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Celebrating Pride in the Department of Psychiatry
In July, our Strong Recovery team held their Pride Extravaganza featuring local drag performers Valentino Rose, Mrs. Karsha Davis, October Selene, and Taylor Mayde. The event explored the history of drag within societies around the world and the LGBTQIA+ communities as well as personal recovery journeys. Thank you to all those involved in this event including the planning committee as well as the performers!
In addition, employees at our Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Services joined together in a walking team at the 2023 Rochester Pride Parade on July 15th. If you're looking to support the local LGBTQ+ community, please consider a donation to the Greater Rochester LGBTQ+ Mutual Aid Fund!
Training to Work Through Resistance and Encourage Helping Seeking Behavior
The UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence is offering free trainings to provide guidance on evidence-based strategies to work through resistance and to encourage help-seeking behavior. The center will be holding sessions throughout August focusing on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Treatment Seeking. Register here.
HFL- Mendon Kiwanis Club Supports Pediatric Behavioral Health in Christmas in July Event
The Honeoye Falls-Lima, Mendon Kiwanis Club recently held their annual Christmas in July event supporting local nonprofits that operate in the Honeoyte Falls and Lima area. Among these organizations featured was our Pediatric Behavioral Health & Wellness Services which received a donation of $6,650. Thank you to the Kiwanis Club again for their support of youth mental health in our community!
Anthony Pisani Named Chief of Academic Affairs in Adult/ Acute Division
Anthony Pisani, PhD was recently named Chief of Academic Affairs in our Adult and Acute Psychiatry Division. In this role, he will integrate research and education priorities into our Adult/ Acute clinical programs while also promoting recruitment, retention, supervision, mentorship, and career development of faculty in the division. Dr.
Pisani is a leader in national efforts to improve clinician education in suicide prevention and much of his research has focused on supporting clinicians to prevent suicide in high-risk settings
Aileen Aldalur Among Speakers at Annual Future Deaf Scientist Program
Aileen Aldalur, PhD was among the speakers at the 3rd Annual Future Deaf Scientists program, a collaboration between Wilmot Cancer Institute and the Rochester School for the Deaf introducing students to STEM and medical careers. Dr. Aldalur shared her journey of finding the Deaf community as a young adult and how she became passionate for deaf people to have access to mental health care and treatment.
Honors and Accolades
Psychiatry Faculty To Present Endowed Lectureships
Anthony Pisani, PhD was recently selected for the inaugural Robert G. Holloway KL2 Alumni Lectureship in Clinical & Translational Science held by the UR Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI). This lecture features individuals who have made significant contributions to translational science and research. Dr. Pisani will be providing the keynote address at CTSI's Translational Research Day event on November 13 as well as participating in a panel with UR CTSI Career Development Award scholars.
William Watson, PhD has also been selected as the inaugural speaker at the Erba & Pierzynski Endowed Lecture in Functional Neurology held by the Department of Neurology. Dr. Watson will be speaking at this lecture in early 2024.
Michael Scharf Named Mark and Maureen Davitt Distinguished Professor
Michael Scharf, MD, Psychiatrist-in-Chief at Golisano Children's Hospital and Chief of our Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, was recently among those appointed to a named professorship at UR Medicine. He has been jointly appointed as the Mark and Maureen Davitt Distinguished Professor in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. READ MORE>>>
Psychiatry in the News
Radical Prevention
Peter Wyman, PhD, and Arielle Sheftall, PhD were highlighted in Rochester Medicine for their work in suicide prevention in the Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide (CSPS).
Dr. Wyman, alongside Ian Cero, PhD, and Bryan Yates, discussed suicide prevention among the military and the Wingman Connect Program, a program aimed at harnessing the power of social connections to prevent thoughts of suicide before they occur. READ MORE>>>
Dr. Sheftall, alongside Yeates Conwell, MD, Eric Caine, MD, Kimberly van Orden, PhD, Caroline Silva, PhD, Anthony Pisani, PhD, Elizabeth Handley, PhD, Wilfred Pigeon, PhD, Kenneth Connor, PsyD, and Aileen Aldalur, PhD, spoke on CSPS's work in researching the prevention of suicide among youth, middle-aged adults, older adults, the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community and the Spanish-speaking community, among others. The article also highlighted Dr. Sheftall's work in suicide prevention among Black youth as well as a new study testing to see if nerve-stimulating earbuds alongside a peer support app can help reduce risk factors in teens. READ MORE>>>
Black Suicide Rates, Once Among the Nation's Lowest, Have Risen Dramatically Among Youths
Black suicide rates were once among the lowest in the nation. However, rates have grown to a crisis in the past two decades, especially among youth. Arielle Sheftall, PhD was among the experts who spoke with USA TODAY on some of the factors contributing to this rise and the importance of cooperation between medicine, grassroots institutions, community, and faith-based organizations. READ MORE>>>
URMC Researcher Receives $8.3 Million To Study Chronic Pain And The
Brain
Over 20% of U.S. adults experience chronic pain. Paul Geha, MD, associate professor of Psychiatry, has recently been awarded funding from NINDS Brain for Life and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to continue his work in understanding the link between brain structure and pain. READ MORE>>>
Alzheimer's Disease: Testing Sense of Smell May Help Identify Those at Greater Risk
Emily Clark, DO spoke with Medical News Today on how testing a person's sense of smell may help healthcare providers identify those at risk for developing Alzheimer's. READ MORE>>>
Mark Your Calendars
The 11th Annual Brown Bag Summer Series Continues in August
We are halfway through our 11th Annual Brown Bag Summer Series, held in partnership with the Departments of Medicine, Neurology, and Surgery, the School of Nursing, and the URMC Office of Equity and Inclusion. Join us Wednesdays in August for discussions on restorative practices, the lasting impacts of gun violence, and more. READ MORE>>>
How Do You Manage the Monsters (Challenges) in Your Own Life? Art Show
Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Services is seeking artwork from youth artists engaged with our pediatric mental health programs. Artwork should respond to the theme of "How Do You Manage the Monsters (Challenges) in Your Own Life?" and will be shown at OFC Creations between October 27th to 29th as well as in the Bridge Art Gallery afterward. Interested in learning more? Reach out to Caitlyn Camp.
Behavioral Health Integration 7th Annual Symposium
Our Collaborative Care and Wellness Division will be holding its Behavioral Health Integration 7th Annual Symposium, "Behavioral Health as Population Health: Addressing Behavioral and Social Mediators of Wellbeing," on September 29th. Participants will learn about best practices for integrating Behavioral Health into medical care, the holistic and biopsychosocial assessment of neurological disorders as well as the impact of psychological and social factors on diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Click here
to register
July Psychiatry Publications
- Emily Clark, DO and Anton Porsteinsson, MD published an article in
- Wilfred Pigeon, PhD and Todd Bishop, PhD, alongside colleagues from the University of South Florida, Harvard Medical School, and the University of California Irvine, published a study optimizing digital treatment of co-occurring insomnia and depression.
- Brittany Blose, MS, Adriann Lai, PhD, Judy Thompson, PhD, and Steve Silverstein, PhD, alongside Christen Crosta of Rutgers University, published a study that found earlier and faster retinal thinning and macula volume reduction among those with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
- Peter Wyman, PhD, Ian Cero, PhD, Anthony Pisani, PhD, and Karen Schmeelk-Cone, PhD were among the authors of a paper examining the impact of a Sources of Strength intervention, a universal social network-informed intervention, on youth suicide deaths across three trials.
- Michelle Carr, PhD, Rachel Raider, and Wilfred Pigeon, PhD published a pilot alongside Madeline Wary, Sophia Stafford, and Alam Grewal of the University of Rochester finding that having lab-related dreams was associated with better performance on tasks following sleep.
- Autumn Gallegos, PhD, Hugh Crean, PhD, Catherine Cerulli, PhD, Todd Bishop, PhD, Wilfred Pigeon, PhD, and Kathi Heffner, PhD were coauthors on a study examining the effect of nightmares on attrition and symptoms among those receiving CBT-I treatment.
Mark Oldham, MD was a coauthor on a paper published out of the Delirium Subtyping Initiative which proposed further characterization of delirium features to complement existing diagnostic criteria, particularly in conjunction with biospecimen collection.
Thomas O'Connor, PhD was a coauthor on a study examining the association between maternal stress during the first year of life of their infant and BMI between ages two to four.
Upcoming Events
- Aug. 8: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
- Aug. 9: Restoring oURselves: Using Restorative Practices to Build Capacity for Wellbeing
- Aug. 9: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
- Aug. 16: The Lasting Impacts of Gun Violence in Rochester: Perspectives from Providers and the Community
- Aug. 31: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
