Psychiatry C-4 Central
C
OVID
C
risis,
C
ommunication, & Staying
C
onnected
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Dear Faculty, Trainees, and Staff:
In times like these, it is hard to breathe. While the world’s focus has been on COVID-19, recent events here in America have forced us all to look again at the longstanding issues of racism and injustice that plague this country. The murder of Ahmaud Arbery on May 20, followed by the murder of George Floyd five days later were both initially enveloped in silence by the majority of America. The silence surrounding these crimes is heart breaking and enraging. Words are difficult to find to express the revulsion, anger, and disgust that I have felt. Personally, when I am with a colleague, friend, or patient of color, anything that comes to mind seems hollow and trite. For me, the shame is overwhelming. I ask myself: “Does this ‘quiet’ represent a new norm in America or is this a shared powerless feeling of despair?”
Fury spills into our streets, which are crying out in anguish and rage against the country and world. The battle against COVID-19 has paled in comparison to the war against racism that is raging in our city and in this country. The wellbeing of our Baltimore community has been, and continues to be, threatened by the inequities that continue to be perpetuated within our institutions that disproportionately affect people of color. Our mission is to ensure that we all do our part to ensure that everyone, especially those who have been most affected, enjoy the right to feel safe, the right to equal opportunity, and the right to respect.
IS this our new norm? As leaders in mental health care for the community of West Baltimore, we must activate and create change. I encourage all of us to begin thorough, intentional, purposeful, and directed efforts to create spaces and opportunities to discuss the racial trauma that persons of color in our community are subjected to every day. Through purposeful and meaningful conversation, we can raise awareness and foster intentional change.
Sincerely,
Jill RachBeisel, MD
Interim Chair, Department of Psychiatry
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Sarah Edwards, DO
Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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Congratulations to
Sarah Edwards, DO
, who has recently been appointed as the new Division Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry!
Dr. Edwards currently serves as the Medical Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry clinical services. She oversees and provides direct pediatric mental health treatment in the inpatient, ambulatory, and consultation programs at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
She is also the Fellowship Training Director and supervises medical residents and students during their clinical rotations as well as lectures on childhood mental health disorders, psychopharmacology, and infant psychiatry.
Her research interests involve early childhood mental health, youth suicide screening and prevention, and pediatric delirium. She is a member of the American Psychiatry Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, where she serves as president for the Maryland Regional Council.
Congratulations Dr. Edwards on this well deserved role!
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Vedrana Hodzic, MD
Medical Director of Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES)
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The Department is excited to announce that
Vedrana Hodzic, MD
, will begin her new role as Medical Director of Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) beginning on July 1, 2020.
Dr. Hodzic hopes to continue the tradition of excellence in patient care as well as in resident and medical student education.
She looks forward to working with the Department's outstanding staff, trainees, and the Adult Emergency Department to ensure that our patients receive the best comprehensive care in a timely manner, all while keeping safety for both staff and patients a priority.
We look forward to your leadership, and thank you for your work Dr. Hodzic!
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Department Warriors in COVID-19 Times
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We are busy caring for & protecting the health & safety of our patients & visitors, medical community, & staff during the COVID outbreak.
This month, we would like to showcase
Aaron Greenblatt, MD, as our notable warrior!
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Medical Director
Aaron Greenblatt, MD
, has
worked tirelessly during this pandemic to create new processes and workflows that have improved the safety of clinic staff and patients at the University’s Opioid Treatment Program.
He has had the difficult task of weighing the risks and benefits of administering additional medication for the patient to manage at home, while also operating within the guidelines set forth by our regulatory agencies.
Dr. Greenblatt's commitment to individualized patient care and strict enforcement of social distancing recommendations has been admirable.
The staff and patients are extremely grateful for his efforts!
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COVID RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS & RESOURCES
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During the past three months, members from the Department of Psychiatry have been busy collaborating!
We have submitted:
- 10 COVID-related funding proposals totaling to more than $670,000
- We also have 7 planned submissions for June
Thank you to all for your tireless dedication and collaborative efforts on behalf of the Department.
We look forward to providing more updates!
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Kay Connors, LCSW-C,
recently led two presentations on COVID-coping techniques and resources.
The first, "Not All Wounds Are Visible: A community conversation about mental health and COVID-19," ranges from discussing the pandemic with children to finding free summer meals. That presentation can be
found here
under "Helping Children Cope."
The second, "Parent Resources During COVID Outbreak and Recovery" can be
downloaded here
.
Thank you Kay for these important guides!
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Three R’s to keep in mind when thinking about supporting children during the COVID outbreak:
Resourcefulness and Resources
Playtime is an important way to work through thoughts, feelings, and fears. Children who are also in contact with their teachers and learning resources have the information to understand the Coronavirus and master difficult situations.
Reflection
Taking a mindful moment to reflect on how we all have quickly adapted gives us hope about the future and reminds us of how strong we are when we work together.
Red Flags
Children and adults will have fears that arise every day that will make going back to work and school difficult. Separation anxiety will be on the rise as well as fear-based responses. Be informed and teach children what they can do to keep themselves and others healthy and safe.
Thank you Kay for sharing these speaking points!
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Interested in joining the Department COVID planning meetings?
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The Department holds weekly COVID planning meetings to discuss concerns, updated processes, and enhanced communication and teamwork. The meetings occur on Thursdays at 11 am.
Staff are welcome to attend!
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Mackenzie Sommerhalder, PhD
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Dr. Sommerhalder comes to the University of Maryland School of Medicine after completing her postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Medical Psychology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. She earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and completed her predoctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, where she specialized in pediatric psychology and behavioral parent training.
Dr. Sommerhalder is particularly interested in the relationship between children, adolescents, and their families, and the systems in which they develop. Her research interests broadly center on parental involvement in adolescent development and implementation of evidence-based intervention in pediatric acute care settings, particularly behavioral parent training in partial and inpatient hospitalization settings.
Dr. Sommerhalder is joining the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as Director of Acute Clinical Services. Dr. Sommerhalder’s role consists of the development and implementation of evidence-based practices within the child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit, including providing supervision to Behavioral Health Associates. In addition, she is developing an internship rotation within the APA accredited VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS)/University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Psychology Internship Consortium.
Though hailing from the Great Plains, Dr. Sommerhalder is excited that she and her two dogs, Daisy and Lola, can call Baltimore home.
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Marissa Flaherty, MD, is the Director for Medical Student Education in the Department of Psychiatry and a Community Psychiatrist at the Fayette Clinic. She completed her medical school and residency training at University of Maryland School of Medicine and is happy to have joined the School of Medicine faculty after working in the state forensic system for the last 2 years.
Her interests include finding ways to enhance mental health education for medical students throughout their graduate medical education, working with patients with severe mental illness, and improving health care delivery in the community mental health sector. She enjoys working with a myriad of patients and finds joy in working with the clinic staff.
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Congratulations to
Brendan Bui, MD
, who was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society in recognition of his dedication to placing human interests, values, and dignity at the core of teaching and practice.
Thank you for your hard work and commitment to psychiatry and mental health!
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Drs. Eric Weintraub, Aaron D. Greenblatt, Joy Chang, Christopher J. Welsh, Alexandra P. Berthiaume, Shelby R. Goodwin, Rachel Arnold, Melanie E. Bennett,
and
Annabelle M. Belcher
, in collaboration with former colleague
Dr. Seth Himelhoch
, recently published the collaborative article entitled, "Outcomes for patients receiving telemedicine-delivered medication-based treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: A retrospective chart review."
The article highlighted
t
elemedicine-delivered medications for opioid use disorder that yielded retention as well as drug use outcomes comparable to in-person encounters.
The full article can be found
here
.
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Thanks for your patience as most of our events are now cancelled or postponed.
We will continue to keep you updated!
Rescheduled to September 10, 2020
Tuerk Conference
8:00 am-5:00 pm
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Thanks to all for your contributions, and please email Lisa Cleary at lcleary@som.umaryland.edu with submissions.
Our suggested categories include:
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- Clinical trials and studies
- Community service
- Education
- Events, lectures, panels, & workshops
- Faculty appointments
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- Grants and contracts, and collaborative opportunities
- Honors and awards
- IT news
- Media press
- Publications
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