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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
- Children's Medical Center Dallas is ranked among the nation's top children's hospitals
- Request a social media card for upcoming presentations/conferences
- New faculty and staff join the department
- Dr. Abby Ortiz, M.D., is featured in an article about computational psychiatry
- Dr. Seungwon "Sebastian" Choi, Ph.D., receives a Suh Kyungbae Foundation (SUHF) Young Investigator Award
- Ph.D. Candidate Yosanly Cornelio receives a N.E.W. Conference trainee travel award
- KE’Marvin Pitts, LCSW, presents at the Injury Prevention Symposium
- Apply for the Alkermes Pathways Research Awards
- More in-person Psychiatry Grand Rounds are planned
| | Congratulations to our newly promoted faculty. Please join us in celebrating this achievement. | | | Promotion to Associate Professor | | |
NEW! Children's Medical Center Dallas ranked among nation's top children's hospitals
| Children’s Medical Center Dallas has once again been recognized among the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in its 2026-2027 Best Children's Hospital rankings. It is the only hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth and the surrounding region to be ranked in all 11 pediatric specialties evaluated by U.S. News, and is No. 2 in Texas. This marks the ninth consecutive year – and the 15th time since 2008 – that the hospital has earned recognition across every specialty area. The Behavioral Health program has again been ranked in the Top 50 programs nationally (no specific numerical ranking is provided for behavioral health programs). | | |
NEW! Presenting? Let the world know with this card
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Presenting at a conference or other major event? Let others know about it by filling out a social media card. Social media cards are promoted through the UTSW Science X Account and picked up by other UTSW social media accounts. Share your information at least a week in advance to be sure that the card can be created in time for conference attendees to see it.
| | | Brenner wins Leaders in Clinical Excellence Mentoring Award | |
Dr. Adam Brenner, M.D., recently won the Leaders in Clinical Excellence Mentoring Award. This award celebrates clinicians who demonstrate exceptional commitment and effectiveness as a mentor to health care providers.
In congratulating Dr. Brenner on this honor, Dr. Tarek K. Rajji, M.D., wrote "I cannot think of a better recipient than Dr. Brenner. 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."
| | | 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). | | | UTSW has a new pooled fringe rate for FY27 | |
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.
| | | 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. | | | Welcome New Faculty and Staff | | |
NEW! Dr. Emily Armstrong, Ph.D., recently joined the Center of Autism and Developmental Disabilities as a Clinical Assistant Professor. Dr. Armstrong earned her doctorate in School Psychology at Texas Woman's University. She completed her fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center's TRIAD: The Autism Institute.
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NEW! China Santamaria, M.S.N., APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, a dual-certified Family and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, recently joined UTSW Multispecialty Psychiatry Clinic. She has more than a decade of nursing experience, including experience in inpatient psychiatric care and the treatment of complex mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. She earned her post-master's certificate in psychiatry from The University of Texas at Arlington and completed an Advanced Practice Provider Psychiatry fellowship at JPS Health Network in 2023.
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NEW! Madison Schafer recently joined the Department of Psychiatry as a Clinical Research Assistant II in the Brown Lab. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Carthage College. Prior to joining UT Southwestern, Madison worked in preclinical toxicology research at AbbVie and served as a Behavioral Technician in a residential substance use disorder (SUD) unit at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital.
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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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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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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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NEW! Dr. Abby Ortiz, M.D., was recently featured in a BroadcastMed article titled "Computational psychiatry is changing how physicians predict and treat bipolar disorder." Dr. Ortiz's studies include wearable monitors to measure sleep and activity as a way to understand an approaching episode. Read more here.
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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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NEW! Dr. Seungwon "Sebastian" Choi, Ph.D., recently received a Suh Kyungbae Foundation (SUHF) Young Investigator Award, the most prestigious junior faculty award for Korean biomedical scientists. The award – $160,000-$170,000 annually for three years, with possible renewal – will support the study of the functional circuit assembly of the developing spinal cord using systems neuroscience approaches.
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NEW! Yosanly Cornelio, Ph.D. candidate, was selected for a trainee travel award to support her presentation at the Neuroscience of the Everyday World (N.E.W.) Conference, hosted by Boston University. Cornelio plans to present "Interpretable Digital Phenotyping of Subclinical Insomnia From Wearable and Sleep Diary Data" at the conference. She is currently receiving clinical research training within the Children's Psychiatry Research Group under the supervision of Dr. Emine Rabia Ayvaci, M.D. Her project was mentored by Dr. Ismael Villanueva-Miranda, Ph.D., faculty in UT Southwestern's Department of Public Health.
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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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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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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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NEW! KE’Marvin Pitts, LCSW, from the MSOPC Richardson Clinic, presented at the Injury Prevention Symposium hosted by UT Southwestern in collaboration with Scottish Rite. His presentation was part of the session, Mental Health, Identity, and the Injured Athlete.
| | | 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! Apply for the Alkermes Pathways Research Awards
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The ninth annual application period for the Alkermes Pathways Research Awards program is now open. Pathways Research Awards are open to early-career investigators and will support research projects focused on sleep disorders, schizophrenia, and bipolar I disorder. The annual Pathways program provides individual grants of up to $100,000 per project.
This year, the program has introduced a streamlined application process based on feedback from previous applicants. The first step is a brief Letter of Intent (LOI), designed to make it easier for investigators to share their proposed research and interest in the program without completing a full application upfront. Following a review of the LOIs, selected applicants will be invited to complete the full application. Letters of Intent will be accepted through Oct. 16. Invited applicants will then have from Nov. 13, 2026-Jan. 5, 2027 to submit a full application.
Click the link above for more information on the submission process and full eligibility criteria. Additional information is available through the Pathway's Research Award Inquiry Form.
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NEW! More in-person Psychiatry Grand Rounds are planned
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The next in-person Psychiatry Grand Rounds speaker is Dr. James Willig, M.D., of UT Southwestern. Dr. Willig's presentation will be from Noon-1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The presentation will be held in NG3.112 with a reception and food in NG3.108.
Dr. Bhavya R. Shah, M.D., will address Psychiatry Grand Rounds in person on Oct. 28 from Noon-1 p.m., also in NG3.112.
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.
| | | An upcoming NIH virtual workshop focuses on late-life depression and Alzheimer's disease | |
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.
| | | Professional Lectures will celebrate new professors | |
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
| | | 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.
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