In honor of National Recovery Month in September, staff and faculty at our Strong Recovery clinic coordinated a "wear purple" day in celebration of the recovery journey. 

Courtney Blackwood Joins Psychiatry as Director of Nursing
We are pleased to announce that Courtney Blackwood, MS, RN, NE-BC, has been appointed Director of Nursing for Psychiatry, effective October 19, 2020.  In this role, Blackwood will lead all nursing operations in the Department of Psychiatry for Strong Memorial Hospital for inpatient areas and outpatient areas in the region. She brings ten years of leadership experience to Psychiatry; she took her first assistant nurse manager position in 2011, in the Adult Cardiothoracic, Plastic & Burn Surgery Unit and was Senior Nurse Manager of the Adult Medical Hematology/Oncology Unit at Wilmot Cancer Center since 2017. Please join us in welcoming and congratulating Courtney Blackwood in her new role as Director of Nursing for Psychiatry! READ MORE>>>

A special thank you to Keri Cockman for acting as Interim Director of Nursing for Psychiatry while we filled this position.

Hochang Ben Lee Named Psychosomatics Editor-in-Chief
Hochang Ben Lee, MD has been appointed by The Academy of Consultation-Liason Psychiatry as the editor-in-chief for the Academy's Psychosomatics journal. Dr. Lee is assuming the role from Ted Stern, MD, FACLP, the journal’s Editor-in-Chief since 2008.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Lee said, “I am looking forward to the challenges ahead and the opportunity to make new contributions to the Academy and to the future of [consultation-liason] Psychiatry. I feel privileged to follow Ted Stern's long and successful tenure and look forward to building upon the strong foundation laid out by earlier chief editors, Wilfred Dorfman and Thomas Wise." READ MORE>>>

C&A Services Racial Justice Initiatives Group Supports Our Community During times of despair, compassion and empathy are no longer luxuries; they are necessities. This was the exact thought process UR Medicine: Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Outpatient Services’ leadership and staff had in mind when developing a new relationship with one of the longest standing organizations in the Rochester community aimed at the educational advancements of our youth of color. Read more about how they are partnering with the Urban-Suburban Interdistrict Transfer Program to support youth mental health and wellbeing amidst the wake of several racially charged tragedies in the United States. READ MORE>>>

New Journal Focuses on Curbing Violence Against Women in India
Catherine Cerulli, JD, PhD, alongside Catherine Faurot, Assistant Director of the Susan B. Anthony Center, is a co-editor of South Asian Journal of Law, Policy, and Social Research, in the inaugural issue of this new academic journal focusing on gender-based violence in South Asia. The journal was started by Naseer Husain Jafri and Umair Ahmed Andrabi, two of Cerulli's students, in partnership with the Susan B. Anthony Center which Cerulli leads. READ MORE>>> 

Congratulations to Dr. April Aycock on Completing her Doctorate!

The Department of Psychiatry and Strong Recovery would like to recognize our very own April Aycock on completing her Education Doctorate in Executive Leadership (Ed.D.) from St. John Fisher College. It has been a journey of a little over 3 years that culminated with the successful defense of her dissertation on August 26, 2020. The title of her dissertation is "Leaders' Attitudes and Perceptions Toward Workplace Diversity in Healthcare Settings" and included quantitative data from 2 survey instruments: reaction-to- diversity inventory and workplace diversity survey. Dr. Aycock is currently the Clinical Coordinator of our Adolescent/Young Adult (AYA) program and oversees family services throughout all Strong Recovery clinics. We look forward to the great work she will continue to do within addiction services as well as throughout the department.  Please join us in congratulating Dr. April Aycock on this milestone accomplishment!

Viki Katsetos​ Receives Austen Riggs Award
Viki Katsetos, MD, Fellow in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program, was recently chosen for the Austen Riggs Award for Excellence in Psychotherapy. Awarded by the Austen Riggs Center, this award honors psychiatric residents who have shown interest and ability in psychodynamic psychotherapy and/or psychodynamic psychiatry and who show promise as researchers. The award will be presented in an upcoming virtual ceremony recognizing the next generation of integrative biopsychosocial psychiatrists.

Ellen Poleshuck Receives Susan McDaniel Collaborative Care Award
Please join us in congratulating Ellen Poleshuck, PhD on being the 2020 recipient of the Susan McDaniel Collaborative Care Award. This award was created in 2016 to recognize individuals who have demonstrated excellence in promoting the integration of behavioral health and general medical care through clinical work, research or education. READ MORE>>>

National Case Management Week Starts on October 11th
National Case Management Week runs from October 11th to 17th this year! Please join us in recognizing the efforts of our case managers in coordinating care and connecting individuals to services. Join us on Twitter with the hashtag #CMSACMWEEK2020 to thank case managers for all their work throughout the year!

5th Annual Symposium on Behavioral Health Integration​ Begins
"Treatment on Demand and the Ecosystem of Recovery: Helping Patients and Communities Recover from the Opioid Crisis," the 5th Annual Symposium on Behavioral Health Integration held by our Division of Collaborative Care and Wellness, started off strong on October 2nd with a keynote lecture from Seth Himelhoch, MD of the University of Kentucky. This year's symposium will be held virtually throughout the month and will feature lectures every Friday. Be sure to register online for upcoming sessions at the Recovery Center of Excellence's website. READ MORE>>>

DPACC Recruiting BlPOC and Deaf Members to Join Council
As the Department of Psychiatry’s Advisory Council of Consumers (DPACC) gets ready to celebrate their anniversary this month, the council is extending a call out for the recruitment of more Black, Indigenous, and People of Color members as well as Deaf members to assure we have varied voices on the council. To learn more about DPACC and criteria for membership, please visit their website. If you have questions or are looking for an application form, please contact Caroline Nestro.

Marsha Wittink to Present on the Value of Medpsych Units
Marsha Wittink, PhD will be presenting at the 2020 Association of Medicine and Psychiatry Annual Meeting. She will join Ashley Ellison, MD of Tulane University, Roger Kathol, MD of the University of Minnesota, Aubrey Chan, MD, PhD of the University of Iowa Health Care, and Eric Kramer, MPH of John Hopkins University in a virtual panel on the added value medpsych units bring to academic hospitals. READ MORE>>>

Telva Olivares Featured by Latinas Unidas

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Telva Olivares, MD was recently featured on Latinas Unidas' Facebook page in a post highlighting her work in the Lazos Fuertes clinic and mental health advocacy! READ MORE>>>

Symposium Discusses Reflective Practice in Mental Health 
Kenya Malcolm, PhD will join Sarah Fitzgibbons of the Rochester Society for the Protection and Care of Children and Joaniko Kohchi of Adelphi University in presenting an one-day Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Reflective Practice Symposium. Register today to learn about supporting reflective practice in mental health practice. READ MORE>>

Community Conversation Discusses Mental Health Services​ for Youth
Our Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Services will be hosting their next virtual Community Conversation on October 22nd. Panelists will walk through the intake process at an outpatient mental health clinic for children and teens and answer questions about what to expect from therapy. If you missed last month's session on partnering with schools during COVID-19, you can watch the event recording here. READ MORE>>>

Congratulations to Steve Fasone on 20 Years of Service

Congratulations to Steve Fasone, Technical Director of Observational Research and Behavioral Information Technology (ORBIT) and Co-Director of The Laboratory for Behavioral Health Skills, for reaching 20 years of service with UR Medicine Mental Health and Wellness! Steve is the one person tech team that keeps our clinical, educational and research programs running. In addition, Steve works behind-the-scenes to keep our virtual events running smoothly. Thank you for all your years of service!

Bridging the Gap​ Webinar Now Online
Miss last month's webinar on telemedicine as a path to primary care pharmacotherapy in opioid use disorder from the UR Medicine: Recovery Center of Excellence? The recorded session is now online!  

A Conversation About Silver Linings Playbook and Mental Health
George Nasra, MD joined Sabrina May and Nia Jones of East House, Kristina Mossgraber of NAMI Rochester, and Adam Lubitow of CITY News in a conversation about the award-winning film, Silver Linings Playbook, and how it relates to mental health, stigma, and their lived experiences. READ MORE>>>

Providing Support for People Affected by Systemic Racism
A recent Behavioral Health Partners (BHP) blog authored by Melissa Nunes-Harwitt, LMSW discusses on how systemic racism contributes to alterations in the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, and how clinicians can support BIPOC in addressing their mental health. READ MORE>>>

Psychiatry in the News

• April Aycock, EdD joined several panelists to speak on racial disparities in Rochester in a WXXI News Live Forum. 

• Eric Caine, MD joined Kristina Mossgraber of NAMI Rochester, NY and Scott Fybush of WXXI News on an episode of Connections with Evan Dawson to discuss depression and the stigma associated with mental illness.

• Ann Marie White, EdD spoke on Connections with Evan Dawson on the partnership between the Children’s Institute and ROC the Future as well as how parents and teachers can help children navigate this unprecedented time.

• WHEC covered September's Community Conversation webinar, "Partnering with Schools During Covid-19," in an article. 

• Katie Rice, PhD joined Carol Fries Simpson, MD of the Department of Pediatrics, Hematology and Oncology in a Thriving Forward podcast in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Sickle Cell Awareness Month.

September Psychiatry Publications 

• Michelle Carr, PhD was a guest editor for a special issue of Consciousness and Cognition focused on dream engineering. Check out the editorial written by Carr in collaboration with Adam Haar Horowitz, Judith Amores, and Pattie Maes of the MIT Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology introducing this special issue! 
• Autumn Gallegos, PhD led a study on the effects of mindfulness training on PTSD symptoms among survivors of intimate partner violence. Catherine Cerulli, JD, PhD and Wilfred Pigeon, PhD were also co-authors on this publication.
• Michelle Carr, PhD published a paper in the Journal of Sleep Research on the relationship between sensory processing sensitivity, mental wellbeing, and the frequency of nightmares. 
• Michael Privitera, MD published a paper in Health discussing organizational interventions to reduce stress and clinician burnout in the healthcare setting.
• Michelle Carr, PhD led a study in Frontiers in Neuroscience looking at the relationship between frontal brain activity and subjective arousal while looking at negative images with nightmares. 

Upcoming Events

• Oct. 9: Policy/Public Implications of Substance Use Disorders
• Oct. 9: Addictions in Adolescents
• Oct. 16: Substance Use Disorder Treatment in Primary Care
• Oct. 16: Incarceration Weakens a Community’s Immune System
• Oct. 16: Synthetic Opioids, Other Substances, and Stimulants
• Oct. 22: What to Expect when Looking for and Getting Behavioral Health Services for Children and Teens
• Oct. 23: Supporting MAT in Primary Care and Emergency Room Settings
• Oct. 23: Peer Advocates in the Rural Opioid and SUD Recovery Movement
• Dec. 3: What you Need to Know about Deciding If and When To Use Medication for Behavioral Health Challenges in Youth