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Dear Faculty, Trainees, and Staff,
With the recent turmoil around federal and state budget cuts, I want to acknowledge the uncertainty that many of us are feeling. I have spent a good deal of time thinking about our path forward and have consulted with many of you to hear your thoughts and ideas. I have heard clearly that many faculty and staff feel muted and the recent efforts to be more discrete in our work may feel like passive acceptance. I think I can say with certainty that in our Department, it is not our nature to be passively accepting of harmful initiatives.
I strongly second Dean Gladwin’s statement that “we are more than ready to meet these challenges and advocate for support.” To this point, I am working on an approach for all of us to use our Voice to advocate for what we do every day. Timothy Snyder’s lesson #2 in his book, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century,” highlights the need to Defend Institutions. He goes on to explain:
“It is institutions that help us preserve decency. They need our help as well. Do not speak of “our institution” unless you make them yours by acting on their behalf. They fall one after the other unless each is defended from the beginning. So choose an institution you care about and take its side.”
UMB is our institution, and we care about what we do every day. Choosing to participate in the planned "Stand Up for Science" rally in D.C. March 7 (more info below) is one way to express caring. But what can we do every day to advocate for our work and our patients? I am hoping to have a higher level conversation to see what Institutional initiatives or ideas we can engage in to advocate more strongly for our Department, School, and Campus. I will keep you posted.
In the meantime, the APA has established a “Call to Action” member email to keep you informed and update you on actions the APA takes. They are also asking you to add your voice in support of psychiatry and your patients. Also, for those of you involved in other regional or national committees, please be sure to share information to keep us all informed and highlight advocacy opportunities.
And finally, now, more than ever, it is important to recognize our ongoing successes!
Last week the FDA determined that the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) program for clozapine, a drug shown to be the most effective treatment for schizophrenia, is no longer necessary. This calls for a celebration as access to an effective treatment has been made easier for patients to take and for physicians to prescribe!
This is a big moment for the approximately 1% of Americans who suffer from schizophrenia—and an outcome that Dr. Deanna Kelly, Dr. Ray Love, Dr. Gopal Vyas, and Dr. Megan Ehret have fought long and hard for (more details below). I want to congratulate everyone involved in bringing this success to fruition. The lives of our patients are better, and for prescribers, easier!
And so, as we prepare for our faculty retreat on Thursday, March 27, I ask all faculty to think about how we can continue our progress in these times, from contributions to academia, securing new grants, recruiting new talent, expanding clinical programs, and more. A reminder: This will replace the regular faculty meeting for March.
Meanwhile, I continue to welcome all ideas from everyone as we navigate some uncertain and distressing times. Be assured that I am fully committed to advancing our Department’s mission every day.
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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| |  | Since joining our Department in 2024, Dr. John (Jack) Vaeth has brought a wealth of experience and expertise. Jack is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Sheppard-Pratt psychiatry residency. He began his career at Sheppard-Pratt, providing electroconvulsive therapy and running the girl’s adolescent unit. Jack then started a private practice that provided ketamine and esketamine treatments as well as transcranial magnetic stimulation. We were thrilled when Jack joined the ADepT program where his enthusiasm and experience have been invaluable in developing the program. Jack is an accomplished musician who led a band of musically talented psychiatrists, The Mood Swings. A Baltimore native, he also played in the Baltimore Colts marching band. Jack is featured in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, “The Band that Wouldn’t Die” which chronicles how the Colts marching band continued after the Colts left Baltimore in 1984 and became the Baltimore Ravens marching band in 1996. Jack also is a proud husband and father of three as well as an avid gardener.
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As a nurse in the Neuropsychiatry and the AdepT program, Priscilla Gutierrez is known for being caring, compassionate, and dedicated to her profession and the patients she serves. As the primary nurse, she delivers consumer-centered care that includes education, support, and comprehensive treatment. Each day Priscilla creates an environment that is supportive to both patients and staff. She extends herself to offer a range of services to the patients diagnosed with multiple conditions including Major Depression, Dementia, and Parkinson’s Disease. In the Neuropsychiatry program she provides resources and support, while at ADepT she prepares patients for treatment of depression with both Esketamine and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.
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On November 19, Dr. Deanna Kelly heralded a "landmark day" for those of us who treat schizophrenia patients after an FDA advisory committee voted 14-1 to eliminate clozapine Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS).
Last week saw an even bigger victory when the FDA officially ruled that the REMS program for clozapine is no longer necessary to ensure that the benefits of the medicine outweigh the risks.
Dr. Gopal Vyas (pictured below), Dr. Megan Ehret, Dr. Ray Love and Dr. Deanna Kelly (pictured below) have fought very hard over the last three years to achieve this outcome, with their efforts including testimony before Congress, lobbying legislators, and appearing before the FDA as well as serving on many committees and work groups.
Congratulations on a hard-fought and historic victory!
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Announcing: The Department of Psychiatry's New Engagement Committee | |
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Why Engagement? Now is a time when many may wonder why we need to engage. What good can it do? What is the point?
In professional settings, Engagement is about the emotional connection and commitment people have to an organization or its mission. Engagement includes a sense of how committed and enthusiastic employees are about their work, how much we care about shared goals and values, and how we feel about our work environment and team structure. Our level of Engagement significantly impacts our workplace culture and shapes how we can all contribute to the overall success of this department.
What is the mission for this committee? To drive Engagement across the Department of Psychiatry and relate Engagement to our Statement of Purpose:
"This leadership group agrees to an ongoing commitment to improving the Department's culture to increase engagement for both faculty and staff. Our priority is to establish processes that will lead to long term sustainable gains in both faculty and staff recruitment and retention, with a specific focus on increasing representation in leadership positions for both faculty and staff reflective of a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives to more effectively serve our community.
We will continue to work with the Department leadership and the Department of Psychiatry Engagement Committee to better understand the needs in our divisions by conducting systematic needs assessments and continuing the work of improving the climate of shared values that supports health equity. We understand that our system benefits most from transparency, accountability, and continued education for those who are in a position to effect lasting change. This intentional change will ultimately serve to improve the care we provide to our patients and the service we bring to our community."
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This Friday, in D.C. and Nationwide... Will You be There? | |
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Science is for everyone--so it's up to all of us to defend it. On Friday from 12-4 PM, a demonstration will be taking place at the Lincoln Memorial, with speeches, musical guests, and advocacy activities scheduled from a diverse array of speakers.
If you are interested in attending, please consider these tips of how to protest safely.
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Highlights from Last Week's 25th Diversity Dinner Celebration | |
On Saturday, February 23, a few of us gathered in celebration of the 25th Annual Diversity Dinner--below are some highlights. | |
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Dr. Peter Phalen was awarded a Translational Incubator Pilot (ATIP) Grant. Peter’s project, titled “Using Records Linkage to Understand Post-treatment Outcomes of Participants in Early Psychosis Intervention Programs,” will examine how to use administrative healthcare data to keep track of people after they leave early psychosis treatment programs in Maryland to examine longer-term outcomes. This pilot will help to establish a model for examining longer-term outcomes using methods that do not rely on finding and interviewing participants after they leave care.
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Brijan Fellows, MSW, LCSW-C, PMH-C, Program Director at our Department's Center for Infant Study: Secure Starts Program, has been named President of the Infant Mental Health Association of Maryland & DC. She will serve at least two years in this role.
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The Mental Health Association of Maryland held its 2025 Legislative Briefing and Reception on February 24. As part of the event, the Paula Hamburger Child Advocacy Award was given to Kay Connors, MSW, LCSW-C, in recognition of her mental health work focusing on early childhood in the State of Maryland.
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Our Department's Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry has been accepted as a Complex Trauma Training Consortium Cohort (CTTC) 3 Field Site, with Dr. Sarah Edwards and Kay Connors, MSW, LCSW-C both being designated as field site co-leaders.
The Consortium's project leadership, team members, and module developers are providing training and consultation to Sarah and Kay's team, which will soon be conducting Community Trainings to deliver the curriculum to multidisciplinary providers in the region. Upon completion of all project benchmarks, their organization will be designated as an official CTTC field site for the state of Maryland.
Congratulations, Sarah and Kay!
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Amid a national surge in Google searches for gambling addiction resources after a Supreme Court ruling facilitating sports betting, Dr. Chris Welsh appeared on Fox 45 News to discuss the public health crisis. With studies showing that 90% of Marylanders gamble in some form, and 30% engage in sports gambling, Chris shares the red flags he looks for to discern if someone has a problem. See the full interview here. | |
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Dr. Tamela McClam, Dr. Chris Welsh, Kay Conner, LCSW, and Dr. Sarah Edwards represented our Department at Mondawmin on Saturday!
The Community Health Village being established at the Mondawmin Mall is a unique and unprecedented effort that will transform healthcare directly in nearby neighborhoods where it is so critical to improve access and quality of care.
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Dr. Meg Woodbury, Dr. Sarah Edwards, and Ikeyia Taylor (above, right) attended the annual Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education conference in Nashville. Ikeyia met the Keynote speaker, Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of the Black Doctors Consortium and Center for Health Equity, and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Stanford, a pediatric surgeon, shared her incredible story of how she partnered with Black churches and other community pillars during the COVID-19 pandemic to effectively test and vaccinate more than 140,000 people in an underserved part of Philadelphia. | |
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Dr. Melanie Bennett was the senior author of a paper recently published in Schizophrenia Research titled “Building a two-state learning healthcare system for persons with first episode psychosis.” This paper provides details of developing and implementing a two-state learning healthcare system across Maryland and Pennsylvania to improve mental health services for young adults experiencing early psychosis. Other contributors from our Department were Dr. Richard Goldberg, Dr. Julie Kreyenbuhl, Dr. Alicia Lucksted, Dr. Deb Medoff, Dr. Peter Phalen, and Dr. Bob Buchanan, as well as Arunadevi Saravana and Yasmine Boumaiz, both research staff members in the Division of Psychiatric Services Research.
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Tomorrow: The 11th Annual Telemental Health Grand Rounds
Tomorrow, at the Campus Center's Elm Room A, 2nd floor, join us for an informative presentation by Monica Chmielekski, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP, and Kyle Faget, Partner & Co-Chair, Health Care & Life Sciences Sector-Medical Devices, on AI regulation and recent developments in the field, as well as its implications for mental health.
In-person attendance preferred! Lunch will be provided.
Zoom link here: https://umaryland.zoom.us/j/91758450976?pwd=mvJ4uBhOLZET5maKpTQrQukVd2qQpt.1
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Don't Miss-Friday's Spring Fair by the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry! | |
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This Friday, March 7, join us at the SMC Campus Center, Room 349, where 13 teams from DCAP will present their mission, key projects, and notable achievements.
There will be raffle prizes for attendees that complete table games and participate in the fair.
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Register Now... And Claim Your Discount to the 37th Annual Tuerk Conference! | |
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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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Coming May 28: The Kahlert Institute's Annual Research Symposium & Poster Session | |
Save the date! The Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine is pleased to announce the return of our Annual Research Symposium & Poster Session.
Join us on Wednesday, May 28, for a day of insightful discussions, innovative research presentations and networking opportunities.
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The symposium will feature keynote presentations from Gary Aston-Jones, PhD, and Anna Konova, PhD. Additional speakers include Cecilia Bergeria, PhD, David Epstein, PhD, Jimmy Olusakin, PhD, and Sophia Weber, PhD.
Advanced registration is required. The symposium is free to attend. To register or submit an abstract for the poster session, please visit: https://lnkd.in/emq9Dq5M.
We look forward to welcoming you on May 28!
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