The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for the BrainsWay deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) system to help adult smokers kick tobacco. This is the first FDA approval for any TMS device for addiction.

It was evaluated as an aid to short-term smoking cessation in a prospective, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled, multicenter study that involved 262 adults who had a history of smoking an average of more than 26 years and had attempted to quit multiple times but failed.

In the full intention-to-treat population (all 262 participants), the 4-week continuous quit rate (CQR, the primary endpoint) was higher in the active deep TMS group than in the sham TMS group (17.1% vs 7.9%; P = .0238).

Among participants who completed the study ― i.e., those who underwent treatment for 4 weeks, kept daily records, and for whom confirmatory urine samples were available – the CQR was 28.4% in the active deep TMS group, compared to 11.7% in the sham treatment group (P = .0063).

The average number of cigarettes smoked per day, as determined on the basis of daily records (secondary endpoint), was statistically significantly lower in the active deep TMS group compared to the sham treatment group (P = .0311).

Dr. Kevin Gray was recently interviewed for News Channel 4's Lowcountry Live morning show, highlighting the efforts of the MUSC Youth Collaborative in educational, clinical, and research efforts to address adolescent substance abuse. The segment is available for viewing here.

Drs. Tracy Smith, Georges Nahhas, Matthew Carpenter, Lindsay Squeglia, Vanessa Diaz, Adam Leventhal, and Jennifer Dahne recently published a research article in JAMA Pediatrics that reported that almost half of adolescents who vape (45%) are seriously interested in quitting, and one-quarter of adolescents who vape tried to quit within the past year. The article has been covered by CNN and Fox News, as well as a few dozen local news sources that have picked up those articles. Congratulations to the authors on this high-impact publication and all of its excellent press coverage!

Dr. Wendy Balliet was interviewed for South Carolina Public Radio's Health First program. Her segment focused on Coping with Caution Fatigue During the Pandemic. The interview can be accessed here.

Dr. Balliet also presented at LOWVELO Social Hour - COVID & Cancer: Trekking Through the New Norm. Her presentation, "Emotional Well-Being and Coping During COVID19" provided techniques to navigate through the "new normal" of the current pandemic.

With the help of sponsorship from donors, the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVRTC), a division within the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), has been able to expand telehealth services to patients across the state of SC during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whether you are currently working on campus, working remotely, or a combination, the deadline for completing this mandatory module is Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. Thank you for your commitment to the safety of our students, faculty and staff.

This is an important reminder to the research community of the requirements to follow the latest University Directives for MUSC Faculty, Staff and Students for Staying Safe. To clarify, these directives supersede recommendations issued to research teams in May 2020 for the incremental reactivation of research, including wearing masks indoors even when social distancing is possible. These requirements can be reviewed via the link above. We also urge you to review MUSC’s Academic Plans for Fall 2020.

In addition to updates provided by MUSC Enterprise, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences will also provide updates through our employee intranet, The Horseshoe. Updates will be provided regularly as new information becomes available. For your convenience, direct links are provided below.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic and until further notice, all volunteers and observers are barred from participation in departmental and MH-ICCE based activities. If there are circumstances wherein this policy causes a significant and critical issue, it should be brought to my attention for consideration of a written waiver (on an individual basis) of this policy. Thank you.

Due to the activity of COVID-19 within the hospital and community, all employees, residents, fellows and students within all MUSC entities are directed to begin daily self-monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms. This applies regardless of whether you have been working remotely on a full-time or intermittent basis. You need to continue daily self-monitoring, even if symptoms are not present.

By clicking HERE you can sign up to receive the meeting login information or you can email us at [email protected] or call/text 843-284-3091. 

Addiction Sciences Division

Open Rank/Assistant Professor (UNIV, Full-Time): The successful applicant for this position will have either an MD or a PhD degree and will be expected to have an established and independent research program that will interface with the multidisciplinary NIAAA P50 Charleston Alcohol Research Center at MUSC. 

Open Rank/Professor (UNIV, Full-Time): The successful applicant for this position will have either an MD or a PhD degree and will be expected to have an established and independent research program that will interface with the multidisciplinary NIAAA P50 Charleston Alcohol Research Center at MUSC.

Open Rank - Psychiatry - ECT (UNIV, Full-Time): Candidate must be a psychiatrist with the ability to hold an unrestricted license to practice in South Carolina. The candidate must be board-eligible or board-certified if having completed residency training greater than five years ago. Candidate will be a member of the Psychiatry Hospitalist Division and provide inpatient care on a general adult psychiatry unit and provide coverage across other inpatient areas as needed. Candidate will provide care as a Consult Liaison, and have research coverage.

the completion date for mandatory training modules to September 30, 2020.

Starting January 17, 2020, MUSC will begin assigning the annual mandatory online lessons in MyQuest. New this year, will be the opportunity to provide feedback via survey for each lesson. This will be the only official announcement regarding mandatory assignments from the University. Reminder emails will be sent to employees by MyQuest beginning in April. Listed below is the breakdown of the mandatory assignments:

2020 Annual Clinical Education (MUSC Health Clinical Care Teams Only)

2020 MSO Mandatories (Credentialed Providers Only)

2020 Conflict of Interest Training (Hourly Care Team Members and University Staff Only)

Overview of Research at MUSC (Research Role-Based Only)

All the annual mandatory training modules must be completed no later than June 30, 2020 September 30, 2020. University employees who fail to complete annual mandatory training requirements will be subject to disciplinary action. If you have any questions, please email the MyQuest Administrators at [email protected].

Chair Update, please submit to Dr. Jamie Fisher