Issue 27 | August 4, 2021 |
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Dear Faculty, Trainees, and Staff:
It is truly hard to believe that we are in the final leg of summer and school starts in a few weeks. Please note a very important message: If you haven’t taken time off yet, please do so! Now, more than ever, we all need to secure time to wind down and re-energize. It has been a very challenging 18 months, and we are not out of the woods with the pandemic. We need to support one another and take care of one another. Please take a break from email, work calls, grants -- and work in general -- so that when you come back, you are refreshed.
In tandem with the pandemic, August is National Immunization Awareness Month. It is very clear that things are regressing again. I ask that everyone use extra care to be and stay protected for yourself, your colleagues, friends, family, and community. If you are not yet vaccinated, please consider it. Those who are dying are unvaccinated. It has also been established that vaccinated persons can transmit the virus and be infected with the variants. Wear a mask, wash your hands, and practice social distancing. We cannot let our guard down now. We are too close!
Finally, August 19th is World Humanitarian Day. Please keep in mind all of the health care and frontline workers who have risked their own lives to care for and serve others. This is a world-wide phenomenon. Kindness, consideration for others, and gratitude will go a long way.
Sincerely,
Jill A. RachBeisel, MD
Dr. Irving J. Taylor Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry
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The Department of Psychiatry Diversity Committee
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On Thursday, July 29, Chair of Diversity and Diversity Committee Director Dr. Anique Forrester presented:
"Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Psychiatry: Our Year in Review of Accomplishments and Lessons Learned -- Plus FY22 Next Steps."
Please remember to visit our Hub, or email Dr. Forrester at aforrest@som.umaryland.edu.
The next Diversity Committee meeting will occur on Thurs., Aug. 26 at 4 pm. All are invited to attend via this Zoom link.
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State of the Department --
happening soon!
Please save the date for October 7th for the State of the Department!
Time: 12-1:30pm.
Stay tuned for the link and formal announcement, and we look forward to reflecting on this past year. Thanks all for your hard work!
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Join us on September 13-14 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (EST)! |
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This Clinical Guidance training provides comprehensive, evidence-based information to provide the optimal management of pregnant and parenting women with opioid use disorder and their infants. The training highlights successful approaches for caring for the mother with opioid use disorder and her child. This interactive training aims to help health care professionals and patients determine the most clinically appropriate action for a particular situation and informs individualized treatment decisions.
Presenters: Dr. Aliya Jones, Robin Rickard, Dr. Mishka Terplan, Dr. Katrina Mark, Dr. Jean Bennett, Dr. Caitlin Martin, Dr. Kima Taylor, Dr. Shelly Choo, Dr. Sarah Edwards, Kelly Coble, D’Lisa Worthy
Continuing Education Credits are available for multiple disciplines!
Contact:
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Annual Tuerk Conference on Mental Health and Addiction Treatment: A Progressive Approach to Recovery |
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Date: Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021
Time: 7:30 am - 5 pm
The Division of Addiction Research and Treatment will sponsor reduced-rate registrations for Psychiatry faculty & staff. Please check your internal email!
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MARYLAND TELEMENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM:
Announcing our website launch!
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The Maryland Telemental Health Program of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, is excited to announce the launch of its website!
For more than 22 years, the Department of Psychiatry has served as pioneers in telemental health medicine, and we spotlight our initiatives on our website. Browse our many clinical programs and news highlights, as well as our research, education, and training initiatives.
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On May 2, former Chair Dr. John Talbott was honored at the 2021 Annual American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting during the 65th Convocation of Distinguished Fellows.
Dr. Talbott was recognized for his exceptional meritorious service and commitment to opposing the de-institutionalizing of the mentally ill. Thank you Dr. Talbott for your service to our community, and congratulations!
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Deanna Kelly, PharmD, BCPP, was recently awarded the R01, "Clozapine for the Prevention of Violence in Schizophrenia: a Randomized Clinical Trial," for $965,625 for 7/1/21 to 6/30/26. The goal of this study is to better understand the effects of clozapine on violent acts in community settings, and allow testing of scalable intervention and service delivery approaches that can be broadly implemented.
Dr. Kelly was also the recipient of a grant awarded by the University of Maryland, College Park, for "Collaborative Research: Using Multi-Stage Learning to Prioritize Mental Health Risk Using Evidence from Speech and Text." UMB will be the lead site for the management of testing protocols, data collection, and clinical interpretation, and Dr. Kelly and her team will help with planning and development phases to evaluate tools and future programs, provide expertise for clinical implementation, and more. Congratulations, Dr. Kelly!
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Gloria Reeves, MD, is serving as Co-Project Director with Principal Investigator Dr. Niharika Khanna of Family Medicine on a $7.8 million HRSA-funded grant to target vaccine hesitancy. The transdisciplinary collaboration includes Drs. RachBeisel, Bennett, Hoover, Forrester, and Edwards, as well as faculty from the School of Nursing and School of Pharmacy.
The project enhances research collaboration across UMSOM with the purpose to increase COVID-19 vaccinations among special needs youth and their families. The team will further explore COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy from a biopsychosocial perspective and will work to inform those in underserved communities about the health care system.
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Benjamin Israel, MD, is returning to the Department as a faculty member and joining the Division of Consultation-Liaison and Emergency Psychiatry services, which played formative roles in his training. Dr. Israel previously served as a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and Service Chief at the Trauma Disorders Program at Sheppard Pratt. He teaches locally and addresses diverse audiences around the country about the nature of trauma, strategies for assessing and treating severely traumatized individuals, and the impacts of trauma intergenerationally and in communities. Additionally, Dr. Israel supervises psychotherapy trainees and operates a private practice focused on psychotherapy and case consultation in trauma-related disorders. Dr. Israel graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2012 and completed residency training at the University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt combined residency program in Baltimore in 2016.
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Avinash Ramprashad, MD, is originally from NYC and attended medical school at SUNY Upstate College of Medicine in Syracuse, NY. He completed his general psychiatry residency at University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt and remained at the University for his addiction psychiatry fellowship. Dr. Ramprashad will be joining the Division of Addiction Research and Treatment faculty and continue to provide dual diagnosis and psychiatric care at the UM Addiction Treatment Center at 1001 West Pratt Street. He will also continue his work with MACS and provide tele-buprenorphine services to the eastern shore. Dr. Ramprashad is looking forward to working in the community outpatient setting and having the opportunity to teach and supervise PGY3 residents in the pharmacology and psychotherapy fields.
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Samantha Reaves, PhD, works to integrate her research and clinical experiences to improve outcomes for children. Her research interests lie at the intersection of mental health and education, and she investigates how school or family factors influence student outcomes in underserved communities. As a clinical-community psychologist, she believes great prevention work can be done by strengthening the systems children are nested in. She is committed to improving policies and procedures around student socioemotional functioning. In her work at the National Center for School Mental Health, she primarily supports the Partnering for Student Wellness project, the SOR parenting evaluation, and the National Quality Initiative.
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The University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt recently achieved 100% Resident Membership in the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Our Education program, directed by Dr. Mark Ehrenreich, was honored with Gold Level status that denotes our strong commitment to the APA. |
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Deanna Kelly, PharmD, BCPP, was recently appointed Chairperson of the Maryland Department of Health's Institutional Review Board (IRB) for four years.
Dr. Kelly has been serving on the Board for more than 11 years, and will work to ensure that the rights and safety of human subjects are protected. Thank you, Dr. Kelly for your service and stewardship!
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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) recently published the resource guide, "Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders," and features the Eastern Shore Mobile Care Collaborative, beginning on page 54, a collaboration led by the Division of Addiction Research and Treatment.
Click here to read more on the team's lessons that they have learned throughout the way, services offered, and outcomes and findings.
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The Olympics serves as a great reminder that mental health issues occur in all walks of life -- even in the most top-tier athletes that we typically regard as invincible. David McDuff, MD, Director of Sports at University of Maryland, Baltimore, was recently featured on WJZ CBS for his insight into Simone Biles and the mental pressures of elite athletes. For the article, click here.
Dr. McDuff also serves as a member of the Olympic International Committee's mental health workgroup, and was interviewed by Scientific American for his take on the disqualification of American all-star sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson. He weighed in from the perspective that marijuana isn't typically a performance enhancing drug -- but a detracting one at that. For the full read, click here.
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The Elm recently published a story on Gloria Reeves, MD, for her work in leading the Resilience Project, a 10-week seminar that brings together community members of all disciplines to learn about stress responses, trauma exposure, and risk responses through the lens of police work.
All officers with the University of Maryland, Baltimore Police Department will partake in the training, and Dr. Reeves is joined with the leadership of Drs. Jill RachBeisel and Mark Kvarta. For the full scope of the project, please click here.
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Kris Scardamalia, PhD, was a plenary and session presenter at the 2021 West Virginia Department of Education Student Success Summit. Dr. Scardamalia’s session focused on compassion fatigue and strategies to address burnout and secondary traumatic stress. An additional session focused on developing self-care plans. Drs. Mel English and Jordy Yarnell, along with Perrin Robinson, MS, also presented at the success summit on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health During COVID-19.
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The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and MedChi sponsor an ongoing webinar series, "Helping the Helpers and Those They Serve." The webinars are designed for behavioral health and medical health care workers of all disciplines and settings, and include:
Aug. 12: Moral Distress Experienced in Health Care
Aug. 26: Effective Self-Help Strategies and When Therapy is Still Needed
Sept. 9: Ten Strategies on Building Resilience and Preventing Burnout
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PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS |
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On July 8, Forbes published an article here that Public Service Loan Forgiveness loan contracts who are with FedLoan Servicing will be transferred from FedLoan Servicing to a new company.
Why should you care -- and what should you do?
Oftentimes when loan records are transferred, records are lost. To prevent this, download and save everything from your profiles as soon as possible to ensure you have a copy of your full history and documentation.
Employment certification
It is recommended to complete your employment certification as soon as possible to ensure all of your payments will be counted for your loan. As a friendly reminder, date your forms for the end of this month in July.
For information and questions, please contact Dr. Marissa Flaherty at mflaherty@som.umaryland.edu.
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On June 28, Ashley Woods, LCSW-C, and senior counselor for the University of Maryland School Mental Health Program, joined Sheilah Kast for WYPR’s On the Record to discuss how COVID-19 has affected youth mental health.
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