The passing of Myron F. Weiner, M.D., sad as it was, gave me pause when I reviewed his career course. As I saw, he was a veteran UT Southwestern faculty member in Psychiatry. He was a "lifer" in our department and our school; he spent his whole generative career at UT Southwestern. He picked up and managed many of the clinical functions that our department needed from him, with energy and creativity. It filled me with pride for Psychiatry to know that he thought so much of the department’s work that he labored so hard and so long himself for its welfare. He was a wonderful person, physician, and psychiatrist. And then, in addition, he wrote poetry.

Myron F. Weiner, M.D., died on Monday, July 17, 2023.

Dr. Weiner was an Emeritus Professor at UT Southwestern in the Department of Psychiatry, where he had been a faculty member for his entire career. Dr. Weiner was born on June 4, 1934. He graduated from Tulane School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1957 and moved to Dallas for an internship at Parkland Hospital. After a short interruption for duty in the US Air Force in San Antonio, he returned to UT Southwestern for his residency in Psychiatry. Thereafter, he spent over 50 years as a faculty member at UT Southwestern, first in conjunction with a private practice, then as Vice Chair for Clinical Services. He established the Geriatric Psychiatry Program in the Department of Psychiatry and ran the Clinical Core of the NIH-funded Alzheimer's Disease Center for 25 years. He published prolifically, more than 200 papers in scientific journals, and authored more than 12 books on psychotherapy and, later, on Alzheimer’s Disease, including his senior editorship of the American Psychiatric Association Textbook on Alzheimer’s Disease. His initial papers focused on topics in psychotherapy and, once he joined the Alzheimer’s Center, these papers transitioned to topics around neurodegeneration and loss of cognition. In 2013, he retired from UT Southwestern and became an Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry. In his later life, he published books of short stories and poems, with his last book still for sale on Amazon today. His colleagues recall him being a true mentor, teacher, and collaborator. He had a gift for finding the natural talents of each team member and developing them further. He cared about the success of others on his team more than himself. He was generous in sharing his wisdom, lessons learned, and ideas, hoping to benefit others. As such, he was a beloved professor and mentor. We will miss his wisdom and perspective as well as his presence.

The Focus on Faculty Portal (VPN required) now has a new tool that will allow faculty members to create their electronic curriculum vitae (CV) and export it to comply with UTSW's Promotion and Tenure template and the National Institute of Health's biographical sketch format.

The CV engine integrates with source of truth systems to import organizational data, such as education, licensing, and more, to establish career timelines and keep them up to date.

Another important feature is that it allows faculty to delegate editing privileges, making it possible for staff to take on the task of inputting information that the system cannot pull automatically, including administrative and leadership positions, honors and awards, teaching activities, and other categories. Learn more about this newly available resource and email questions to focus@utsouthwestern.edu.

The Department of Psychiatry was well presented at the 2023 APA Convention that was held in Washington D.C. at the beginning of the month. Congratulations to all who participated!

Molly Michaels, M.A., presented Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of Suicidal Adolescents Entering Treatment After a Suicide Event.

The Texas Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry held its annual meeting in July in San Antonio. Allison Wilkinson Smith, Ph.D., was one of the speakers who discussed Neuropsychiatric Effects of COVID-19. Below are the elected officers for the coming year which constitutes half of the Executive Committee for the State. Congratulations!

Chad Lane, M.D., has been selected as the Vice-Chair of the American Neuropsychiatric Association (ANPA) Education Committee. The ANPA Education Committee's mission includes developing educational symposia for the 2024 Annual Meeting as well as supporting innovations in teaching resources for clinical neuroscientists across the training spectrum.

Jasmine Ghannadpour, Ph.D., offered her expertise in an interview on how to catch and prevent eating disorders as your child heads back to school. Watch the interview here.

Nicholas J. Westers, Psy.D., ABPP, offered his expertise in an article on the best ways to help your child cope with back-to-school anxiety. Read the article here.

Tuesday, September 12, 2023; 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (online and in-person)

Simmons Biomedical Research Building, NB2.100A

Jeffrey P. Kahn, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Andreas C. Dracopoulos Director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics; Robert Henry Levi and Ryda Hecht Levi Professor of Bioethics and Public Policy, Johns Hopkins University

While there is no fee to attend, participants must register. Register to attend virtually. Upon registration, participants will receive the Zoom event ID and link to join the webinar. For additional information, please see the announcement. This event is supported by the Daniel W. Foster, M.D. Endowment Fund for Visiting Lecturers in Medical Ethics

Part I: Tuesday, September 19, 2023; 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.(online)

Part II: Tuesday, September 26, 2023; 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. (online)

The Starting University Clinical Careers Effectively, Scholarly, and Successfully (SUCCESS) programs help clinician-educators thrive at UT Southwestern by providing training in the four domains of excellence required for academic promotion: Clinicians, Educators, Scholars, and Institutional Citizens. Register today for Part I and Part II.

Wednesday, September 23, 2023; 8:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m.

109 Continental Avenue, Dallas, TX, 75207

Join the Bridging the Gap Foundation in a walk to raise money to help individuals gain access to therapy services. BTGWalk represents an initial step toward powerful change leaving a significant mark on the local mental health landscape. To learn more and register for the walk, click here.

Thursday, October 12 - Friday, October 13, 2023; 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 14, 2023; 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Washington D.C.

Join the American Psychiatric Association for the 2023 Mental Health Services Conference, which brings together the whole team caring for those with mental illnesses, including psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, primary care physicians, social workers, and more, to collaborate on practical advice to influence systems-level change for their patients. Learn more about the conference and register here.

The CDRC interns wrapped up their 8 weeks of research and training with a final poster presentation showcasing the plethora of knowledge gained. Presentation topics ranged from Facilitating Data Sharing to The Physical and Mental Recovery from ACL Injury. The CDRC faculty and staff had an opportunity to hear about all of the work and experience the interns gathered.

The VA Psychology Internship Program was re-accredited for 10 years by the American Psychological Association! Congratulations to Julia Smith, Psy.D., Director of Training, VA Psychology Programs, and the Internship Training Committee, Aletha Miller, Ph.D., Jamylah Jackson, Ph.D., and all psychologists and trainees who participated in the training program and the recent site visit. In other training news, Wyatt Evans, Ph.D., was recently selected as the new Associate Training Director.

LaDonna Saxon, Ph.D., has been selected as the new Chief of Psychology for Mental Health.

Sarah Spain, Ph.D., has been selected as the new Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health.

Christopher Holland Deguire, Psy.D., has received the 2023 Special Contribution Award through the Association of VA Psychologist Leaders for his work as the VA North Texas LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator.

The NINDS requests applications for Interdisciplinary Research in Neuroscience. The Collaborative Opportunities for Multidisciplinary, Bold, and Innovative Neuroscience (COMBINE) Program announces a Notice of Funding to encourage ambitious interdisciplinary team efforts to overcome basic, translational, and clinical research challenges within the NINDS mission. A successful application will have a single focused goal, require team-based integration of distinct disciplines, and/or viewpoints, and deliver a transformative outcome within 5 years. See more details and register here by October 20.