Note: Our previous version incorrectly listed the date for the SUMMIT Unit Grand Opening as June 16th. The date has since been corrected below. 

In June, we were excited to celebrate our graduates and their families in our hybrid virtual and in-person Psychiatry Residency and Fellowship Graduation Ceremony.

Tziporah Rosenberg, PhD, Director for Training and Education, says, "The evening was such a breath of fresh air for those of us who have longed for connecting and the “normal” highlights of our year, with end-of-year and graduation events being a true highlight. The program was chock full of rich stories about our graduates, their growth and evolution over the course of their time with us, and the promise of what’s next for each of them. . . . I can say with confidence that it was an evening replete with funny stories, touching reflections of appreciation, and heartwarming goodbyes."

The ceremony also celebrated our faculty and education team who were selected by the graduates themselves along with our educational leadership. Click the above image for a full recording of the ceremony! 

Additionally, we said goodbye to our graduates in our Psychology Training Program during a year-end picnic and celebration dinner. The dinner also included a welcome for new trainees in the program as well as the traditional Key Day Awards Ceremony. 

Photo credit: Wendi Cross, PhD

Congratulations to all our graduates! We're excited to see your next steps in your journey as healthcare professionals!

9th Annual Summer Brown Bag Series Discusses Antiracist Clinical Care
We are excited to once again be holding our annual Summer Brown Bag Series throughout the months of July and August! This year's series of virtual talks will focus on anti-racist clinical care and will feature speakers every Wednesday between noon and 1 PM. On July 21st and August 11th, there will be small group discussions dedicated to further work on the topics discussed in the previous weeks. This year's series is cosponsored by Departments of Neurology, Pediatrics, Medicine and the Wilmot Cancer Institute. READ MORE>>>

Substance Use: Meeting the Challenges for Youth and Family
Our Strong Recovery clinic invites you to a Community Conversation with providers from the Strong Recovery Adolescent and Young Adult Program and community representatives regarding substance use in youth. The event will take place on July 28th at noon, and there will be a question and answer section. READ MORE>>>

Webinar on Substance Use Disorders in Rural Emergency Departments
Join the UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence on August 10th at 11:00 AM for a discussion focused on the behavioral health needs in rural emergency departments and how the Behavioral Health Assessment Officer model can be used to increase access to mental health and substance use disorder care in these communities. READ MORE>>>

Prestonsburg Welcomes Art Campaign to Combat Opioid Epidemic

You may remember Charmaine Wheatley as our artist-in-residence a few years back! Charmaine is currently working with our UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence, Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, Mountain Regional Prevention Center, and towns in Floyd County in Kentucky to address stigma associated with the opioid epidemic through art in rural communities. READ MORE>>>

Ian Cero Receives UR CTSI Award to Address Suicide Prevention
Ian Cero, PhD is among the three recipients of an award from UR CTSI: University of Rochester Clinical & Translational Science Institute to support budding researchers. His project aims to adapt Wingman-Connect, a unique suicide prevention program focused on military personnel, to suicide prevention in teens. READ MORE>>>

Student Group, URMC Faculty Mentors Receive Grant to Build Partnership Between Incarcerated Individuals, Allies and Medical Centers
The Health and Incarceration Connection student group at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, an organization dedicated to educate medical students about the health needs of people who are currently or formerly incarcerated, recently received a grant from the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society to build partnerships between incarcerated individuals, allies, and medical centers. Our very own Diane Morse, MD is among the faculty mentors on this project! READ MORE>>>

Mongkae Siripornsawan Named Associate Medical Director for CPEP Education
We're excited to share that Mongkae Siripornsawan, MD will take on a new role in our Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) as the Associate Medical Director for CPEP Education. In this role, she will oversee CPEP education for our trainees as well as serving as the CPEP point person for complex cases involving children/adolescents. READ MORE>>>

Division of Collaborative Care and Wellness Leadership Updates
Our Division of Collaborative Care and Wellness recently announced several changes to leadership, effective July 1st. We are pleased to announce that Ellen Poleshuck, PhD has been named the new Chief of Academic Affairs for the Division of Collaborative Care and Wellness. She takes over this position from Susan McDaniel, PhD who is transitioning to her new position as Chief of Psychology. 

In addition, Donna Kreher, PhD has been named the new Director of the URMC Psychiatry Department Practice. In this role, Dr. Kreher will be helping develop a new service in the Division of Collaborative Care & Wellness. 

Mental Health and Wellness Family Room Reopens at Strong Hospital

After taking a break last year due to the pandemic, we're excited to share that the Mental Health and Wellness Family Room sponsored by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester, NY Inc. has officially reopened on the ground floor of our Strong Memorial Hospital location! On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, families and guardians of pediatric patients can stop by for respite, snacks to go, and laundry services.

Molina on the Move Summer Series
Check out Molina Healthcare's Molina on the Move Summer Series sponsored by our Women's Initiative Supporting Health- Transitions Clinic and Exercise Express Spinning & Fitness Center! Stop by Danforth Community Center in July and August for helpful health information, refreshments and giveaways! READ MORE>>>

Register for the Behavioral Health Integration 6th Annual Symposium
Registration for the University of Rochester Behavioral Health Integration 6th Annual Symposium is now open! Between September 17th and October 8th, speakers will hold virtual talks every Friday on substance use, suicide prevention, and public health. See the full list of talks and register for the free symposium here. 

TRANSFORM Center Provides Resources for Child Maltreatment
Interested in the prevention of child abuse and neglect? Then you may be interested in learning about the TRANSFORM Research Center. TRANSFORM (Translational Research that Adapts New Science FOR Maltreatment) is a national resource center that conducts research, disseminates discoveries, and builds on state-of-the-art research and practices to foster the next generation of interdisciplinary professionals committed to preventing and addressing child abuse and neglect. The Center hosts webinars, has a podcast series, Promoting Resilience, creates educational fact sheets on the science of maltreatment and more! Learn more about TRANSFORM by following them on social media on Facebook  and Twitter. 

Psychiatry in the News

What We Know About Aducanumab
Earlier this month, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the drug aducanumab to treat Alzheimer’s disease – making it the first new drug in nearly 20-years to treat the disease. Anton Porsteinsson, MD, Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Care Research and Education Program, spoke on what this approval means for this disease that afflicts nearly six-million Americans. READ MORE>>>

Discussing the Rise in Alcoholic Liver Disease
A recent NPR report has found a sharp rise in the rates of alcoholic liver disease in women. In this episode of WXXI's Connections with Evan Dawson, Myra Mathis MD joined Marie Laryea, MD of the UR Medicine Department of Medicine and Sean Yantz, certified peer recovery advocate, in discussing the psychological components tied to this increase. READ MORE>>>

URMC Highlights Inclusivity with Pride Event
Megan Lytle-Flint, PhD, clinical director of transgender patient experience, spoke with 13 WHAM ABC as UR Medicine celebrates Pride and inclusivity. READ MORE>>>

June Psychiatry Publications 

• Medicine's hierarchy often deters response to sexual harassment faced by health professionals. Tziporah Rosenberg, PhD and Susan McDaniel, PhD were coauthors on this paper with Department of Family Medicine colleagues on factors influencing the reporting of sexual harassment.

• Steve Silverstein, PhD and Adriann Lai published an article reviewing the neurobiology of visual distortions and visual hallucinations in schizophrenia and discuss the roles that visual pathways, neurotransmitters, disinhibited default mode network activity and enhanced state-related apical/contextual drive play in determining the onset and content of hallucinations.

• Anton Porsteinsson, MD published a paper in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease summarizing the importance of early diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease and providing practical ‘how-to’ guidance and considerations for healthcare providers.

• Computerized cognitive interventions (CCIs) have been increasingly implemented among older adults with mild cognitive impairment. However, attitudes toward technology can impact their effectiveness. Feng Vankee Lin, PhD, Anton Porsteinsson MD, and Benjamin Chapman, PhD, MPH published a paper examining whether a “multi-functional interactive computer system”, which provides pleasurable activities via computer, would improve attitudes toward computers and improve CCI effectiveness. 

• The pandemic, alongside social and political unrest, has greatly increased the risk of physician burnout. In this editorial, Ronald Epstein, MD of the Department of Family Medicine and Michael Privatera, MD discuss what healthcare organizations can do to address burnout.

• Research has found that individuals with chronic childhood-onset physical conditions often experience higher rates of mental illness. For this population, access to behavioral and mental health care within primary care offices is important to improving health outcomes. Kristen Holderle, PhD, Ellen Poleshuck, PhD, and Tziporah Rosenberg, PhD joined Tiffany Pulcino, MD, MPH of the UR Medicine Department of Medicine to discuss the UR Medicine Complex Care Center as a model for integrated behavioral health design. 

• Adam Simning, MD, PhD, Kelsey Simons, PhD, MSW, and Yeates Conwell, MD published a paper alongside Department of Public Health Sciences faculty on the relationship between mental illness, Alzheimer's Disease, and community discharge in skilled nursing facility residents.

• Several members of the Department of Psychiatry are part of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative which recently published a paper in Nature Medicine examining four distinct trajectories of tau deposition in Alzheimer's Disease.

Upcoming Events

• July 12: Exercise Express Memorial Ride in Honor of Kim King
• July 13: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• July 14: Race & Health in the US
• July 14: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• July 20: Molina on the Move Summer Series: Summer Safety
• July 21: DICE Summer Brown Bag Small Group Discussion
• July 22: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• July 28: Substance Use: Meeting the Challenges for Youth and Family
• July 28: Antiracist Clinical Care in Pediatrics
• Aug. 4: Culturally Competent and Anti-Racist Care and Treatment for Black Families
• Aug. 10: Managing Care for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in Rural Emergency Departments