Sept. 24, 2026

NEW! D’Mello Lab awarded NIH grant to study the organization of language in autism

Dr. Anila D’Mello, Ph.D., has received an NIH-National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders grant to investigate the neural basis of semantic language difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects social communication and language. Language difficulties impact autistic individuals’ ability to communicate, learn, and engage socially. A particularly consequential language challenge in ASD is understanding and accessing word meaning, known as semantics. Because understanding the meaning of words is fundamental to communication, differences in this ability can be particularly consequential to how people understand, express, and use language in social situations. A team including Dr. D’Mello as principal investigator, and UC Berkeley Co-Investigators Dr. Jack Gallant, Ph.D. and Dr. Rich Ivry, Ph.D., will conduct precision functional MRI in autistic and non-autistic adults while they attend to naturalistic stories. The study will investigate how the autistic brain responds to the meaning of thousands of different concepts, from dozens of categories, and how individual differences in the brain’s response relates to social behaviors. 

UPDATE: Supporting the State Employee Charitable Campaign has never been sweeter

As of Sept. 21, the members of the Psychiatry Department have donated $840 through State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC). To compare, the department raised more than $5,000 through last year's total SECC efforts. To get the ball rolling this year, department organizers are going to sweeten the deal. Watch for opportunities to buy sweets boxes with cookies and mini bars in the coming weeks. Sales will benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Pricing and availability info will follow soon.

Individual giving to the charity of your choice is also encouraged. The SECC works with hundreds of local, state, national, and international charities. You can make a one-time donation or choose a monthly payroll deduction. Click the link below for more information.

Want another reason to donate? Donors can win a prize. 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.

NEW! Present at the CRI Scientific Meeting

Clinical Research Infrastructure (CRI) has created a Presenter Interest Form for its weekly Scientific Meeting. Scheduled every Tuesday at Noon, the meeting provides an opportunity for invited faculty, staff, and students to present on clinical research-based studies, projects, and topics. Individuals who would like to share their ongoing research with the group and/or are looking for feedback on a project are encouraged to fill out the form below. The form also has a section to suggest other presenters and topics. All are welcome to attend the meeting. Contact Chris Loehrlein for more information or to request a meeting invitation.

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).

Presenting? Let the world know with this card

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. 

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.

NEW! Dr. Aisha Julakanti, M.D., has joined as faculty on the Behavioral Health Initiative Group (BHIG) working as both a pediatrician and child psychiatrist. She was UT Southwestern's first Triple Board residency graduate – pediatrics, adult psychiatry, and child psychiatry. She graduated from medical school at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock.

NEW! Dr. Emily Nguyen, M.D., M.B.A., recently joined the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry division as a clinical assistant professor. She will be providing outpatient psychiatric care at Children's Health Outpatient Clinic, Parkland CV Roman, and Child and Family Guidance as part of the Community Psychiatry Workforce Expansion (CPWE) program. Dr. Nguyen earned her medical degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, and completed her General Psychiatry residency and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at UT Southwestern.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

NEW! Dr. Kipp Pietrantonio, Ph.D., was published in the latest edition of On Board with Professional Psychology, the official publication for the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). The article is titled “Telehealth: The “Happy Accident” that Quietly Revolutionized Exposure Response Prevention for OCD.” Read it here.

NEW! Dr. Manish Jha, M.D., was featured in a BroadcastMed article titled "GLP-1s: Potentially A New Direction in Addiction Care." The article chronicles Dr. Jha's study of tirzepatide in methamphetamine addiction. Read the article here.

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.

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.

NEW! Dr. Elif Ozan, M.D., PGY 2 in General Psychiatry, has been awarded an Educational Outreach Program (EOP) Award from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).

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. 

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.

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." 

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. 

Dr. Isreal "Blad" Munoz, M.D., has been selected for an American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Educational Outreach Program Award.

NEW! Several members of the UTSW faculty presented at the Association for Academic Psychiatry (AAP) conference in Salt Lake City earlier this month. The picture above is from a workshop on "Facilitating Formative Growth: Innovations in Simulation Education" with (from left) Dr. Ashley Woolbert, M.D., Dr. Darlene King, M.D., Dr. Sarah Baker, M.D., and Dr. Latoya Frolov, M.D. In another session, Dr. Bernice Yau, M.D., and Dr. Baker presented "When Concerns Arise: Navigating Fitness for Duty in Trainees." Dr. Adriane dela Cruz, M.D., Ph.D., presented "Leadership in Academic Medicine" and "The Power of Peers: Building Mentoring Networks, Group Peer Mentoring, and Mentoring Programs." Dr. Woolbert also received the Association for Academic Psychiatry Early Career Development Award at the conference.

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.

NEW! Jack El-Hai presents at Ethics Grand Rounds

Jack El-Hai, M.F.A., a journalist and author of nonfiction books, articles, and essays about medicine, science, history, and crime, will present "The Ethical Challenges of Telling Dr. Douglas M. Kelley's Story at Nuremberg" on Tuesday, Oct. 13, from Noon-1 p.m.

The presentation will be part of the Daniel W. Foster, M.D., Visiting Lectureship in Medical Ethics, in conjunction with Ethics Grand Rounds. More information about this lecture can be found on the university events calendar or by contacting Ruth Vinciguerra.

Psychiatry Department Leadership Awards final event is Oct. 12

The final session of the current Psychiatry Department Leadership Series will be held from Noon-1 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12. This month's topic is "Leading Through Change," and will be presented by Dr. Tarek K. Rajji, M.D. Watch for an Outlook calendar invitation for the session.

Recordings of past sessions are available on the Psychiatry Department SharePoint site.

Apply for the Alkermes Pathways Research Awards

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. 

More in-person Psychiatry Grand Rounds are planned

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.

Professorial 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 Professorial 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.