Dear Colleagues,
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Adam Brenner, M.D., on his Leaders in Clinical Excellence Mentoring Award. This award celebrates clinicians who demonstrate exceptional commitment and effectiveness as a mentor to health care providers. I cannot think of a better recipient than Dr. Brenner.
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Dr. Brenner is a consummate professional with decades of experience shaping learners and providing career and personal guidance to fellow educators. He is a champion for trainees and faculty alike, creating opportunities for growth – from helping trainees develop programs to support new specializations and areas of study to nominating learners and colleagues for positions in national organizations – and fostering the confidence for people to pursue them. A leader who consistently reminds the people in his charge that they should "never worry alone," he works diligently to foster a culture of mentorship, listening, encouraging, and constructive feedback so learners and faculty have a supportive environment in which to thrive.
For those reasons and many more, Dr. Brenner is an excellent choice for the Mentoring Award. I was very pleased to learn that he had won. When you have a moment, please extend your congratulations to him on this honor, as does the Psychiatry Department as a whole.
Cheers,
Tarek K. Rajji, M.D.
Professor and Chair
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Faculty Promotions - Announcements - Ensuring Accessibility
Welcome New Faculty and Staff - In the Media - Kudos
Presentations - Celebrations, Events, and Save the Dates
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NEW IN THIS ISSUE
- Learn about UTSW's personal social media and recording policies
- UTSW moves to a pooled fringe rate
- Color contrast checkers help meet accessibility needs
- New faculty and staff join the department
- Dr. Meitra Doty, M.D., is interviewed on Fox 4's The Post news show
- Dr. Sarah Baker, M.D., is accepted to the Southwestern Academy of Teachers
- Dr. Diana M. Robinson, M.D., is elected to fellowship in the ACLP
- Dr. Isreal "Blad" Munoz, M.D., has been selected for an AACAP Educational Outreach Program Award
- An upcoming NIH virtual workshop focuses on late-life depression and Alzheimer's disease
- Professional Lectures will celebrate new professors
- Apply for the Extramural Loan Repayment Program by Nov. 19
| | Congratulations to our newly promoted faculty. Please join us in celebrating this achievement. | | | Promotion to Associate Professor | | |
NEW! Learn UTSW's personal social media/recording policies
| Attendees to the Sept. 2 Psychiatry Department Town Hall were treated to a presentation about best practices for personal social media accounts. UT Southwestern's policies go beyond the use of good individual judgment. They can be vital for creating a professional work environment that preserves patient privacy and professional and institutional reputation. The policies help maintain regulatory compliance and public trust. Please see the slide deck linked below or watch a video presentation from earlier this year by clicking this link (starts at 8:11; UTSW login required). | | |
NEW! UTSW has a new pooled fringe rate for FY27
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As the new fiscal year begins, the Financial Affairs office is reminding researchers that the new pooled fringe rate will be applied to compensation costs moving forward. In FY27 benefit eligible compensation will be charged a single, 27% fringe rate, and non-benefit eligible compensation will incur a 5.2% rate. The compensation information below details the specifics of fringe rate by compensation type. This change aligns UTSW with most large Academic Medical Centers by enhancing the simplicity/efficiency of fringe cost budgeting and processing. While there will be some nuances to work through in the first year, the university expects to see much easier application of this change in future years.
Rates
Compensation (excluding items below - 27.00%
Incentive / SAC - 5.20%
Graduate Student Research Comp - 2.40%
Financial Affairs has been working to review calculated cost changes and associated changes in funding in line with this year’s budget planning. As UTSW backs out of budgeted fringe costs and adds in the pooled fringe rate, Financial Affairs will “hold harmless” budgets that experience an increase in expense due to the methodology change.
| | | New Fiscal Year Message from Dr. Rajji | |
As one fiscal year draws to a close and we welcome a new one, I want to take a moment to thank you for your commitment and hard work over the past year. You are the beating heart of UT Southwestern Department of Psychiatry, and your efforts this year have allowed us to accomplish meaningful things – caring for patients and families in need, propelling the careers of learners, and advancing what we know of our brains and minds. I thought now would be a good opportunity to look back at some of our successes as a department from the past year.
The Department of Psychiatry itself has changed. Early in the year, the department moved to a matrix model led by an Executive Leadership Team that includes Division Chiefs and Vice Chairs, all reporting to the Chair. This model allows our department to better meet our faculty development needs while also focusing on quality, safety, and productivity, and supporting our education and research efforts.
Our department continues to grow and change as we meet the opportunities presented by the opening of the Texas Behavioral Health Center (TBHC). Dallas-Fort Worth’s first state-funded psychiatric hospital. Its opening on June 30 was the culmination of years of planning, design, construction, and programmatic effort from UT Southwestern, the Health and Human Services Commission, and our department. Opening in phases over the next two years, this new facility will provide 200 adult patient beds and 92 beds reserved for pediatric patients. It will allow our clinicians to advance and develop new models of care and innovative treatments.
Our researchers continue to serve as leaders in their fields. Our faculty played a significant role in the CREST-MST study, confirming the efficacy and better safety profile of magnetic seizure therapy as compared to electroconvulsive therapy and signaling great promise for MST’s future use in clinical settings. In another neurostimulation accomplishment, the FDA approved the Triple TBS Thirty-Minute Interval (TTT) protocol championed by our faculty for treating depression and anxiety. The protocol greatly reduces treatment time over traditional TMS protocols. We continued to advance knowledge on how to treat agitation in Alzheimer’s dementia and how to standardize its care. Our faculty also shed light on disparities in concussion reporting in high school sports, encouraging greater public focus on this important topic. And in the basic sciences, our researchers are also unlocking the mechanics of chromosome organization and gene transcription. and how heat shock transcription factor, HSF1, stimulates the catalytic engagement of topoisomerase IIβ over topoisomerase IIα..
Our residency program maintained the No. 14 spot in the nation and the No. 1 rank in Texas and the South in the 2026-2027 Doximity Residency Reputation rankings, speaking to the quality of our educational program, the hard work of our education faculty and staff, and the willingness of our educational leadership to listen to and respond to residents' needs. Our educators continued to win coveted awards including Dr. Sidarth Wakhlu's Outstanding Educator Award, announced shortly after his Watson Award win recognizing him for clinical care. Dr. Shawn McClintock, Ph.D. was selected into The University of Texas System's Kenneth I. Shine, M.D., Academy of Health Science Education and the Southwestern Academy of Teachers (SWAT). Dr. Adam Brenner, M.D., was elected Vice Chair of the Psychiatry Review Committee at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Dr. Chadrick Lane, M.D., was selected as a Commencement Marshal by the graduating class of 2026 medical school.
The progress made and honors mentioned here only scratch the surface of what we have done together. There are many more departmental and individual accomplishments that would fill many pages.
As we move into the 2026-2027 fiscal year, please know that I appreciate you and continue to be proud and grateful for working along your side.
| | | State Employee Charitable Campaign kicks off | |
The annual State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) is underway. Giving to your favorite charity has never been easier. The SECC works with hundreds of local, state, national, and international charities, providing needed funding for the causes you care about. You can make a one-time donation or choose a monthly payroll deduction. If you donate through PeopleSoft you will be registered to potentially win one of 50 donated prizes, including signed Dallas Mavericks apparel, tickets to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, the Dallas Arboretum, Children’s Aquarium Dallas, top DFW art museums, the State Fair of Texas, sporting events, and more. Email Kirk Dickey in the Chair's Office with any questions about the SECC.
| | | National Institutes of Health issue K award notices | |
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently issued two notices affecting K awards and clinical trial training. The notices are NOT-OD-26-098 and NOT-OD-26-095. Key changes (effective for due dates on/after Oct. 12, 2027) include consolidation and simplification:
- Consolidating individual K notice of funding opportunities (NOFOs). For example, K08 and K23 will both be called KC1.
- Eliminating the requirement for data management and sharing (DMS) plans on Ks.
- Clarifying allowable uses of K award funds for clinical trial research activities.
Also, K funds may no longer support conducting clinical trials, feasibility studies, or ancillary studies, which means:
- “Independent Clinical Trial Required” K NOFOs will end.
- K awardees can still gain experience by participating in mentor-led trials and developing protocols.
- Separate funding (institutional, other grants, etc.) is required to lead a trial as PI.
NIH is also seeking input (by Sept. 30, 2026) on new models that would let mentored K recipients lead trials via separate limited-competition Research Project Grants (RPGs) or phased K-to-R awards. Thus, it sounds like K awardees will still have opportunities to conduct clinical trials, but the trials will not be funded through the K award.
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NEW! Be sure to check color contrast for accessibility
| Two things require extra consideration when using color to ensure accessibility in documents. First, avoid using color as the sole means of conveying information. Add patterns or textures to make chart content accessible or words like “Important” to emphasize text. Also, ensure sufficient difference between the color of the text and the color behind the text. You need a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Unfortunately, Microsoft offers design styles that do not have proper contrast, so users need to double-check documents for adherence to guidelines using tools such as the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker or the WCAG Contrast Checker. | | | Reading order reviews are manual checks | Accessibility checkers often flag the reading order for a manual check. In the menu option “Review” in Microsoft Word, select the “Read Aloud” option and press the play icon in the box that appears to learn how the screen reader interprets your text. Note that wherever an image anchor is placed is where its alt text will be announced. In PowerPoint, reading order will be flagged as an item to investigate from the accessibility checker. In the resulting screen, the checker will show you the order of the slide elements for you to make sure they follow your intended flow to rearrange items as needed to retain the intended meaning. | | | Welcome New Faculty and Staff | | |
NEW! Dr. Ana Kellermann Jimenez, Ph.D., has joined the MSOPC as a Clinical Assistant Professor. She grew up in Madrid, Spain, and has been living in East Texas for the past 12 years. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The University of Texas at Tyler and went on to complete both her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center, where she specialized in Health Psychology. Her research interests include suicide ideation, emotional intelligence, and improving the utilization of behavioral health services within medical settings. We are excited to have someone with her expertise and passion joining our team.
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NEW! Dr. Danilo Benette Marques, Ph.D., is a Visiting Senior Fellow conducting research in the Division of Interventional Psychiatry. He earned his doctorate in neuroscience, and his work has focused on identifying patterns of brain activity associated with resilience or vulnerability to adversity. At UT Southwestern, his research aims to translate basic neuroscience into clinical applications, developing new ways to personalize and improve brain stimulation therapies for depression.
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NEW! Tahkiyah Henry recently joined the PeriPAN team as a Public Education Community Outreach Coordinator. Prior to this role, she spent more than 10 years in Revenue Cycle leadership. She has earned her bachelor's degree in Developmental Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience and is currently pursuing graduate studies. Her long-term goal is to become a psychiatrist, and she said joining the Department of Psychiatry and PeriPAN felt like a natural next step that aligns with her professional interests and career aspirations.
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Ashlyn Bimmerle, LMSW, has joined the Psychiatry Department as a Clinical Social Work Fellow. She is a graduate of the University of Houston with a Master of Social Work and a clinical concentration. She completed her undergraduate studies at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in counseling.
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Dr. Jeffrey Bogard, M.D. is an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry. Dr. Bogard earned his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma and subsequently completed psychiatric residency at the University of Kansas in Wichita. He then completed a fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at UT Southwestern, and will now be serving as a consultation-liaison psychiatrist at Parkland Health.
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NEW! Dr. Meitra Doty, M.D., was interviewed on Fox 4's The Post news show recently. She talked about postpartum depression vs. postpartum psychosis and ways to find help. Watch the clip here.
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Dr. Hamed Ekhtiari, M.D., was featured in an article titled "Non-Invasive Low-Power Electrical Stimulation Is Shown in Trial to Modulate Brain Circuitry Involved in Regulating Drug Craving in Opioid Addiction" on the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation website. Read the article here.
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Wayne Young, M.B.A., M.Ed., CEO of the Texas Behavioral Health Center (TBHC), recently participated in a Q&A with Center Times Plus. Read about his history, his personal and professional philosophies, and more in the article. Read it here.
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Dr. Salahuddin Kazi, M.D., Co-Program Director of the Combined Medicine/Psychiatry Residency reflects on a remarkable journey that began in Karachi, Pakistan, and led to a career dedicated to medicine, education, and service in the latest Unscripted video by UT Southwestern. Watch the video here.
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NEW! Dr. Sarah Baker, M.D., has been accepted to the Southwestern Academy of Teachers (SWAT). Comprising leaders from UT Southwestern's four schools, the academy provides a focus for the exchange of ideas and a platform for enhanced interactions among basic, clinical, and social scientists. Membership in SWAT comes with the title "Distinguished Teaching Professor."
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NEW! Dr. Diana M. Robinson, M.D., has been elected to Fellowship in the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Fellowship in the ACLP is one of the academy's highest honors, recognizing members who have demonstrated sustained commitment to the academy and contributions to the field of consultation-liaison psychiatry as educators, researchers, administrators, and leaders.
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NEW! Dr. Isreal "Blad" Munoz, M.D., has been selected for an American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Educational Outreach Program Award.
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Dr. Kenneth Dekleva, M.D., contributed to the new exhibition, "Camouflage: Designed to Deceive," at the The International Spy Museum in Washington D.C. He was interviewed for the exhibition last year. Dr. Dekleva is a former U.S. State Department clinical psychiatrist with more than 70 overseas assignments including stints in Moscow, Mexico City, New Delhi, and Vienna. The exhibition notes that Dr. Dekleva "counseled intelligence officers and other U.S. agency workers on how to live under constant surveillance by foreign governments."
| | | Dr. James Norcross, M.D., cut the ribbon for the opening of the new Children’s Plano Autism/Outpatient Clinic on July 30. | | | Dr. Adam Brenner, M.D., and a large group of UT Southwestern Psychiatry Department chief residents attended the Texas Psychiatry Chief Residents Retreat on Aug. 28 and contributed to the retreat discussions. Pictured above from left to right are Dr. Alaa Hajeissa, M.D., CAP chief resident, Dr. Seena Ounsinegad, M.D., General Psychiatry chief resident, Dr. Brenner, Dr. Gameli Anthonio, M.D., General Psychiatry chief resident, Dr. William Burton, M.D., General Psychiatry chief resident, Dr. Hannah Gomez, M.D., CAP chief resident, Dr. Sarah Elmer, M.D., General Psychiatry chief resident, Dr. Kayla Murphy, M.D., Internal Medicine/Psychiatry chief resident, Dr. Layne Jordan, M.D., Medicine/Psychiatry chief resident, and Dr. Enrique Chiu-Han, M.D., Neurology/Psychiatry chief resident. Dr. Brenner also presented a talk titled “Walking The Path: Taking Charge of Your Mission and Your Time." | | | Celebrations, Events, and Save the Dates | |
NEW! An upcoming NIH virtual workshop focuses on late-life depression and Alzheimer's disease
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The National Institute on Aging (NIA) and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will hold a virtual workshop to assess the state of science regarding comorbidity, overlap, and distinction between depression, particularly late-life depression (LLD), and Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD). The Zoom workshop is scheduled for Sept. 28 from 9:45 a.m.-3:45 p.m. and Sept. 29 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Participants in "Late-life depression and ADIADRD interface: Understanding mechanisms to move towards precision medicine" will discuss how they can advance the knowledge of the underlying mechanisms and trajectories of depression and AD/ADRD to better parse heterogeneity in clinical presentation and cognitive course of depression and to enable earlier identification of and more tailored treatment for those individuals who may develop comorbid LLD and AD/ADRD compared to those who may only develop one of these. Sessions include a presentation by Dr. Tarek K. Rajji, M.D., titled, "From Depression to Dementia: Insights from Neuromodulation Studies on Cognition in Late-Life Depression." Register at the link below and contact NIMHNIAADDepression@nih.gov with any questions or requests for additional information.
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NEW! Professional Lectures will celebrate new professors
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Achieving the rank of full professorship is a major milestone in the career of a faculty member. The department is launching a new initiative to celebrate this special accomplishment, the Professorial Lecture. These voluntary celebratory lectures will allow newly promoted faculty to present on their personal and professional trajectory toward this milestone. Colleagues and loved ones will also have an opportunity to say few words about the promoted faculty. The lectures will be followed by a celebratory reception.
Upcoming Professional Lectures
Dr. Collin Vas, M.D.
Tuesday, Nov. 3 from 5-7 p.m.
A.W. Harris Faculty Club
Dr. Nicholas J. Westers, Psy.D., ABPP, FSAHM
Thursday, Nov. 19 from 5-7 p.m.
A.W. Harris Faculty Club
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NEW! Apply for Extramural Loan Repayment Program by Nov. 19
| The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is accepting applications for the Extramural Loan Repayment Program (LRP) through Nov. 19. Awardees can receive up to $100,000 in qualified educational debt repayment with a two-year award. To learn more about eligibility requirements, application dates, and the benefits of receiving an LRP award, visit the LRP website. Click here to register for an LRP technical assistance webinar on Oct. 6 from 2-3:30 p.m. | | | O'Donnell Brain Institute WIPS series begins | |
Join the next O’Donnell Brain Institute WIPS Seminar on Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 5:30-7 p.m., at the A.W. Harris Faculty-Alumni Center. The WIPS Program is a forum for OBI faculty across the full spectrum of laboratory and clinical research to present an overview of their research and focus on key questions, overarching goals, and future directions. The format is meant to be highly interactive with the shared aim of advancing our work together as an intellectual community.
The speakers for Sept. 23 are Dr. Jay Lusk, M.D., M.B.A., Assistant Professor of Neurology, Internal Medicine, and Public Health, speaking on “Data Science to Advance Clinical Research in Dementia," and Dr. Sam McBrayer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Children’s Research Institute and Pediatrics, speaking on “Metabolite Signaling in Neurodevelopment and Gliomagenesis." Light food and drinks will be served.
| | | First in-person Psychiatry Grand Rounds is Sept. 16 | |
This year's first in-person Psychiatry Grand Rounds speaker is Dr. Patrick Triplett, M.D., of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Triplett will speak on "The Benefits and Evolution of Proactive Psychiatric Consultation." The presentation will be Noon-1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The presentation will be held in NG3.112 with a reception and food in NG3.108.
In-person Psychiatry Grand Rounds provide opportunities to learn from visiting physicians and educators, and attendance reflects well on the Psychiatry Department. Attendance also offers you the opportunity to interact directly with the visiting speaker.
| | | Leadership series continues in September | |
The next session in the Psychiatry Department Leadership Series will be held from Noon-1 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14. This month's topic is "Leadership and Well-Being," and will be presented by Dr. Olufunke Awosogba, Ph.D. Watch for an Outlook calendar invitation for the session.
Recordings of past sessions are available on the Psychiatry Department SharePoint site, along with a listing of upcoming topics. A final session for this series is planned from Noon-1 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12.
| | | Registration opens for New Faculty Research Forum | |
Registration is now open for the 2026 UT Southwestern New Faculty Research Forum, the signature research event highlighting the innovative work of UTSW's newest faculty members. The forum will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12. Join the event for a day of discovery, collaboration, and engagement with colleagues from across the UT Southwestern community.
The forum provides an opportunity to:
- Learn about cutting-edge research from newly recruited faculty
- Explore opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration
- Connect with colleagues from across campus.
| | | You are receiving The Pulse e-newsletter as a member or affiliate of the Psychiatry Department. Email items to Psychiatry Communications by 5 p.m. on Fridays for consideration of inclusion in the next issue. View as Webpage | | | | |
