As the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines continue to roll out across the nation, we are proud and excited to see our employees take part in this historical moment by signing up to get vaccinated! During the New Year's weekend, a number of our all-star nurses even joined Kathy Parinello, PhD, Chief Operating Officer of UR Medicine, to help administer the vaccines. Cheers to everyone involved with this effort to keep our patients and community safe! 

Resources for Assessing Catatonia

Catatonia can be challenging to assess for a variety of reasons, but perhaps the most pressing reason of all is that comprehensive educational materials on catatonia assessment simply have not existed. Our Collaborative Care and Wellness Division recently partnered with Andrew Francis, PhD, MD, senior author of the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS), to create free online training resources for trainees and psychiatrists on using the BFCRS to assess for catatonia. READ MORE>>>

Welcome 2021 Class of Fellows and Recruits!
We would like to extend a warm welcome to our incoming 2021 class of Fellows in Psychiatry! 

• Virginia Ramos, MD will be joining our General Psychiatry Residency.as a fellow in 2021. 
• Lisa O'Connor, MD from State University of New York Upstate Medical University and Jeffrey Tisch, DO from Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Medicine will join as new recruits in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training Program
• Last but not least, Tawnya Pancharovski, MD of the New York Medical College at Metropolitan Hospital Center will be joining our Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship. 

Thank you to the fellows, faculty, and staff who contributed to this recruitment season! 

Tara Holter Named Psychiatry Residency Associate Program Director
We are excited to share that Tara Holter, MD has been named Associate Program Director of the Department of Psychiatry Residency Program starting July 2021. Dr. Holter works as an attending psychiatrist on the inpatient Child & Adolescent unit, where she supervises residents and fellows. In addition, she has been significantly involved with the residency’s psychotherapy curriculum and helped launch the new Resident Psychotherapy Clinic, where she is the PGY-2 Clinic supervisor. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Holter on her new role! 

Responses in Pediatric Health Care During COVID-19
In April 2020, the United Nations Sustainable Development Group announced, “Children are not the face of this pandemic. But they risk being among its biggest victims." 

Pediatric Behavioral Health & Wellness was recently featured in a Pediatric Nursing Journal article discussing what children's hospitals around the US are doing to support youth mental health during the pandemic. READ MORE>>>

Not a Moment But a Movement Call for Art Deadline Extended
The deadline for our call for art, Youth for Racial Justice: Not A Moment But A Movement, has been extended to January 29, 2021. This exhibition is a collaboration between the Bridge Art Gallery and Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Outpatient Services' Racial Justice Group. In addition, paper supplies are available in limited quantities for interested artists at Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness locations. Submissions can be dropped off to the Bridge Art Gallery by scheduling a drop off time via email, or in person at 200 East River Road on the 3rd floor reception desk and 1860 South Ave on the 1st floor. Please share with anyone you think may be interested in participating! READ MORE>>>

Engaging Clients in Recovery During the COVID-19 Pandemic
UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence recently published an article discussing Strong Recovery's transition to virtual group therapy sessions and curbside medication dispensing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE>>>

In addition, Julie Achtyl, MS, Program Director of the Strong Recovery Outpatient Clinic, Charles Brown, Therapist at Strong Recovery, and John Cardinale, Peer Recovery Specialist, discussed the importance of building rapport and how to engage effectively with patients through a video platform. READ MORE>>>

Webinar: Transforming the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems
The TRANSFORM Research Center will be holding a free webinar on January 21st at noon. In this presentation, Susan Vivian Mangold, an author on the groundbreaking 2019 The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth report, will present her findings and describe how adolescent developmental science can be applied to child-serving systems, including the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Mangold will discuss many of the leading issues for youth, families and advocates working to transform the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Register for the event here or to receive the recording of the webinar, complete this form.

URMC Holds Clinical Study on Drinking Patterns During Pandemic
Kenneth Conner, PsyD, MPH spoke with Fox Rochester on a recent clinical trial he is co-leading looking at how alcohol use and treatment options have changed with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE>>>

Virtual Opioid Overdose Prevention Training Sessions Continue in 2021
Opioid Overdose Prevention Trainings are back in 2021, now in an all virtual format! Participants will learn how to administer Narcan to prevent overdose deaths and, upon completion of the training, receive a free Narcan kit. Trainings will take place on every second Wednesday at 5 PM as well as the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 1 PM. To register for the Wednesday sessions, sign up online here. To register for the Tuesday sessions, please email Teresa Fox.

A Simple Technique to Combat Anxiety

Melissa Nunes-Hartwitt, LMSW recently shared a simple technique to ease your racing mind and provide relief for moments when anxiety feels overwhelming.. 

December Psychiatry Publications 

• Steve Silverstein, PhD was a coauthor on this paper in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease investigating the effect of reinforcement learning on attention shaping in people with schizophrenia.

• Anton Porsteinsson, MD was a coauthor on a paper published in the American Journal for Geriatric Psychiatry examining the neurobiologic mechanisms for treating apathy in Alzheimer's disease with Methylphenidate.

• Elizabeth Karras, PhD was a coauthor on a paper published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence looking at mortality risk in veterans that have experienced a prior nonfatal opioid overdose.

• Anton Porsteinsson, MD was a coauthor on this study published in the American Journal for Geriatric Psychiatry comparing two instruments used to measure the diagnostic criteria for apathy in Alzheimer's Disease.

• Steve Silverstein, PhD was a coauthor on a paper published in Clinical Ophthalmology discussing unmet mental health needs and treatment options for individuals with vision loss.  

Upcoming Events

• Jan. 12: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• Jan. 13: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• Jan. 21: Using Adolescent Developmental Science to Transform the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems
• Jan. 23: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• Jan. 29: Youth for Racial Justice: Not A Moment But A Movement ​​Deadline