A Letter from the Department
Today, in recognition of the Department’s commitment to actively and intentionally address racism within our Department and on our Campus, I defer to Dr. Anique Forrester, our Chair of the Department of Psychiatry’s Diversity Committee. Dr. Forrester also serves as the faculty advisor to the Department of Psychiatry Cultural Diversity Day and is the coordinator of the Cultural Psychiatry Resident course.
Sincerely,
Jill RachBeisel, MD
Interim Chair, Department of Psychiatry
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Dear Faculty, Trainees, and Staff:
In the setting of an unprecedented global pandemic, a beacon has emerged highlighting issues related to systemic racism and structural inequality. Many have begun to engage in a process of self-reflection around social injustice and how it intersects with our personal and professional identities. What has become clear to most is that we work and exist in a Department which has, over time, created an environment that is not inclusive.
In 2019, Dr. RachBeisel approached me about the issues related to minority faculty retention/recruitment. To give a bit of perspective on why this issue is so significant for me personally, I will share that at the end of my intern year, my supervisor, the only black psychiatrist in the Department where I trained, left the institution. That experience remains one of the most painful and defining moments of my professional career.
For this Committee, what started out as an endeavor to improve faculty representation has transformed into a massive undertaking that affects every area of this Department.
What is the Committee doing now? This Committee has expanded from solely identifying issues related to minority faculty retention/recruitment to building strategic partnerships with our education leadership, research faculty, and clinical staff. While there has been support for the work of the Committee since its inception, the recent Department response and influx of inquiries about how to create real, lasting change has been overwhelming and also inspiring.
Where are we heading and what can you do if you want to be a part of the efforts of the Committee? I realize that the issue of shifting an institutional culture can seem vast and insurmountable. It is not impossible. I believe there may be many who are reacting to recent societal events with concurrent anger, disbelief, shame, and guilt. No one person can implement an overarching systems change. This is a collective effort. We want action.
Here are the action steps:
1)
The Diversity committee is in the process of re-organizing into specific sub-committees to address key priority areas:
a) Curriculum/Education
b) Faculty Recruitment/Retention
c) Staff Recruitment/Retention
d) Department Initiatives and Social Justice Training
e) Research Targets (Equity, Health Disparities, Social Justice)
Please contact me directly at
aforrest@som.umaryland.edu
if you would like to work on one of the sub-committees identified above.
2)
Please join us for a talk from Chuck Callahan on July 23rd regarding the history of racism in Baltimore. The details have recently been sent out Department-wide via e-mail. The attendee link can be found
by clicking here.
3)
We have developed a resource list for readings, webinars, and other helpful tools that can assist each of us to further our own education.
In closing, please remember nothing we do in this moment will be comfortable. We are not seeking comfort. We are seeking change. We are seeking fair representation and an ongoing commitment from every member of this Department to work to make it better. Every day. Until it is better.
Sincerely,
Anique Forrester, MD
Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Director, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship Program
Division of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Chair, Diversity Committee
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2020 BETTY HUSE PRIZE
Polymnia Georgiou, PhD
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The Department of Psychiatry is excited to announce
Polymnia Georgiou, PhD
, as the winner of the
2020 Betty Huse Prize
for the submission of “Targeting of Estrogen Receptors for the Treatment of Adolescent Depression” in investigating estradiol and estrogen receptors on male depression.
The Betty Huse Prize is well esteemed within the Department in providing much-needed support for studies that can advance severe mental health treatment. The Department sees much promise in the results of Dr. Georgiou's experiments in identifying receptors involved in adolescent depression and in determining the role of hormone surge in adolescence in combination with stressful events.
Impactful work like this will pave the way for the development of medical approaches in reducing the risk of depression and suicide among adolescents.
On behalf of the Department of Psychiatry and Dr. Jill RachBeisel, congratulations and thank you for your impactful work!
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THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AND #UMBSOLIDARITY
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WHITE COATS FOR BLACK LIVES
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Members of the Department of Psychiatry participated in the
White Coats for Black Lives
initiative held on June 5, 2020.
Doctors, nurses, and health care providers gathered at both the University of Maryland Medical Center at the Downtown and Midtown campuses to pause and kneel for 8 minutes and 46 seconds -- uniting to reflect and commit to improving the health and safety of people of color.
WBAL also covered this event with the full article and University of Maryland Medical Center's statement, which can be
found here
.
Thank you to all who supported, attended, and covered this event.
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The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH)
The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH)
grieves the racist murders of Black people in the U.S. The NCSMH, directed by
Sharon Hoover, PhD
, and
Nancy Lever, PhD
, is compiling these resources on
Cultural Responsiveness and Equity
in collaboration with the Cultural Responsiveness and Equity Specialty Track of the Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health.
Schools have long struggled to address the racial disparities in discipline and the opportunity gap. By addressing structural and systemic inequities long present in the education system, schools have opportunities to develop and model equitable and anti-racist policies and practices. These resources support schools, mental health providers, communities, families, and students on cultural responsiveness and equity across a variety of contexts that impact mental health.
Additionally, the following external links are of use for building justice and managing racial trauma:
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Department of Psychiatry Taghi Modaressi Center
for Infant Study &
The Center of Excellence in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
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The Department of Psychiatry Taghi Modaressi Center for Infant Study and Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Child Mental Health will humbly work side by side with the Baltimore community to honor lived experience and wisdom, and build pathways for partnership to reduce racial prejudice and stereotypes and the historic harm done to Black families.
We will engage in meaningful discussions in our practices to protect young children’s development so that their self-perception is not altered by racist attitudes and beliefs. We will prioritize hiring African-American clinicians and train the next generation of doctors and behavioral health specialists to address racial biases and apply evidence-based practices to provide high quality services to West Baltimore families. Together, we will become an anti-racist organization by supporting the development of white allies and empowering black and brown people to lead and transform the way we work and serve our community.
The following resources help frame the importance of this work:
Additionally, we are working closely with the Chief of Early Childhood Services to share resources to the core agencies in the state.
The Department would like to thank Brijan Fellows, LCSW-C, Program Director; Ashley Nelson, LMSW, HealthySteps Specialist; and Ola Ibraheem, Community Health Worker for their dedicated work.
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Partnerships for Advancing Comprehensive School Mental Health Systems
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The National Center for School Mental Health in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry received a $221,800 award from the Bainum Foundation, titled "Partnerships for Advancing Comprehensive School Mental Health Systems." This work will be led by Drs. Sharon Hoover (left, top) and Nancy Lever (left, bottom) as co-PIs, in collaboration with Larraine Bernstein and Shawn Orenstein on policy work.
The purpose of this award is to collaborate with a variety of national and local strategic partners to create tailored products that help advance comprehensive school mental health systems. Additional outreach activities will foster partnerships with organizations that seek to promote equity and eliminate racial, ethnic, cultural, and sexual minority disparities.
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The Family Informed Trauma Treatment Center (FITT)
In 2016, the FITT Center helped to produce a video for parents supporting their children in coping with racial trauma. The FITT Center posts this resource, below, in honor of African American parents and caregivers who, in the face of unremitting racial injustice and trauma, show courage and strength as they seek to create safe and nurturing homes and communities for their children.
We lift our voices in solidarity with African American communities across the country. Please click on the video below:
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#UMB SOLIDARITY
The Department of Psychiatry and University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) stand in solidarity with Black people against police brutality and systemic racism. As earlier stated by UMB, the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police has prompted a nationwide conversation and call to action. We are answering that call through an ongoing initiative:
#UMBSOLIDARITY
.
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The Department of Psychiatry would like to congratulate our following members on their promotions!
Please join us in thanking them for their hard work.
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Sharon Hoover, PhD
Professor, Tenured
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Julie Kreyenbuhl, PhD
Professor, non-tenured
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COVID COLLABORATIONS & RESOURCES
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School Mental Health:
A National Response to COVID-19
The National Center for School Mental Health is part of the COVID-19 response with national webinars and technical assistance for schools and behavioral health organizations nationwide. Presentation highlights include:
School Health Services National Quality Initiative
Innovation and Emerging Best Practices Webinar Series with the School-Based Health Alliance
- "Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention: What School-Based Staff Need to Know"
- "Multi-Tiered School Mental Health Improvement, Innovation, and Advocacy During COVID-19"
- "School Mental Health Planning for the 2020-2021 School Year During COVID-19"
- "National School Health Community of Practice Webinar: School Health and COVID-19"
Mental Health Technology Transfer Centers
- "Engaging Students and Families in School Telemental Health: K-12 Considerations"
- "Engaging Students and Families in School Telemental Health: Early Childhood Mental Health Considerations"
- "School Mental Health During a Pandemic (Mid-America MHTTC)"
- "School Mental Health Workforce Development, Recruitment, and Retention During COVID-19 (Southeast MHTTC)"
- "Promoting Educator Well-Being: Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress in the Era of COVID-19 (Central East MHTTC)"
Other National Webinars and Trainings
- "Managing Now for a Better Tomorrow – Conversations and Resources During COVID-19: Supporting Students and Families, Supporting Educators (SAMHSA Children’s TA Network)"
- "What About Your Students? Supporting Well-Being and Resilience with Trauma-Informed Care" (National Education Association, Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards)
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Disaster Response and School Mental Health
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The National Center for School Mental Health has received a subaward on the SAMHSA-funded grant Florida Disaster Response: Building Trauma-Responsive, Comprehensive School Mental Health Systems. Dr. Jill Bohnenkamp (featured left) is the UMB Principal Investigator.
The grant will enhance school districts’ capacity to provide evidence-based, trauma-responsive, comprehensive school mental health services to K-12 students in the six counties most adversely affected by Hurricane Michael. Additionally, this grant will work to build Comprehensive School Mental Health System (CSMHS) capacity across the state. The National Center for School Mental Health team will lead the CSMHS capacity building efforts and conduct the evaluation.
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Max Spaderna, MD
, was hired in the Community Psychiatry Division back in July 2017. Since starting at the University of Maryland, Dr. Spaderna has worked in several clinics, including the Fayette and Carruthers clinics, the Faculty Practice clinic, the RAISE First Episode clinic, and the CCT clinic.
Dr. Spaderna also spends 30 percent of his time working in the PES. His chief clinical interest is working with patients who have severe and persistent mental illness.
His goal is to assist Dr. Eric Weintraub in expanding psychiatric services at 1001 West Pratt Street. Dr. Weintraub and he are also working on a case series, looking at buprenorphine’s benefit for suicidal ideation in the Emergency Department. Additionally, Dr. Spaderna is working with Dr. Deanna Kelly on a paper that used anonymous Facebook posts to rate clinical symptoms.
Outside of work, Dr. Spaderna lives with his wife, 3-year-old son Shona, and two-week-old daughter Kirthi (both children above) in Baltimore.
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Peter Kochunov, PhD
, is an MRI physicist who specializes in development of quantitative imaging protocols that aim to provide measurements for imaging genetics.
Dr. Kochunov joined the Department in 2011 to support the newly opened imaging center at MPRC. His research prior to that was focused on development of novel imaging genetic analyses to study normal and illnesses-related variance in the brain. Dr. Kochunov’s research focuses on understanding the genetic risk factors for severe neuropsychiatric illness including schizophrenia.
Dr. Kochunov was one of the founding members of Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics Meta Analysis (ENIGMA) consortium that is focused on assembling the largest imaging genetics samples worldwide. Dr. Kochunov co-leads the diffusion and resting state analyses ENIGMA workgroups that support ENIGMA and intra-consortium efforts. Dr. Kochunov served as PI and co-PI on many NIH projects, including a shared instrumentation grant to establish a state-of-the-art computational center at MPRC to support imaging genetics research. Dr. Kochunov has published over 200 manuscripts, including 120 after joining the Department.
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Congratulations to
Ashley Fenton, DNP, CRNP, LCSW-C
, for the recent birth of her baby girl!
Ashley is a dedicated Nurse Practitioner at the Integrated Care Clinic at Walter P Carter, and we wish her well!
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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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