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This month, Carol Tamminga, M.D., completes a remarkable 16-year term as Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern. This is a time to pause and reflect in gratitude on her tenure.
Under Dr. Tamminga’s leadership, Psychiatry’s clinical services and education programs surged, with initiatives that leveraged state funds, philanthropy, and generation of clinical revenue to create initiatives that responded to the profound mental health workforce needs in Texas. Our strengths in molecular, translational, and clinical research flourished and expanded as Dr. Tamminga guided our department through the creation of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. With her leadership, we collectively rose to the challenges of the COVID pandemic, rapidly transitioning to telehealth and building new bridges to support our colleagues in medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics, and neurology. And finally, after years of our chair’s quiet yet persistent advocacy, we designed, broke ground, and will soon launch a state psychiatric hospital that will transform the mental health landscape of North Texas. So, what are the secrets to Dr. Tamminga’s incredible success as a chair? There are several.
First, I believe Dr. Tamminga would approve of the emphasis of the words we and our in the preceding paragraph. It is a great challenge to get Dr. Tamminga to take credit for any of our accomplishments – I know, I have tried! Yet her response is always to redirect the attention and shine the spotlight on others. She is an exemplar of a chair who sees her role as “multiplier” of the talents and capacities of staff, faculty, and trainees. Although her accomplishments include election to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, she has focused her service as chair in fostering the careers of others and building a community that feels empowered in their aspirations.
Second, Dr. Tamminga is a scientist to her core. In her research, she has advanced creative ideas about the nature of schizophrenia, and she has been even bolder in her determination to pivot and follow the evidence wherever it may lead. When her studies on brain biomarkers and intermediate phenotypes did not align with traditional diagnoses, Dr. Tamminga let the data speak for itself and drive the creation of radical new biotypes of psychosis. She has brought this same approach to the challenges of our department – listening to the problems and proposed solutions with flexibility and openness, never boxed in by the constraints of how we have done it before, and always expecting us to be grounded in accountability to the data.
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The final element of Dr. Tamminga’s success is the breadth of her vision of psychiatry. She has been a thought leader in embracing the complexity of mental illness and passionate in her commitment to making a difference in the lives of people with serious mental illness. Her work has helped redefine the neuroscience of psychosis, but Dr. Tamminga is equally invested in our field addressing the social determinants of mental health. Her research will help guide targets of deep brain stimulation, yet Dr. Tamminga has been an equally strong voice for the centrality of psychotherapy in mental health care. When it comes to the multifactorial causes of mental illness and the multiple levels of possible intervention, Dr. Tamminga has consistently taken the position “Yes, and…” This vision of psychiatry has created a department whose culture is truly inclusive of every possible approach to investigating and healing psychiatric illness.
Thank you, Dr. Tamminga!
--Adam Brenner, M.D.
View the September 12 Celebration Photo Album
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In This Issue
Spotlight on Promoted Faculty -- Welcome New Faculty -- Psychiatry Members in the Media -- Awards and Accomplishments -- Upcoming Events -- OBI News
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Spotlight on... Faculty Promotions | |
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Shawn McClintock, Ph.D., M.S.C.S., holds the Lydia Bryant Test Distinguished Professorship in Psychiatric Research and is the inaugural Scientific Director of the Perot Neuroscience Translational Research Center in the O’Donnell Brain Institute and Director of Research Training for the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program. He researches the neurocognitive effects of mood disorders and neuromodulation interventions, and the book Neuropsychology of Depression reflects his work.
Graduate School: UT Southwestern Medical Center
Fellowship: UT Southwestern Medical Center and Columbia University
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Veronica Bordes Edgar, Ph.D., ABPP, is a bilingual board-certified neuropsychologist with expertise in cultural and bilingual issues in assessment, genetic and neurodevelopmental disorders, and interdisciplinary teaching of medical and psychology trainees. Her research focuses on gene therapy outcomes for rare neurodegenerative diseases in children, bilingual impacts on neurocognitive function and cultural neuropsychology.
Graduate School: Arizona State University
Fellowship: University of Minnesota Medical School
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Alison Wilkinson-Smith, Ph.D., is a pediatric neuropsychologist specializing in the assessment of children with complex psychiatric and medical conditions. She co-directs the Multidisciplinary Pediatric Functional Neurological Disorders Clinic.
Graduate School: University of Texas at Austin
Fellowship: University of Minnesota Medical School
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Corrine Anton, Ph.D., is a board-certified behavioral and cognitive psychologist specializing in cardiac neurodevelopmental outcomes. She is the Director of the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program for the Heart Center at Children's Health.
Graduate School: University of Arkansas
Fellowship: Children's Medical Center
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Adriane dela Cruz, M.D., Ph.D., is the associate program director for the residency program and course director for the 2nd-year medical student course Brain and Behavior. She has been recognized locally and nationally for her abilities as a teacher and in curriculum development. Her clinical work focuses on delivering outstanding care to patients with addictions.
Medical School: University of Texas Medical Branch
Residency: UT Southwestern
Fellowship: UT Southwestern
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Laura Kuper, Ph.D., is a board-certified child and adolescent psychologist specializing in the care of transgender and diverse youth and their families. Dr. Kuper leads one of the largest and longest running studies examining the health and development of transgender youth accessing medical care, which was recently funded by the NIH.
Graduate School: University of Illinois at Chicago
Fellowship: Children’s Medical Center
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Christian LoBue, Ph.D., is a clinical neuropsychologist researching what role traumatic brain injuries may play toward cognitive decline and the underlying biological pathways. He has also focused on understanding whether dysfunctional brain circuitry underlying the problems in neurodegenerative disorders can be modulated and improved with noninvasive brain stimulation technologies.
Graduate School: UT Southwestern
Fellowship: UT Southwestern
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Kapila Marambage, M.D., is the Medical Director for Addiction Psychiatry at Parkland and manages the inpatient and outpatient addiction psychiatry services. He is a member of, and addiction psychiatry expert for, the Parkland and UTSW Peer Review Recovery Employee Network Enhancing Wellness committees.
Graduate School: University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Residency: New Jersey Medical School
Fellowship: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
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Clinical Associate Professor | | |
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Marianne Nash, M.D., serves on the Psychiatric Emergency Task Force at Parkland Health and co-chairs the Parkland Psychiatric Peer Review Committee.
Medical School: McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Residency: UT Southwestern
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In our work or education, we may identify software options, digital applications, and artificial intelligence tools that appear to be helpful. It is imperative that each of us complies with all UTSW’s institutional policies and standards designed to protect the integrity of our systems and the privacy of patient, employee, and student data. Software options discovered online are likely not approved for handling UTSW data and only should be used with express prior permission via the Information Systems Acquisition Committee approval process. If you have questions about appropriate software use, please contact the Information Resources service desk at 214-648-7600 or via email.
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Welcome New Faculty and Staff! | |
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Faculty
- Kathy Niu, M.D., Assistant Professor, Combined Neurology-Psychiatry Residency Training Program Director
Staff
- Bradley Cleaver, Administrative Associate, Chairman's Suite
- Christopher Gossett, Advanced Practice Provider, Psychiatry Multispecialty Clinic
- Paola Sparagana, Clinical Research Assistant II, Brown Lab
- Reagan Volzer, Clinical Research Coordinator I, Brown Lab
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We have many opportunities!
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Psychiatry Members in the Media | |
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Laura Lacritz, Ph.D., and psychology doctoral student Alyssa Kaser (pictured above), were featured in the Center Times Plus article Using Science to Slow the Aging Spiral, which highlights their 3-year partnership on dementia research.
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Eric Shellhorn, M.S.N., APRN, PMH-NP, was featured in UTSW Insider's new social media video series where members of the community share mental health hacks. Eric shared his expertise on boundaries, sleep, gratitude, and grace. Watch the video.
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Adam Brenner, M.D., was interviewed for The Scholarly Kitchen series Mental Health Awareness Mondays to offer his thoughts on the current landscape of scholarly publishing and how it impacts discussions and actions around mental health. Read the interview: Part One and Part Two.
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Awards and Accomplishments | | |
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Laura Lacritz, Ph.D., has been selected as a 2024 Leaders in Clinical Excellence Award recipient for the Mentoring Award, which celebrates clinicians who demonstrate exceptional commitment and effectiveness as a mentor to health care providers. | |
Nicholas Westers, Psy.D., ABPP, was selected to receive the Mental Health America of Greater Dallas 2024 PRISM Child Advocate Award. This award recognizes outstanding dedication and service to the mental health needs of children. | |
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Kristin Wilmoth, Ph.D., was awarded the Junior Investigator Research Grant from the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium. The grant will support her study of intervention implementation strategies for dementia caregiver burden. | |
Folasade Lapite, M.D., a first-year resident in the Triple Board Program, was selected to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Educational Outreach Program. | |
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Kehinde Obikoya, M.D., was selected by the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law as the winner of the 2024 Best Teacher in a Forensic Fellowship Program. | | |
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Donald Egan, M.D., a fourth-year resident in general psychiatry, has been selected as a 2025 Laughlin Fellow of The American College of Psychiatrists. | |
In a recent Simmons Cancer Center virtual Lunch and Learn, Ashley Neduvelil, Ph.D., and doctoral student Ekene Nwosisi shared strategies for navigating the complex emotions and mental health challenges that come with the fear of cancer recurrence. | |
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Association for Academic Psychiatry Annual Meeting | |
Congratulations to Chad Lane, M.D. (pictured left), for receiving the AAP's Early Career Educator Award and Vincent Li, M.D. (pictured right), for receiving the Resident Educator Award in Washington DC. | | |
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Takashi Kitamura, Ph.D., has received a grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for his research on the neural circuit mechanisms for a mirror-induced self-directed behavior. | |
The Blue Steel initiative is returning to campuses for the school year. The program has impacted more than 400 college students, and preliminary data show promise in stress reduction, emotion regulation, and substance use. The team is adding two new campuses: Texas Woman’s University and the State University of New York at Plattsburgh (virtual pilot). | | |
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Carmen Cruz, Psy.D., presented to STEM professors at Texas Woman's University who were selected for the PRIME (Partnerships, Research, Innovation, Mentoring, and Engagement) program, a project funded by the National Science Foundation to improve retention rates for undergraduate STEM students. | |
Dr. Cruz also presented Are We Speaking the Same Language? Addressing Intergenerational Issues in Clinical Training at the American Psychological Association conference. | |
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The CDRC's new resilience-building virtual game Between High School & The Deep Blue Sea: A Teen Resilience Adventure is now available to download in the Apple App Store. Designed for ages 11 to 17, the game provides a novel adventure that empowers teens to navigate life’s complexities, tackling real life issues while helping build resilience. | |
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Thursday, October 3, 2024; 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (virtual only)
This event discusses Dr. John Sadler’s new Oxford University Press book Vice and Psychiatric Diagnosis, which addresses the relationships between wrongful/criminal conduct and mental disorders from clinical, philosophical, and public policy perspectives. Reserve a free online ticket.
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October 4 Retreats Beginning at 11:30am | |
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Reminder for Classified Staff: Please add photos (including office celebrations, personal announcements and achievements, etc.) you would like to include in a celebratory slideshow to be displayed at the retreat to the shared folder or email them to Bradley Cleaver.
The Faculty Retreat will take place 11:30 to 5:00 at T. Boone Pickens Auditorium (NG3.112).
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Tuesday, October 8, 2024; 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (virtual only)
The Ethical Potential of the Corpse
Cody J. Sanders, Ph.D., M.Div.
Associate Professor of Congregational and Community Care Leadership Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota
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.
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2025 TARCC Abstract Submissions for Symposium | |
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Submit your abstract to present at the 2025 TARCC Symposium!
Applications are due on Friday, October 11, 2024, by midnight CST.
Submit your application
The TARCC Symposium will take place on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
Register for the Symposium.
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Save the Date: Lectureship in Neuro-Ophthalmology | |
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Friday, October 15, 2024; 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
E6.200
Join keynote speaker Randy Kardon, M.D., Ph.D., for a CME-accredited in-person and virtual conference. Complete the registration form.
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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. | | | | |
