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Dear Faculty, Trainees, and Staff,
The High Reliability Organization (HRO) project is well underway across 13 hospitals, including the University of Maryland Medical Center. As it unfolds, I want to explain what its mission entails and what role we will play.
A High Reliability Organization is an entity that constantly strives to eliminate error in its operations, because the cost of error can be disastrous. Examples of this are air traffic controllers, nuclear submarine operators, space flight command centers, and, of course, hospitals.
One big problem with seeking to remove human error from our operations is that we are all human, and therefore prone to mistakes and failures. “Burnout” or the weariness, exhaustion, and sense of futility professionals feel in the workplace, is a major problem to overcome in the medical field, with a recent Bain survey finding 25% of clinicians have considered abandoning the field altogether. The HRO project seeks to address this by remaking work culture to become less ego-driven, less stressful, and putting in place more guardrails against mistakes or oversights.
Creating psychological safety in the workplace is essential – and to do that, we will increasingly be discussing ways to improve our own organization’s culture to make it more open, more connected, and more welcoming of ideas and suggestions while also more accountable. I ask everyone who has ideas and suggestions about ways to improve in any of the areas above to let me know – my inbox is always open!
Finally, April is a packed month of special recognitions! While I can’t cover them all here, I want to highlight several important ones and ask that everyone take a moment to recognize those around you.
April is: Black Women’s History Month, Celebrate Diversity Month, and National Youth Violence Prevention Week (April 12-16). Administrative Professionals' Day is April 21! All of these are very important, and I encourage kind words and encouragement by all and to all! I thank each and every one of you for the work and advocacy you do every day.
Sincerely,
Jill A. RachBeisel, MD
Dr. Irving J. Taylor Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry
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Dr. Patrick Jung, a faculty member in our Department, went voluntary faculty last year in order to work overseas. Last month, he returned to Oakville after spending three months volunteering at a hotel in Zatwarnica, Poland providing medical care for Ukrainian’s fleeing Russia’s invasion. While Patrick specializes in psychiatric medicine, he was the main primary care doctor in the Polish hotel that housed some 100 Ukrainian refugees. In his months there he treated all kinds of injuries and maladies, from common health problems to war injuries and mental health issues. He was joined by his wife, Rhea, who teaches language classes and volunteered to teach classes for refugee children.
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Service Awards Recognition
On March 27, the University held a luncheon to honor nine employees for their service. Ann Kearns, Fang Liu, Benjamin Robinson, Sharon August, Natalie Beeman, and Wendy Potts were all recognized for 20 years of service to the University, while Bernice Bernhardt and Sharon Stilling were recognized for 35 years of service. The luncheon also included Karen Robinson, who was employee of the month. Congratulations Ann, Fang, Ben, both Sharons, Natalie, Wendy, Bernice, and Karen on your career milestones!
We also want to congratulate Kathy Humbertson and Maria Milarina for being recognized for the greatest improvement in specialty certification across both campuses. As Greg Raymond, Vice President of Nursing and PCS, put it, "This is truly an inspiring story of leading professional advancement of a group!"
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The Department of Psychiatry Diversity Committee | |
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The Diversity Committee has been hard at work promoting equity, which remains the focus for this academic year. Equity relates to decision-making and power sharing and building an environment that allows for all members of the department to fully contribute its mission of research and supporting the highest level of patient care.
The next Diversity Committee meeting will be held on April 27 at 4 PM. We continue to encourage everyone to contact Dr. Forrester at aforrest@som.umaryland.edu to share success stories regarding their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts or personal stories about individual engagement around DEI.
Spotlight: DEI Champions
Jerica Knox, post-doctoral fellow in DCAP working in the National Center for School Mental Health, Ikeyia Palmer, DCAP Fellowship Program Coordinator, Constance Flanagan, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, and Brijan Fellows, Director of Center for Infant Study Clinic.
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MPRC Conte Center Virtual Seminar | |
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Our first full, in-person Research Day since the pandemic will be held Thursday, April 20. The poster session will be from 8:30-11:30, with Grand Rounds from 12:00 - 1:30. Presenting will be Dr. Nora Volkow (left), director of NITA. Lunch will be provided for those who have RSVPed!
Date: April 20
Time: 12 - 1:30 PM.
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In March, Dr. Seth Ament published a paper in Molecular Psychology. Titled “Genome-wide significant risk loci for mood disorders in the Old Order Amish founder population,” it examines genetic studies of bipolar disorder in the Amish community from more than 40 years ago, to identify population-enriched risk variants with larger effects that can typically be observed in the larger population. The paper is the result of sophisticated statistical analyses by a grad student in Seth’s group, Elizabeth Humphries, as part of a multi-year collaboration with Elliot Hong, the Amish Research Program, Intramural NIMH, and the Bipolar Sequencing Consortium.
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Dr. Dana Cunningham from the School Mental Health Program announced a timely and important book she has co-authored, “Healing Racial Stress Workbook for Black Teens.”
In it, the authors outline strategies for black teens to help manage emotions, resist racism, and feel empowered. Congratulations, Dana!
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Dr. Deanna Kelly was chosen by The Daily Record as one of the top 100 women in Maryland for 2023. For this amazing honor, 20 Circle of Excellence volunteers reviewed over 300 applications. As Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, managing director of The Daily Record, put it: “The 2023 Maryland’s Top 100 Women are leading companies, creating change, breaking barriers and charting new territory. They are leaders who make a difference in their communities and also mentor and inspire future leaders towards success.”
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Dr. Eric Weintraub’s work in overseeing telehealth clinics for inmates was cited in a New York Times article on looser regulations for buprenorphine prescriptions. With tens of thousands of people dying from opioid overdoses in America each year, the lifting of many restrictions on a major tool to fight opioid addiction is being welcomed by many medical professionals – even as they emphasize the new drug is no panacea.
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Dr. Sharon Hoover co-chaired the 52nd International Conference on Behavioral Sciences in Banff, Alberta, Canada, March 19-22. This conference brings together prominent researchers and practitioners from Canada and the US to focus on knowledge translation from science to practice in the behavioral sciences. This year's conference theme was "School Mental Health: Utilizing Science, Culture, and Context to Inform Practice." In addition to her role as co-chair, Dr. Hoover presented her research and clinical work on school-based interventions for refugee and immigrant youth.
Dr. Chris Miller’s Grand Rounds presentation on March 16 shed light on the history of psychedelic drugs through civilizations, pop culture, and as treatments for mental disorders and traumas. To access the recording for his 90-minute Zoom presentation, click here.
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From the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling | |
In the year this newsletter was on pause, the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling has been hard at work spreading awareness on problem gambling through a sustained advertising campaign. With the recent legalization of online sports betting, the Center has created ads like these to promote awareness on the potential pitfalls. For more examples, of the Center's awareness campaigns, see here and here. | |
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A Public Service Announcement...
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Universal Precautions to Prevent Opioid Overdose
A National Center for Health Statistics report last month delivered the grim news that 106,000 people in America died of opioid overdoses in 2021, surpassing 2020’s record of 91,000 deaths.
In light of the crisis, we want to pass along information on how to help prevent opioid overdoses.
· Offer medications to individuals with opioid use disorder interested in reducing their use or managing overdose risk
· Provide naloxone to people who use drugs, and ensure training in its proper use
· Offer take-home fentanyl test strips to people who use opioids or other drugs that may be fentanyl contaminated (eg, cocaine, methamphetamine, or pills purchased in the illicit market)
· Counsel people who use drugs on how to reduce their risk of fatal overdose:
o Never use when the individual is alone
o Start with only a small amount of a drug to assess its potency
o Try to avoid mixing opioids and other sedatives (eg, benzodiazepines or alcohol)
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