS (Individualized Placement and Support) training, which focuses on employment services for individuals with disabilities and other significant challenges. With over 20 years of experience as a trainer for IPS in Maryland, this award is highly deserved!
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Dr. Diana Seybolt, Director of DPSR's Systems Evaluation Center, received the Visionary Award from On Our Own of Maryland. This award is presented to a person who has contributed in a significant way to reducing the stigma associated with behavioral health conditions, to making the system more competent and respectful, and to helping us understand our own stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors. Dr. Seybolt has directed the center and worked with her team on numerous projects to improve mental health services in Maryland.
Congratulations Dr. Seybolt!
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Dr. David Gorelick had a letter to the editor published in the May issue of Psychiatric News. In it, he suggests that the term "confabulation" is a more accurate description of errors generated by AI than the commonly used term "hallucination" or the term "fabrication" suggested by others. "Confabulation" is an accepted psychiatric term denoting unintentional production of false statements that have surface plausibility.
To see his observations in full, click here.
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On May 15, Dr. Max Spaderna presented at Grand Rounds on the link between suicide and overdose risk and opioid use disorder.
To see his presentation in full, including on the factors associated with suicide risk in opioid use disorder and how intentional opioid overdoses affect suicide risk, click here.
| | Turning Awareness Into Action | | |
In a world where mental health challenges affect millions, awareness is just the beginning. This year, the Center for Excellence on Problem Gambling is taking a bold step forward with a theme: "Turn Awareness into Action."
It's time to transform understanding into tangible support, compassion into concrete steps, and intentions into real-world impact. Below is their group shot for Go Green 2025 as part of Mental Health Month.
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Public Service Announcement:
Publishing Open Access Is Now More Affordable for UMB Researchers!
The Health Sciences and Human Services Library has negotiated with major academic publishers Elsevier and Wiley to allow UMB faculty, staff, and students to publish open access in selected journals without paying article processing charges.
To explore eligible journals and get more guidance, visit this Open Access guide.
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Just Eight Days Left...
FREE Registrations and 6.0 CEUs at the 12th Annual Franklin Conference in June
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