Join us for the Day of Giving!
Celebrate the Meliora spirit and the power of giving back on May 5th, the University of Rochester’s Day of Giving! Your gift during this day will help support mental health in our community, including in child behavioral health, memory care, substance use recovery, schizophrenia care, and suicide prevention efforts. Join us on social media with the hashtag #URGiving on the 5th to share how you are making mental health a priority! READ MORE>>>

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May marks Mental Health Awareness Month. This month aims to raise awareness of mental health, fight stigma, and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families. The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) has compiled a list of information, graphics, and resources on its website, that you can use to raise awareness and support for mental wellness. In addition, we invite you to join us at the annual NAMI Walks Rochester on May 21st to support NAMI Rochester's mental health resources right in our community. Check out and join our walking team here and donate to NAMI Rochester through our fundraiser page here! 

Welcoming Dr. Sarah Chang 
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Sarah Chang, M.D. who recently joined our Medicine in Psychiatry Service (MIPS) last month. Dr. Chang completed her residency in Family Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Please join us in welcoming her to our department! 

Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Holds Funky Sock Fundraiser

In April, our Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness team held a Funky Sock Fundraiser. Coinciding with National Autism Awareness Month, each uniquely made sock represent how each individual on the spectrum is uniquely made themselves. For each pair of socks bought, the team also will be donating a pair of socks to an organization in need. READ MORE>>>

Celebrating Psychologists and Psychologists-in-Training at URMC

A big thank you to all those that joined us on April 21st on social media to celebrate the 4th Annual Psychology Day at URMC and the American Psychological Association's newly announced Psychology Week! You can check out the photo album celebrating our psychologists and psychologists-in-training on our Facebook page here. Thank you also to our Psychology Day Planning Committee for their work in making this a day to remember, as well as to Katie Rice, PhD and Wendi Cross, PhD for taking photos. 

To stay up-to-date with all that is happening at our Clinical Psychology Training Programs, check out their most recent newsletter here. 

Spring Showcase Highlights Psychiatry Musicians

On April 26th, our first Creatively Connecting Series: Spring Showcase took place virtually, highlighting the musical talents of our faculty, staff, and trainees. If you missed the live premiere, you can check out the video recording above! A big thank you to all those involved in organizing this event including Grace Ro, M.D., resident in our Psychiatry Residency Program. 

Psychiatry in the News

A Kratom Guide for Healthcare Providers
Kratom Science Podcast recently discussed a first-of-its-kind comprehensive guide published by Marc Swogger, Ph.D. and colleagues from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, John Hopkins University, Midwestern University, University of Florida, and Pinney Associates for healthcare providers who work with consumers who use kratom. The guide provides reasons for why people use kratom, what the possible risks and side effects are, and best practices for adopting a non-stigmatizing and respectful stance towards the patient. READ MORE>>>

When A Medical Crisis Strikes, Divorce Can Follow — Especially If The Wife Is Sick
It is common for couples to report relationship troubles when facing a health crisis. Susan McDaniel, Ph.D. talked with the Today Show​ on factors that impact what happens next in the relationship when one partners experiences a medical crisis as well as steps that couples can take when dealing with chronic and serious illness. READ MORE>>>

UR Medicine is Thinking 'Digital First' Under Leadership of Chief Digital Health Officer Michael Hasselberg, Ph.D.

Michael Hasselberg, M.S., Ph.D. was recently highlighted by URMC Today on his work as URMC’s Chief Digital Health Officer and the “Digital First” strategy – a three-phase program that will integrate digital tools into our health system so that we can serve a wider range of patients. READ MORE>>>

April Psychiatry Publications 

• A new publication by Marc Swogger, Ph.D. and colleagues from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, John Hopkins University, Midwestern University, University of Florida, and Pinney Associates provides guidance for physicians and other providers who work with patients considering or using kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia.
• Samantha Fradkin and Steven Silverstein, Ph.D. study the predictive coding theory in individuals with Schizophrenia who show resistance to perceiving Depth Inversion Illusions and how this knowledge could be used as a visual biomarker to predict impending changes within the disorder. 
• Addie Bardin, M.B.A, Shelley Verma, and Diane Morse, M.D. joined Julia Wagner and Angela Ruffier of the Monroe County Office of Probation to publish a paper discussing FOCUS, a pilot collaboration between probation programs and community health workers.
• Bonnie Strollo, Ed.D., MS, Michael Scharf, M.D., and Sasha Massachi, M.D. were coauthors on this paper with colleagues from Golisano Children's Hospital, Children’s Medical Group, and Colorado Rural Health Center looking at interdisciplinary quality improvement team to to address pediatric inpatient aggression and improve reporting of staff safety events.
• Yeates Conwell, M.D. was a coauthor on a paper in the Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health finding a greater risk of heart attack among Chinese adults with depression.

Upcoming Events

• May 4th: Support Over Silence for KIDS Bystander Training
• May 5th: University of Rochester Day of Giving 
• May 11th: Psychiatry Grand Rounds: Culture and Language Humility in Health and Behavioral Care. Access Through Culture and Language Coaching
• May 11th: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• May 18th- 20th: National Rural Substance Use Disorder Health Equity and Stigma Summit
• May 24th: A Conversation with Asian/Pacific Islander/American Association of Greater Rochester
• May 24th: An Overview of Biopsychosocial Innovations in Community Partnerships
• May 26th: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• Jun. 6th- 10th: Institute for the Family 29th Annual Intensive