|
Dear Colleagues,
It's been two weeks since I started in my role as your new Chair. I had the opportunity to meet many of you at the retreat and share with you how I value courage, compassion, and collaboration in planning and decision making. I also had the chance to meet several of you individually and hear about the strengths of our department and the unlocked potential; a lot of it is highlighted in this month's newsletter.
As we continue to be committed to high-quality patient care as top priority, innovations in new models of care that are team based and scalable are welcome to better serve the patients of today.
We are a highly reputable department in training our future colleagues. Ideas to further scale up our education standards to new areas of expertise and in collaboration with other disciplines are needed to serve our local and remote communities.
Our strengths in the basic sciences of mental health are evident and need to continue to grow to serve the patients of tomorrow. Opportunities to launch translational projects are within reach, given how embedded basic research could be into our clinical activities. We are also primed to launch new lines of clinical intervention research, especially in the field of neuromodulation and interventional psychiatry and all through health services interventions research, in particular within the context of the upcoming Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern.
I invite you to share any bold out-of-the-box ideas along any of the lines above. Ideas that converge and integrate more than one of the above areas are also highly welcome.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out -- I look forward to hearing from you!
Cheers,
Tarek K. Rajji
| |
Newsletter Feedback Requested | |
As we come to the close of 2024, the Chair and Communications team would appreciate your feedback for consideration in freshening our newsletter approach. | |
|
In This Issue
Children's Health Pediatric Campus Groundbreaking Ceremony -- Welcome New Faculty and Staff -- Did You Know? Psychiatry Members in the Media -- Faculty Retreat Recap -- Awards and Accomplishments -- Fall Fun -- Upcoming Events -- OBI News
| |
|
October 1 marked an important milestone in the 60-plus-year partnership between UT Southwestern and Children's Health as they broke ground on the new pediatric campus in Dallas.
This year, U.S. News & World Report's Best Children's Hospital ranking has expanded to include Pediatric and Adolescent Behavioral Health as a specialty. Please join in congratulating our colleagues in the UT Southwestern Pediatric Group – faculty, advanced practice providers, staff, and trainees – for being ranked a Top 50 Behavioral Health program!
| |
Welcome New Faculty and Staff! | |
|
Faculty
-
Benjamin Kum, D.O., Assistant Professor, Parkland Addiction Medicine
Staff
- Ricardo Aguilar, Psychometrist I, Neuropsychology Clinic
- Sandra Briseno, Research Tech II, Psychiatry Neuroscience
- Amanda Burrillo, Ambulatory RN, Psychiatry Multispecialty Clinics
- Nadiya Rojas, Ambulatory RN, Psychiatry Multispecialty Clinics
| |
|
|
We have many opportunities!
| | | |
|
UT Southwestern has partnered with Headspace to enhance and expand services previously offered by our internal Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Headspace provides confidential mental health care to you and your dependents, as well as access to one-on-one coaching support, hundreds of mindfulness exercises, and video-based therapy and psychiatry services. Download the Headspace app and get started today!
| |
Psychiatry Members in the Media | |
Thank you to all who joined us for the 2024 Psychiatry Faculty Retreat! It was a joy to gather and connect in-person. We are grateful for all presenters and panelists who participated and shared their expertise and excitement for what is to come! | |
|
Awards and Accomplishments | |
The UT Southwestern Multispecialty Psychiatry Clinic serving adult patients with autism has joined the Autism Care Network (ACNet), a learning health network sponsored by Autism Speaks and comprising some of the top academic medical institutions/autism centers in North America. ACNet's purpose is to advance care via quality improvement, clinical research, reducing health disparities, improving training, and sharing resources. This collaboration between UT Southwestern and ACNet will offer new opportunities for our patients, faculty, and staff. | | |
|
D Magazine revealed its annual list of top doctors, and several from our department are among the honorees. Candidates are nominated by other licensed, board-certified physicians and then vetted by an anonymous panel of doctors. Congratulations! | |
Sadhana Sruveera Sathi, M.D., M.S., a 2nd-year resident, graduated from the UT Southwestern Housestaff Emerging Academy of Leaders Program. | |
| |
|
Parsa Ravanfar, M.D., Ph.D., a 3rd-year resident, was received an American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Education Outreach Program Award. | |
|
Amor Correa, Ph.D., has been selected as a member of the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology Job Task Analysis Force.
Additionally, Dr. Correa has been voted to serve as Co-Chair of the American Psychology-Law Society programming at the American Psychological Association convention 2025-2027.
| |
| |
|
Veronica Bordes Edgar, Ph.D., ABPP, was awarded the 2024 Mentorship in Cultural Neuropsychology Award from the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society. | |
Carol North, M.D., presented Psychological First Aid for the ICU Clinician and Trauma Psychiatry for the ICU Clinician at the annual Chest conference in Boston. | |
| |
|
Betsy Kennard, Psy.D., participated on a panel of mental health experts and school officials in a roundtable discussion about bullying in Richardson with U.S. Senator John Cornyn. | |
|
Student Wellness and Counseling held its 6th Annual Acknowledging Our Humanity event, where faculty, residents, and students gather to share and promote an environment encouraging help-seeking and support, aligned with National Physician Suicide Prevention Day, World Suicide Day, and Suicide Prevention Month in September.
| | |
|
Psychiatry residents gathered to represent the department at the American Psychiatric Association 2024 Mental Health Services Conference in Baltimore. | | |
|
The CDRC hosted its quarterly Learning Health Network for Stimulant Use Disorders. The LHN aims to improve the care, interventions, and outcomes of individuals with stimulant use disorders led by Manish Jha, M.D., and the Clinical Trials team. This event highlighted a new study in development, Empowering Perinatal Adolescents through Writing (EMPWR), led by Nabila Haque, M.D. Ph.D., a third-year research track resident. | |
Jane Foster, Ph.D., presented Living in the Gap and Thinking Outside of the Box at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology meeting in Italy. | |
| |
|
Rabia Ayvaci, M.D. presented Understanding Youth Depression: Challenges and Treatment Strategies at the Jackson County Community Health Action Team 2024 Wellness Symposium. | |
Fall Fun in the Department | |
|
The Neuropsychology Clinic participated in a pumpkin decorating contest, where they were able to showcase their creativity and Halloween spirit! View the photos.
- 1st place: The house from the movie UP (pictured) by Lis Martinez
- 2nd place: Zombpkin by Shweta Chilka
- 3rd place: Portrait of Louis by Julie Estabrook
| |
|
Neurological Surgery Seminar Series | |
|
Tuesday, October 29, 2024; 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. (in-person and online)
NM3.930
Ethical Issues in Intraoperative Neuroscience Research: Assessing Subjects - Recall of Informed Consent and Motivations for Participation
Anna Wexler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
View the announcement for more details.
| |
Psychiatry Neuroscience Symposium | |
|
Wednesday, October 30, 2024; 8:45 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.
NG3.112
From Genes to Mind
The Symposium will highlight exciting research from the Psychiatry Neuroscience Research Division, where the aim is to understand the genetic and neural circuit mechanisms underlying psychiatric conditions.
Register to attend.
| |
|
Wednesday, November 6, 2024, 12:00 p.m., Zoom
Check your calendar for the Zoom link. Email topic ideas for presentation/discussion or any questions to be addressed or complete the Form.
| |
|
Tuesday, November 12, 2024; 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (virtual only)
When "Why" Matters: Reasons in Pediatric Decision-Making
Erica K. Salter, Ph.D.
Chair of the Department of Health Care Ethics at the Center for Health Care Ethics and Associate Professor of Health Care Ethics and Pediatrics at Saint Louis University
While there is no fee to attend, participants must 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.
| |
Promotion and Tenure Symposium | |
|
Monday, January 13, 2025; 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
All faculty are invited to join the P&T Committee for the Demystifying the Promotion & Tenure Process Symposium to understand the academic advancement timeline and criteria for each distinct academic rank and track.
Register for the symposium.
| |
Inspiring Careers in Mental Health | |
McKnight Foundation Grant | |
The McKnight Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award seeks proposals that address the biological mechanisms of neurological and psychiatric disorders and provide mechanistic insights into neurological functions at the synaptic, cellular, molecular, genetic or behavioral level across different species. Up to 4 grants will be awarded with each providing $100,000 per year for 3 years. | |
Klingenstein Philanthropies Grants | |
The Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation awards fellowship grants to post-doctoral or junior faculty candidates who are investigating the causes, prevention, and treatment of adolescents with ADHD or depression, especially those from low-income families and under-resourced communities, or other minoritized populations. Awards are $50,000 per year for two years. | |  |
The Transformation of Mental Health Care Program awards funding to academic investigators conducting research to demonstrate the benefits of novel ways to access or deliver mental health care or prevention approaches that can be implemented at scale. The foundation expects to award up to two grants – each in the amount of $100,000 per year for two years. | | |
You are receiving this newsletter at your request or as a member or affiliate of UTSW Psychiatry. The newsletter is typically sent the third Wednesday of the month. If you would like to submit an item, the deadline is the second Wednesday of the month. Please email psychiatry.communications@utsouthwestern.edu. | | | | |
