Psychiatry@YaleHeader08192011

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Kirsten Wilkins, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, and Kali Cyrus, MD, Chief Resident in Psychiatry, gave Grand Rounds on December 2 at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. The title of their presentation was, "Training in the Trenches: Cultivating a Positive Learning Environment with Difficult Patients." They described the role of the trainee, supervisor, and institution to monitor and respond to difficult patients. View video here 

Psychopaths can regret bad decisions -- but don't learn from them

Psychopaths do experience regret, particularly when their bad decisions affect them directly -- yet they don't use that experience to inform their future choices, according to a study by Arielle Baskin-Sommers, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology and of Psychiatry, and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "The popular view of psychopaths is that they are cold, callous, and simply don't care what happens to themselves or anybody else," Baskin-Sommers said. Read more  

Fortunati appointed to Legislature's Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council

Frank Fortunati, MD, JD, Interim Medical Director at Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital, has been appointed to the Legislature's Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council. The council advises the State Departments of Children and Families, Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Social Services on the planning and implementation of the state's integrated behavioral health service system, known as the Behavioral Health Partnership. Fortunati's appointment was made November 18. Read more 

Glahn given the ACNP Joel Elkes Research Award

David Glahn, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, has received the Joel Elkes Research Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). The award was given in recognition of Glahn's outstanding clinical contributions to neuropsychopharmacology. Glahn has published over 200 papers and reviews in leading scientific journals. He leads a number of research grants funded by the National Institutes of Health, and has helped to build and lead imaging-genomics consortia to advance the analytic methods for the enormous datasets involved in whole genome sequencing. Read more  

Pietrzak, colleagues receive 2016 Nelson Butters Award

Robert Pietrzak, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, and his colleagues affiliated with the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle Study are receipients of the 2016 Nelson Butters Award for Research Contributions to Clinical Neuropsychology from the U.S.-based National Academy of Neuropsychology. The award, established in 1993, is given annually for the best research paper published in the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. Read more 

Strauss honored with Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award

John S. Strauss, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, was presented with the Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award at a dinner ceremony in Atlanta on November 12. The award, which originated in 2008, recognizes teachers and mentors who have inspired their former students to achieve greatness by creating an organization "which has demonstrably conferred a benefit on the community at large." Strauss has worked at Yale since 1977, conducting clinical research with people who suffer mental health disorders. Read more  

Two Yale addiction psychiatry fellows receive travel awards to attend AAAP conference

Hector Colon-Rivera, MD, left, and Robert Feeley, MD, right, members of the Yale Department of Psychiatry's Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship, received travel awards to attend the 27th annual meeting of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry in Bonita Springs, Fla., on December 8-11. AAAP sponsors travel awards for medical students, residents, and fellows who want to continue their careers in the field of addiction psychiatry. Read more 

Caro accepts Webb Fellowship at 2016 APM annual meeting

Mario Caro, MD, a fellow in Psychosomatic Medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital, accepted a Webb Fellowship at the 2016 annual meeting of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine (APM) in Austin, Texas. The fellowship is awarded based on achievement in the field of Psychosomatic Medicine. Webb Fellows receive recognition at the meeting, travel support, and mentorship. The Yale Psychological Medicine Service sent several representatives to the meeting, held November 9-12. Read more  

Skosnik, Radhakrishnan receive grant to measure density of brain synapses in patients with schizophrenia

Patrick D. Skosnik, PhD, left, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and Rajiv Radhakrishnan, MD, right, Clinical Instructor in the Yale Department of Psychiatry, will collaborate on a project to measure the density of brain synapses in patients with schizophrenia. They were this year's nominees from Yale for the Dana Foundation David Mahoney Neuroimaging Grant Program. Their project has been awarded a $200,000 grant over three years from the Dana Foundation. Read more 

Cook: How to gain perspective about politics and reduce anxiety

Some people are looking to a Donald Trump presidency with fear. They're following every Twitter post and cabinet pick, and their anxiety continues to increase. A technique that might help people with these concerns is called psychological self-distancing, writes Joan Cook, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, in an essay published in Time. Cook describes psychological self-distancing as putting some space emotionally between the person and the event that is causing them stress. Read more 

Barkil-Oteo: Have physicians finally joined the working class?

Andres Barkil-Oteo, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, has written a two-part essay on the website KevinMD about challenges facing doctors in the raplidly changing healthcare system. In his first essay, "Have Physicians Finally Joined the Working Class," he writes about the changing healthcare environment, and the impact it is having on doctors. In the second installment, "Why Physicians Need to Organize," he proposes two strategies that could help physicians regain some influence over their work. Read more  

Budde: Why I'm biased against women in the workplace

Kristin Budde, MD, a third-year resident in the Yale Department of Psychiatry, writes in The Huffington Post about a test she took that measures implicit social cognition -- thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control. The results surprised her, suggesting she has a "strong automatic association between women and family, and between men and career." It made her rethink bias as it manifests itself in society and medicine. "My experience is a microcosm of what women find in the working world," she wrote. Read more 

Barron: How studying neuroscience transformed my brain

Daniel Barron, MD, PhD, a first-year resident in the Yale Department of Psychiatry, writes in Scientific American about how education and life experiences have changed his world views. Specifically, he recalls an experience as an undergraduate in which a lecture "outlined a completely novel way of thinking: the notion that between my ears, behind my forehead and nose was a collection of cells -- of neurons, an organ -- responsible for how I saw and perceved the world." Read more 

Sanjay Gupta visits Yale Stress Center to report on harmful effects of stress

Sanjay Gupta, MD, Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN, visited the Yale Stress Center on November 17 to speak with several affiliates of the Yale Department of Psychiatry about the harmful effects of stress on people. Gupta interviewed Rajita Sinha, PhD, Foundations Fund Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Yale Stress Center, where researchers study the science of stress and test novel treatments to reverse its destructive effects on the brain and body. Read more 

Walter "Robby" Robinson speaks at Yale Department of Psychiatry

Walter "Robby" Robinson, Editor-at-Large of the Boston Globe, visited the Yale Department of Psychiatry and Yale University on November 15 and 16 as a Poynter Fellow. Robinson spoke at the Connecticut Mental Health Center about his experience leading the Globe's investigative Spotlight Team for seven years, during which time the team uncovered the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal in Boston. The story inspired the Academy Award-winning film "Spotlight." Robinson was hosted by Joan Cook, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry.

Tom Insel, MD, conducts Q & A session with residents

Tom Insel, MD, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who led the National Institute of Mental Health from 2002 until 2015, recently met with Yale Department of Psychiatry residents for a question and answer session loosely based around the concept of improving psychiatric care. Insel discussed his own career trajectory, including his early training, and his decision to resign from NIMH and accept a position at Verily Life Sciences, formerly Google Life Sciences. He and the residents dissected the differences between academia and the private sector in terms of advancing psychiatric care.

Dinner, drinks, and lively conversation hallmark of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Group

Trainees in the Yale Department of Psychiatry have long had a valuable mentor and friend in Sidney H. Phillips, MD, a Clinical Faculty Member who for years has hosted monthly gatherings at his home for residents, fellows, and medical students who want to explore psychoanalysis with actual case studies that involve adults and children. The evening begins with casual conversation over dinner and drinks, and then people settle in to hear an adult or child analyst present their case. Read more 

O'Malley participates in panel discussion following screening of documentary on alcoholism

Stephanie O'Malley, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Division of Substance Abuse Research in Psychiatry, participated in a panel discussion November 17 at Yale about the dangers of drinking following the screening of HBO's soon-to-be-released documentary, "Risky Drinking." The film follows the lives of four people who are struggling with alcohol dependence. According to its director, the film's objective is to show how alcohol affects every aspect of behavior and well being. Read more 

Fucito overseeing clinical trials to help people stop smoking

Lisa Fucito, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Smilow Cancer Hospital's Tobacco Treatment Service, is overseeing three clinical trials that are open to smokers who want to quit. In one trial, Fucito is examining the intersection between smoking and drinking alcohol to determine if integrating treatment for both could be more effective than treating each separately. "We know that when people are trying to quit smoking, and they drink at a certain level, they tend not to be successful," she said. Read more  

Chief Resident in Quality and Patient Safety helping to improve care at VA

Representatives of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven traveled to Boston on November 30 to present on a post-residency fellowship that works to improve the quality of care and safety of patients at the VA. The VA Chief Resident in Quality and Patient Safety is a federally funded post-residency position that has been based at the West Haven VA for three years. The Chief Resident this year is David Moore, MD, PhD, who graduated from the Yale Department of Psychiatry's Residency Program in June. Read more 

The Forget-Me-Not Family Ensemble entertains at YPH

Ben Lee, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, introduced his family's musical ensemble, The Forget-Me-Nots, during a concert December 7 in the cafeteria at Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital. The group consists of his wife, Christine, and their children Noah and Rebecca. They were joined by students from the In Music We Trust group at Choate Rosemary Hall. More than 75 people attended the concert. Read more 

CMHC video series: 'Recovery is ... Having a Dog'

This month's video in the recovery video series at the Connecticut Mental Health Center is "Recovery is ... Having a Dog." In this first video in Spanish (with English subtitles), Leo, a client in CMHC's Hispanic Clinic, explains how unconditional love from his beloved dog, Lea, has helped him to overcome depression. The video series was launched by the CMHC Foundation to mark the 50th anniversary of CMHC in 2016. Watch the video 

Update from the Dean's Faculty Advisory Council

The Faculty Advisory Council (FAC) is a body convened by the Dean last year to "provide a forum for a diverse group of representatives to bring new ideas and concerns from a broad range of faculty to the Dean's office." Over the past year, the FAC has discussed a number of issues that are of concern to members of the faculty across the medical school. Read the December 2016 FAC Report here 

Trainees and faculty attend the Institute on Psychiatric Services Conference

Yale Department of Psychiatry was well represented at the Institute on Psychiatric Services (IPS) Conference October 6-9 in Washington, D.C. A large gathering attended the annual Yale Public Psychiatry dinner held this year at Rasika West End. Among those who enjoyed the dinner were, in photo top right, from left, Ashleigh Colin, MD, a Public Psychiatry Fellow; Maria Motlagh, MD, a Fellow in the Young Adult Psychiatry Fellowship; and third-year Psychiatry Residents Luming Li, MD, and Kristin Budde, MD. Li, in photo at left, and Stan Mathis, MD, a Public Psychitary Fellow, in photo at bottom right, presented their posters at the conference.

Trainees and faculty hold reunion at American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry annual meeting in Florida

More than two dozen past and current Yale faculty and trainees gathered for a reunion December 8 in Bonita Springs, Fla., during the annual meeting of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. The meeting provides a venue for the Yale representatives to catch up with trainees and faculty who have moved on from Yale.

Craig Smith receives inaugural YNHH Social Work Award for Excellence

Craig Smith, center, a social worker at Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital, is one of three recipients of the inaugural Yale New Haven Hospital Social Work Award for Excellence. Smith is well regarded and highly valued for his sense of humor, compassionate care, clinical skill, collaboration with physicians and all members of the interdisciplinary treatment team, and exceptional mentoring provided to a variety of trainees as well as junior and new colleagues. He is pictured with Joe Check, MD, left, and Ray Shenouda, MD, right. Read more 

Gorilla celebrates United Way fundraising milestone

Brian Spector, Deputy Chair for Finance and Administration in the Yale Department of Psychiatry, made good on a promise to dress up as a gorilla on December 7 during a meeting of Yale School of Medicine administrators. Spector vowed to put on the costume if his fellow medical school administrators raised $500 for the United Way. His colleagues successfully gathered the donations, and Spector and colleague Kevin Vest, who dressed as Olaf from the Disney movie, "Frozen," added a bit of levity to the lunch meeting at the medical school.

Staff Corner

Yale Department of Psychiatry staff met in the Commons dining hall at the Schwarzman Center on November 21 to enjoy Yale's annual Chili & Chowder Cookoff fundraiser for the United Way. Guests sampled several chili and chowder recipes prepared by chefs in the Yale community and at New Haven-area restaurants, and judges presented awards to their favorites. Yale Hospitality, which hosted the event, offered a variety of lunch items, from vegan and corn chili and chowder to nacho boats and bean salad.

In Memoriam

Dr. Edward Bernard Klein

Dr. Edward Bernard Klein, a former clinical faculty member with the Yale Department of Psychiatry, who embraced the community psychology movement, died on November 8. He was 85. Klein began his career in research and clinical psychology at the Veterans' Administration Hospital and at the Connecticut Mental Health Center in New Haven. His scholarship, clinical work, and community activities were informed by his understanding of how unconscious thoughts and feelings affect groups of all kinds. Read more 

Psychiatry Grand Rounds

Friday, December 16, 2016; 10:15-11:30 am

It's Not OK Not to Know What Grindr Is: Crystal Methamphetamine Use Among Gay Men

Petros Levounis, MD, MA, DFASAM, Chair of Psychiatry, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Chief of Psychiatry Service, University Hospital

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St.

Details / Download to your calendar 

Friday, December 23, 2016

No Grand Rounds

Friday, December 30, 2016

No Grand Rounds

Friday, January 6, 2016; 10:15-11:30 am

Dealing with Racist Patients

Kimani Paul-Emile, JD, PhD, Associate Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law

Mary S. Harkness Auditorium, 333 Cedar St.

Details / Download to your calendar 

Friday, January 13, 2016; 10:15-11:30 am

TBA

Deepak Cyril D'Souza, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; Director Schizophrenia Neuropharmacology Research Group at Yale

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St.

VA/Psychiatry Grand Rounds Shuttle

Door-to-door shuttle service is provided from the VA to Psychiatry Grand Rounds at CMHC. Take the Yale University Shuttle that leaves the VA beginning at 9:00 am and every 20 minutes thereafter. Tell the driver you are going to CMHC. The shuttle will leave CMHC at 11:45 am for a return to the VA. Riders should meet in front of CMHC.

CME Credits

CMEs are awarded to those who complete an evaluation sheet.

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