July 2, 2026

NEW! Take a Texas Behavioral Health Center video tour

Take a peek inside the Texas Behavioral Health Center and learn more about its mission and services with the video tour linked from the. main page of the Psychiatry Department website. The tour includes views of many interior spaces and an overview of plans for the hospital. Visit the Department of Psychiatry homepage for a link to the tour.

NEW! Employee Advisory Council nominations are open

Want to make a meaningful difference for those who work at UT Southwestern? Consider nominating yourself or a colleague to serve on the Employee Advisory Council (EAC), a peer-elected group of employees designed to enhance employee communication and build community. Council members represent five districts across UTSW to include a wide spectrum of voices. ‌

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‌Submit nominations for your district by July 10. Voting runs Aug. 10-21. The EAC is seeking council members from all districts. ‌‌For more information, check out the membership and nomination criteria on the Employee Advisory Council SharePoint site. Please note that UTSW VPN login is required for EAC nominations and criteria.

UTSW hosts ribbon cutting for TBHC

UT Southwestern held a ribbon cutting for the Texas Behavioral Health Center (TBHC) on June 16 in preparation for the hospital's official opening on June 30. State and local leaders filled the hospital's patient recreation area to celebrate the first state behavioral health hospital in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. When fully operational, the hospital will provide 292 patient beds, 92 of which will be reserved for pediatric patients. The facility offers therapeutic, recreational, and social spaces, including a beauty salon, café, gym, greenhouse, and chapel. Read more about it in the official news release or stories in the Dallas Morning News (may include paywall) and KERA.

See the smiling faces of our resident, fellowship grads

After two great graduation ceremonies, the pictures are now out. Congratulations to all of our residents and fellows on their time at UT Southwestern. We wish them well on the next stages in their careers.

General Psychiatry, Internal Medicine-Psychiatry Combined, and Child and Adult Psychiatry Combined Residency Program Graduates, Program Faculty, Staff

Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Graduates, Faculty, Program Director

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship and Triple Board Graduates, Faculty, Staff

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship Faculty and Graduate

Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Faculty (middle) and Graduates

Nominations now open for A/P Committee

The Psychiatry Department is requesting nominations for the Appointments and Promotions (A/P) Committee membership for the term effective Sept. 1. The committee reviews and provides recommendations on academic appointments, promotions, and faculty advancement. Responsibilities, eligibility requirements, and expectations for committee members are available here. Faculty interested in serving should contact their Division Chief to have their name submitted for nomination.

Submit research proposals for Kleberg Foundation funding

UTSW is seeking research proposals for submission to the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation. The foundation holds two funding cycles each year – in March and September – and UTSW may submit one application per cycle. The current internal competition will be conducted to select a nominee for the fall cycle. Each year, fewer than 10 awards are granted, with funding ranging from $500,000 to $3 million for single or multi-year projects. Renewal grants are also favorably considered.

The Foundation is seeking highly innovative, groundbreaking medical research proposals from top tier institutions in both basic biological and applied research that will have the greatest impact on scientific knowledge and human health. Proposals should be distinctive and novel in their approaches, not being done elsewhere, question the prevailing paradigm, and lead to advancement of knowledge in the field. Proposals should clearly articulate the significance of the research in addressing a critical need in the field. Key areas of interest include cancer, neurological conditions, genetic research and projects, viruses, vaccines, infectious diseases, and antibiotic resistance.

Faculty members at all levels with full-time appointments are eligible, provided they have outstanding research backgrounds and a record of productive and visible publications. For this internal competition, please submit a one-page concept paper in 11- or 12-point font with 1-inch margins, including the project title, the full name of Principal Investigator, and a non-technical description of the proposed research. Please submit this paper and the PI’s CV in a single PDF to Russell Dubose-Boyd and copy Camryn Wellman. These pre-application materials are due by June 30.

Mathers Grant Awards pre-applications are open

UT Southwestern has been invited to nominate up to three individuals to apply for the prestigious 2026 Mathers Grant Awards Program. The Mathers Foundation supports pivotal scientific research that advances knowledge, enhances human health, and fosters innovation. They empower researchers whose work holds the greatest promise for advancing mankind and medicine, driving meaningful, long-term contributions to science and society. 

All levels of professorship are eligible to apply for funding. Applicants may request $600,000–$700,000 over three years, inclusive of up to 10% indirect costs. More detailed information, including areas of support, is available at the link below.

Interested applicants should submit a one-page research proposal outlining the rationale and significance of the candidate's research and the specific aims for the proposal. The proposal should be in 11- or 12-point font with 1-inch margins. Please submit this paper and the PI’s CV in a single PDF to Russell Dubose-Boyd and copy Camryn Wellman. These pre-application materials are due by July 1.Two pre-applications will be chosen by an internal committee to advance to the next stage for submission of a full application to the foundation

NEW! Accessible docs need 'Titles' not just 'filenames'

All documents have filenames when saved, but for accessibility, documents also need a title in the file properties. In Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, click on “File” in the menu bar at the top left of the screen, and then click “Info” (fourth item down the list on the left on a PC), and click “Properties” in the top middle of the resulting screen. Click the button “Advanced Properties,” and in the “Summary” tab of the box that appears, enter text in the Title box and click OK. On a Mac, click “Properties” under the “File” menu, and fill out the title there. 

Text styles can affect readability

Decorative or script fonts may impede accessibility or cause corruption when documents are converted to pdfs. “Serif” fonts like Times New Roman have extra flourishes, for example, whereas “sans serif” fonts like Arial, Tahoma, and Verdana have cleaner lines that aid accessibility. Size 9 is the minimum to ensure text can zoom up to 100% without distorting. In Word and Excel, size 11 or 12 is recommended; in PowerPoint, size 18 or higher is recommended. Line spacing needs to be 1.5 times the size of the font. Avoid using different text styles as a design element; uniformity in font is the best practice for accessibility. 

NEW! Jane Skief joins the Psychiatry Department with more than 20 years of dedicated clinical nursing experience across a diverse range of health care specialties. A dual-certified Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), she holds certifications as both a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) and a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC). She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and her Post-Master’s PMHNP certificate from the University of Massachusetts (UMASS Global). Returning to the UTSW community brings her career full circle. In her early years, Jane worked as a Registered Nurse at Zale Lipshy-UTSW.

NEW! Lauren Holmes recently joined the Department of Psychiatry as a Clinical Research Assistant II for Dr. Jennifer Coughlin, M.D. In this role, she supports molecular imaging research on neuropsychiatric conditions through participant recruitment and study coordination. Lauren graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology. 

Noureen Hoq has joined the lab of Dr. Joseph Guillory, M.D., as a Clinical Research Assistant II. In this role, she will help facilitate communication between research team members and participants to support the ongoing study recruitment. She graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with bachelor's degrees in Neuroscience and Biology followed by earning her Master's in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience in May 2025.

Angeli Patel recently joined the Psychiatry Department as a Temporary Staff Specialist in the Rajji Lab. She received her bachelor's degree in Plan II Honors at The University of Texas at Austin. She has experience working in patient care as well as volunteering with several youth mentorship programs.

Dr. Jorge Rua Fernandez, Ph.D., joins the department as a postdoc in the Madabhushi Lab and is doing research on repair mechanisms of programmed double-strand breaks (DSB) in neurons. He is originally from Lima, Peru, where he earned his bachelor's degree in Genetics and Biotechnology. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University in Nashville working on DNA repair and replication.

Elexis Stephens, PA-C, earned her Master of Physician Assistant Studies from UT Southwestern. She has worked in Family Medicine with patients of all ages and backgrounds. She is returning to UTSW as an APP Adult Psychiatry Fellow.  

Dr. Victoria Gonzalez, PA-C, Ph.D., is an incoming UTSW Advanced Practice Provider Psychiatry Fellow and will be rotating through various outpatient and inpatient settings over the next year. She earned her undergraduate degree in biology at UT Rio Grande Valley before completing her master’s degree in physician assistant studies at UTSW. Continuing her academic pursuits at UTSW, she then earned a Ph.D. in Applied Clinical Research. Under the mentorship of Dr. Benjamin Greenberg, her dissertation focused on the prevalence of childhood adversity in pediatric and adult multiple sclerosis patients.

Dr. Thamires Magalhães, Ph.D., recently joined the Department of Psychiatry as an Instructor of Psychiatry in the Division of Interventional Psychiatry, working with Dr. André Brunoni, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Campinas (Brazil) and completed research training at Amsterdam UMC in the Netherlands. Before joining UT Southwestern, she conducted neuroimaging research at Texas A&M University. Her work focuses on understanding brain structure, connectivity, and biomarkers associated with psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.

NEW! Dr. Collin Vas, M.D., and Dr. Courtney Sanders, Ph.D., were interviewed for a MedBlog titled, "The neuroscience behind bad habits – and 7 tips to help you break them." Click here for the MedBlog.

A profile on Dr. André Brunoni, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., was recently published on the UTSW Physician Resources site exploring his development as a doctor and researcher. Read the story here.

Dr. Tyler Evans, Ph.D., psycho-oncologist, was interviewed by WebMD for an article titled "How to Handle the First Few Days After Learning Your Small-Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) Has Spread." Read the article here.

NEW! Dr. Ashley Woolbert, M.D., has been honored with an Association for Academic Psychiatry Early Career Development Award.

NEW! Dr. Darlene King, M.D., has been elected to serve on the Epic Behavioral Health Steering Board. This committee of 10-12 individuals elected from across the country make recommendations to Epic on how to improve its functionality for psychiatry and behavioral health. Her two-year term began on July 1.

NEW! Dr. Eman Rettig, Psy.D., received the 2026 Mentor Award presented by the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) Student and Trainee Affairs Committee, Mentorship Subcommittee at the recent AACN annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dr. Eric Shute, M.D., was awarded the David A. Waller, M.D., Teaching Award for the Outstanding Child and Adolescent Teacher of the Year at the Fellowship Graduation Ceremony, June 12.

Dr. Gameli Anthonio, M.D., has been awarded a 2026-2027 Fellowship position with the American Psychoanalytic Association.

Third year Psychology doctoral student Davon Breedlove's poster was selected to receive the Division 33 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award by the DEI committee.

NEW! Dr. Chadrick Lane, M.D., recently participated as an invited panelist at the 6th International Conference of the Functional Neurological Disorder Society in Baltimore, Maryland. He spoke on contemporary formulations of and treatment approaches to chronic fatigue, as well as addressing the role of avoidance and fear as impediments to treatment response. Dr. Lane also joined the UT Southwestern Department of Neurology for Grand Rounds (pictured above), exploring brain-mind-body interface disorders, their underlying pathophysiology, and the essential role of varying medical specialties in collaborative care.

Several members of the Psychiatry Department attended the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP) conference in Louisville, Kentucky, from June 18-20. Dr. Lia Thomas, M.D., presented three workshops: "Life after Clerkship: Helping Educators with Career Development" (with co-presenter Dr. Adriane dela Cruz); "You're Doing a Great job, Read more: Teaching Medical Students Effective Ways to Ask for [useful] Formative Feedback"; "Looping in Learners; Strategies to Connect Medical Students with Opportunities in Psychiatry (with Dr. Rachel Russo [former UTSW faculty and resident alum] and Dr. Lindsey Pershern [former UTSW faculty]). Dr. Thomas is a Past President and will serve on the Council Member for one more year. Dr. Sarah Baker, M.D., M.A., Dr. Latoya Frolov, M.D., M.P.H., and Dr. Darlene King, M.D., co-presented "Facilitating Formative Growth: Innovations in Simulation Education." Dr. Baker also presented "Real Talk: Navigating Hard Truths in Medical Student Advising" (with Dr. Juan Sosa, M.D., authored by Dr. Ashley Woolbert, M.D.) and "From Dishonesty to Development: Navigating Student Deception in Clinical Education" (with Dr. Sosa). Dr. dela Cruz also presented poster awards on behalf of the Awards Committee. 

Dr. C. Munro Cullum, Ph.D., participated in a panel about sports-related concussion at Texas Christian University's inaugural Athlete Engineering conference. UTSW was one of the event sponsors, and Dr. Cullum believes the conference may mark the beginning of "good long-term collaborations in the space of athlete brain health." Learn more about the Institute of Athlete Engineering here.

Dr. Tyler Evans, Ph.D., was the guest speaker at Sisters Network Inc. Dallas’ C.A.R.E. Brunch. Sisters Network is a national African American breast cancer survivorship organization with affiliates all over the country.

Dr. Evans also presented on behalf of the Psycho-Oncology team at the International Interdisciplinary Conference on Clinical Supervision at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The presentation was about the team's multi-tiered clinical supervision model and implementing it in academic medicine.

NEW! OBI Physician-Scientist Trainee Symposium is July 17

Medical students from UT Southwestern and institutions around the U.S. will present their neuroscience research at the updated OBI Physician-Scientist Trainee Symposium, from 8:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m., Friday, July 17, in the T. Boone Pickens Auditorium (NG 3.112). Join us to hear about their exciting original work and network with our clinician/scientist community. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Full talk titles are included in the calendar invitation, which will be sent to individuals who complete the RSVP link below. Have questions? Contact Mary-Colette.

NEW! Minority Mental Health Awareness Month events set

UT Southwestern will host two events in celebration of Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Both events are virtual and feature UTSW faculty and staff.

Dr. Julie Trivedi, M.D., CPCC, FIDSA, will deliver the keynote address, "Unbecoming," which covers "shedding the false identities, expectations, and conditions we assumed throughout the years" as a way to have a better life. The Zoom presentation is scheduled from Noon-1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14. Sign up for the keynote here.

A panel presentation, "Breaking Old Patterns: Rethinking What We've Internalized," will explore how cultural messages, family dynamics, and societal expectations shape our views of mental health. Attendees will gain insight into challenging stigma, promoting healing, and fostering healthier conversations about mental wellbeing across generations and communities. The panel includes Psychiatry Department members, Dr. Melanie Chung-Sherman, D.S.W., LCSW-S, CEDS, and Dr. Juan Sosa, M.D., as well as other UTSW staff and faculty. Register for this Zoom presentation here.

AIRC symposium reflects on 20 years of discovery

Join the Advanced Imaging Research Center (AIRC) for a two-day symposium celebrating its 20th Anniversary, commemorating two decades of excellence, discovery, and impact in imaging research. Speakers from the Psychiatry Department include Dr. Andre Russowsky Brunoni, M.D. Ph.D., M.B.A., Dr. Hamed Ekhtiari, M.D., Ph.D., and Dr. Manish Jha, M.D., among others.

The symposium is scheduled from 8 a.m-5 p.m., July 6-7, and will bring together leaders, collaborators, innovators, and industry partners to reflect on the AIRC's journey and chart the future of imaging science under the theme: Imaging → Seeing → Understanding → Healing.