URMC Psychiatry News (January 2021): New Initiatives for Brain Health, Suicide Prevention, Promotion Announcements, and More

Psychiatry Celebrates Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, our Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Culture and Equity (DICE) coordinated a weeklong celebration with civil rights musical moments from faculty and staff, daily highlights of influential Black Americans, and reflection exercises.

Myra Mathis, MD, Rev. John Walker, PhD, and Rev. James Evans, PhD began the week with a special Grand Rounds discussing the intersections between the Civil Rights Movement, the faith community, and mental health.

In addition, a playlist of civil rights music performed by staff and faculty is now on Youtube! Check out some of the musical moments below.

URMC to Launch New Brain Aging Research Center
We're excited to announce the launch of the Network for Emotional Well-Being (NEW) and Brain Aging Center in collaboration with University of Rochester School of Nursing, the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, the UR Aging Institute and researchers at Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and UC Santa Cruz. Several faculty members of Psychiatry are involved in this project including Feng Vankee Lin, PhD, RN, principal investigator on this grant, Yeates Conwell, MD, lead investigator, and Benjamin Chapman, PhD, MPH co-investigator. The NEW Brain Aging Research Center will be at the forefront of research studying the relationship between emotional well-being and dementia-related diseases. READ MORE>>>

New Military Suicide Prevention Program Expands into Air Force Bases
Peter Wyman, PhD and colleagues have been funded by the Department of Defense for 15 months to prepare their Wingman-Connect Program (W-C)– a universal prevention program targeting suicidal behavior and depression–for expansion into operational Air Force bases.

W-C builds cohesion, shared purpose, and adaptive coping through a six-hour group training. A recently completed cluster randomized controlled trial with 1,485 Airmen in 215 technical training classes found W-C reduced suicidal ideation, depression symptoms, and occupational fitness problems for Airmen during training (1-month follow-up); reduced depression extended into 1st base assignment. READ MORE>>>

April Aycock Named Office of Mental Health Director for Monroe County
This past August, April Aycock, Ed.D, MS, LMHC, CASAC achieved the educational milestone of completing her doctoral degree in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College. Dr. Aycock has now decided to take the next big step in her career and accepted the position of Office of Mental Health Director for Monroe County. Although we are saddened she has been recruited away from Strong Recovery and the Department of Psychiatry, we are extremely proud to have one of our own fulfill this vital role in our field for the entire county.

April has 13½ years of experience in various mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment settings. Her experience across the behavioral health spectrum will be of great benefit to our field and the community.

Her last day with us will be February 19th. After that date, Julie Achtyl, MS will manage interim coverage for AYA clinic. READ MORE>>>

Vanessa Mace Named Operations Manager for Employer Based Services
We are excited to share that Vanessa Mace has accepted the role of Operations Manager for Employer Based Services which includes Behavioral Health Partners and the UR Medicine Employee Assistance Program. In her new role as the Operations Manager for Employee Based Services, Vanessa will be responsible for overseeing program operations, fiscal management and for strategic planning and program development.

Speaking on her years with Employer Based Services, Ann Cornell, PsyD, Director of Employer Based Services says, "[Vanessa] has proved herself to be sharp-witted, highly motivated, incredibly organized, and very easy to work with."

Please join us in congratulating Vanessa on the well-deserved promotion!

Andrew Mietz Joins Role of Medical Director of the CAPHS
Please join us in welcoming Andrew Mietz, MD to the role of Medical Director of the Child and Adolescent Partial Hospital Service. Dr. Mietz brings his extensive knowledge and skills to this role to help lead the program through the pandemic and the expansion of services to increase the size of the program by 50%, and has already been doing a fantastic job.

Congratulations to Emily Clark and Tom Jacob on Passing the ABPN Geriatric Psychiatry Board exam!
We are proud to share that Emily Clark, DO and Tom Jacob, DO, both Senior Instructors in the Division of Geriatric Mental Health and Memory Care, are now board certified Psychiatrists! Both recently passed the ABPN Geriatric Psychiatry Board exam which is offered once every two years. Please join us in congratulating them on this achievement.

HOPE Seeking Adults Age 60 or Older to Participate in Research Study
The Helping Older People Engage (HOPE) Project is recruiting adults age 60 or older to participate in a study about isolation and social connections. It will evaluate participation in a life review program and volunteering as possible ways to improve well-being and social connections. For more information, call 585-273-1811 or email HOPE@urmc.rochester.edu.

Mental Health and Resilience in Times of Resistance

Kathryn Castle, PhD, Myra Matthis, MD, and Telva Olivares, MD, our co-workers here in the Department of Psychiatry, were among the panelists at this special event held by the University of Rochester. Alongside Dr.s Jeffrey Gardere and Rafael Outland of Touro University California and SUNY Brockport respectively, they discussed the public health impact of COVID-19 accentuating longstanding systemic racism on communities of color.

Coping through COVID-19 Health and Wellness Conference Recordings
The Women's Initiative Supporting Health - Transitions Clinic (WISH-TC), in partnership with Exercise Express LLC, hosted a virtual conference in January featuring local experts on a variety of topics related to staying healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recordings of the conference are now online on the Exercise Express Facebook page.

Psychiatry Employees Contribute to Rochester Human Rights Initiative

Several of our faculty and staff have contributed to the Rochester Human Rights Initiative (RHRI), a medical student run clinic for asylum seekers. Check out this latest graphic from RHRI highlighting some of the efforts the team had accomplished in 2020!

January Psychiatry Publications

Robert Weisman, DO, Gretchen Foley, URMC and Joseph Richard Ciccone, MD published a book chapter in The Wiley International Handbook on Psychopathic Disorders and the Law, 2nd Edition discussing competence to stand trial and psychopathic disorders.
This study from several members of Psychiatry examined the effects of a brief version of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. Decreases in both insomnia and co-occurring depression were observed over the first two sessions.
Adam Simning, MD, PhD and Yeates Conwell, PhD were coauthors on this paper published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society looking at care-partner support and its effects on hospitalization in individuals in assisted living.
Todd Bishop, PhD, Hugh Crean, PhD, Jennifer Funderburk, PhD and Wilfred Pigeon, PhD published this article examining the effects of a brief, four-session version of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia.
Wilfred Pigeon, PhD was a coauthor on a Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice article looking at relationships between atopic dermatitis and sleep disorders, methods for assessment and therapies.
Erinn Duprey, PhD led a study in Child Abuse and Neglect examining the relationship between child maltreatment, recent stressful life events, and suicide ideation through a stress sensitivity hypothesis.
Thomas Gift, MD led a study in Journal of Psychiatric Research on the psychometrics, clinical utility and implications of the Wender Utah Rating Scale for ADHD.
Jennifer Funderburk, PhD and Wilfred Pigeon, PhD published a paper in the Journal of Affective Disorders examining the effectiveness of a brief version of behavioral activation designed for primary care at reducing symptoms of depression in veterans. BA-PC was associated with reduced depressive symptoms and improved mental health and quality of life.
Mark Nickels, MD was a coauthor on this study with colleagues from the University of Rochester Medical Center Departments of Internal Medicine & Cardiology as well as Eastman School of Music on the potential of musical improvisation to decrease negative thoughts and distress of labile hypertension.
Thomas O'Connor, PhD was a coauthor on this paper examining the association between breastfeeding and children’s neurodevelopment while accounting for the effects of prenatal depression.
Elizabeth Karras, PhD led a study examining factors that contribute to failed suicide prevention messaging among veterans. During interviews with veterans, participants identified barriers to effective suicide prevention messaging such as language, images, and communication strategies.
Wilfred Pigeon, PhD was a coauthor on this study examining the association between sleep disturbances and radiation therapy induced pain in breast cancer patients. Results showed that patients who experienced sleep disturbances before radiation treatment experienced more pain after radiation treatment.
Elizabeth Karras, PhD was a coauthor on this paper evaluating veterans’ opinions about discussing firearms storage safety (FSS) during primary care visits. Participants in this study supported the discussion of FSS during primary care visits but advised primary care staff to provide rationale for FSS discussions.

Upcoming Events

Feb. 5: The History of Racism in Psychiatry
Feb. 5: Pandemics and Epidemics: Updates on Sexually Transmitted Infections in 2021
Feb. 9: Virtual Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
Feb. 12: Building Trust: Environmental Services Employees and Patient Care
Feb. 25: Virtual Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
Feb. 26: The Conversation Continues: The Intersections Between the Civil Rights Movement, the Faith Community and Mental Health