Outstanding faculty with a variety of complementary talents is what makes a medical school department strong. 

As you look through this month’s Connections, you will see example after example of outstanding faculty represented by their productivity. Clinicians, clinical scientists, laboratory scientists, educators; what a line up!

I am extremely proud of the work and the interests of our department's Psychiatry and Psychology faculty and all of their contributions to the O’Donnell Brain Institute and UT Southwestern Medical School.

The 2024 conflict of interest (COI) statement and training must be completed by March 1. Announcement emails were sent to all individuals who are required to complete the annual COI training and submit a 2024 COI statement. If you did not receive an email, no action is required. If you have any questions, email the COI Office.

Kenneth Dekleva, M.D., was appointed for the fourth consecutive year as a Senior Fellow at the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China relations. Dr. Dekleva is one of nine fellows from America, Europe, China, and Taiwan.

Adriane dela Cruz, M.D., Ph.D., received the 2023-2024 Nancy C.A. Roeske, M.D., Certificate of Recognition for Excellence in Medical Student Education on behalf of the American Psychiatric Association and its Council on Medical Education and Lifelong Earning.

Dr. dela Cruz is also one of three finalists for the Innovation in Education Award from the University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine Academy of Health Science Education.

Jasmine Ghannadpour, Ph.D., (pictured right) presented at the Mental Health America of Greater Dallas symposium alongside Urszula Kelley, M.D., and education specialists Dr. Lashundra Thomas and Brooke Soard and physician liaison Andrea Hansen.

Ann Tennier has been appointed by the Council of Science Editors as Web Editor. The Council of Science Editors is an international organization serving over 800 members in the scientific, scientific publishing, and information science communities.

Lia Thomas, M.D., was appointed as one of three new associate editors for the journal Academic Psychiatry after an international call for candidates was issued and a competitive application and interview process followed. Dr. Thomas previously served on the journal's editorial board and was the guest editor for a special issue on US Medical School Curriculum Reform Effects on Education in Psychiatry.

April 17, 2024; 7:00 to 9:00 a.m.

NG3.112

The Department of Psychiatry will present updates on its clinical, research, and education activities in a 2-hour, in-person meeting with Drs. Lee, Efron, Peterson, Thiele, Huang, and Conaway, Cameron Slocum, and Michael Baker. 

Here is a link to a Form to submit your questions.

Dr. Tamminga requests in-person participation at the meeting for its full duration. The department will provide coffee and danish to attendees.

(If attending in person is not at all possible for you, email for a link to join the meeting online.)

March 1, 8, 15, and 22, 2024

A four-part grant writing series designed for those preparing to write an R01 or similar submission for an upcoming grant deadline and the people who advise them will take place this March. UTSW employees who are current members of the Meg Bouvier Grant Writing Course Library can participate for free. View the session schedule and more information. Register to attend.

March 7, 2024; 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Register to attend the lecture and register to attend the poster session.

ARPA-H is a new federal research funding agency that supports bold and transformative biomedical and health science breakthroughs that cannot readily be accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity. The agency has a budget of $1.5 billion of research funding that needs to be awarded in the next two years. Currently, there are two ways for investigators to obtain ARPA-H funding:

1. Apply through the Open Broad Agency Announcement (Open BAA) by March 14.

2. Respond to one of the posted research programs already launched by ARPA-H.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024; 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (online only)

Rebecca Weintraub Brendel, M.D., J.D.

Director of the Center for Bioethics and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Director of Law and Ethics at the Center for Law, Brain, and Behavior in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Immediate Past-President of the American Psychiatric Association

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.

UTSW Health System’s Celebration of Excellence will take place on April 26 -- an opportunity to showcase the exceptional work happening across our hospitals and clinics every day. Find all the details on the newly designed Celebration of Excellence SharePoint site (UTSW login required), including an entire section on the poster submission process, as well as a list of key dates, information on coaching help, and more.

Those already familiar with the process can also submit their proposal directly through this digital form.

Final poster submissions are due March 4.

Please email [email protected] with any questions.

The Southwestern Academy of Teachers Small Grants Program is now accepting applications. If you are a faculty member or trainee working in collaboration with a UT Southwestern faculty member, you could be eligible for up to $3,500 per project. These grants are intended to fund education research projects related to the teaching priorities of the UT Southwestern schools. In turn, the program promotes educational research conducted by faculty and staff and innovation in the UTSW educational community. The submission deadline is May 1.

Friday, June 7, 2024

This CME-certified program features interactive workshops on the topics of personal, professional, and system efficiency improvement. Register to attend.

The first cohort of students recently completed a novel resilience-building program created from research gathered within the CDRC's Blue Steel Program.

Student athletes from UT Dallas engaged in principles of positive psychology, empowering them with the resilience-building strategies for use throughout their lifetime.

Madhukar Trivedi, M.D., will be presenting an online continuing education program titled "An Integrated Care Approach for Depression Treatment" at the Texas Health Resources Behavioral Health Grand Rounds on Tuesday, March 5, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Additional information and access details are posted in the Events section of the Department's Connections SharePoint site.

This symposium aims to update physicians and researchers specializing in Neurology, Neurological Surgery, Immunology, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry, on new discoveries and novel treatments as it relates to Neuroimmunology of CNS Disorders. The symposium will take place March 27-28, 2024. For more information, view the flyer, and register to attend.

O'Donnell Brain Institute travel grants support OBI-affiliated trainees who are attending national and international conferences and presenting their original research. Trainees are defined as Ph.D. student, postdoctoral scientist, resident, or clinical fellow. OBI will award up to ten travel grants per fiscal year of up to $2,500 each for travel costs. See full details.