If you missed our first 75th Anniversary webinar in February, the recording of the event is now online! A big thank you also goes out to our speakers, Theodore Brown, PhD, Richard Ciccone, MD, Larry Guttmacher, MD, Jack McIntyre, MD, and Diane Morse, MD as well as our moderator, Stephanie Brown Clark, MD, PhD.

In addition, our second 75th Anniversary webinar, "An Overview of Biopsychosocial Innovations in Education" is also online. Thank you to our speakers, Courtney Blackwood, MS, RN, NE-BC, Lauren DeCaporale-Ryan, PhD, Wendi Cross, PhD, Ron Epstein, MD, Susan McDaniel, PhD, Tziporah Rosenberg, PhD, Rob Weisman, DO, as well as our moderator, Deborah King, PhD. 

In Honor of Phil Davidson, PhD
We are saddened to share that Phil Davidson, PhD, Chief of the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, passed on February 10th. Dr. Davidson's clinical, educational, and research work in the field of intellectual and developmental disability overlapped with much of our work in the Department of Psychiatry, and a number of our faculty and staff have worked with him over the years. Our condolences go out to his friends, family, and those that worked with Dr. Davidson. 

Anthony Pisani to Speak at Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide
Anthony Pisani, PhD will be speaking on the March 6th hearing of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide of Australia. Dr. Pisani will be sharing his expertise in suicide prevention with the commission as they hear from community members and experts on the issues surrounding the rise in deaths by suicide among serving and ex-serving Defence members. The hearing will be streamed live on the Royal Commission's website from 6 PM to 12 AM Eastern Time. ( March 7th, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm AEDT). READ MORE>>>

MIPS Team and Patrick Seche Recognized as Health Care Heroes

In February, the Medicine in Psychiatry (MIPS) (also known as the UR Medicine Psychiatric Ambulatory Team) Mobile Vaccination Team and Patrick Seche, MS, Senior Director of Addiction Services, were recognized as Rochester Business Journal's Health Care Heroes in the Mental Health category. The MIPS team was recognized for their efforts at the start of 2021 to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to patients with transportation challenges and other barriers to getting vaccinated. Through their efforts at Brighton Health Center and in partnership with East House, the team was able to reach an over 95% completion rate in second doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Patrick Seche was honored for his leadership in improving the care of patients facing substance use disorders in Rochester. Along with his role overseeing our Strong Recovery program, he also oversees the integration of addiction treatment throughout UR Medicine, serves as Executive Director of Strong Memorial Hospital’s newly established Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration Project, and sits on the Steering committee for the UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence, one of the three regional centers funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration to fight the substance use disorder crisis in the rural America. READ MORE>>>

Biopsychosocial Innovations in Education Webinar
Please join us on March 29th, 6 PM - 7:15 PM for our third 75th Anniversary. This webinar will give an overview of biopsychosocial innovations in care in UR Mental Health and Wellness including the creation of culturally-sensitive spaces, as well as the integration and expansion of services. To register, click here. To view the full series and other 75th Anniversary activities, please click here.

The Ecosystem of Recovery Resources Available
Our UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence recently released new resources on the Ecosystem of Recovery, an emerging approach they are using in the Appalachian region of New York State to create broader access and community-wide support and treatment for opioid use disorder.  READ MORE>>>

Congratulations to Anna Gordon on Her Retirement!
Anna Gordon, Senior Programmer and Analyst, will be retiring in March after three decades with the Department of Psychiatry. 

Carole Farley-Toombs, our Chief Administrative Officer, says, "Anna has been the ‘quiet woman behind the scenes’ for so very many of us who needed data to advance [agendas], track performance, assess our staffing needs, [and to] understand the characteristics of our patient population." 

Thank you, Anna, for all your years of service to Psychiatry and congratulations again on your retirement! 

Detecting Depression Just as Important in the Elderly
Detecting depression in older adults can post some unique challenges. Dr. Kim van Orden spoke with the American College of Physicians (ACP) on how health care providers can start asking questions to raise the issue of mental health with their patients as well as the importance of social connection. READ MORE>>>

Is It Time To Prioritize Play In Our Lives, For All Ages?
Anton Porsteinsson, MD recently spoke to WXXI about the health benefits of playtime.

“We know that stress is neurotoxic, it increases certain compounds in the brain that basically can cause accelerated nerve cell death,” said Porsteinsson. READ MORE>>>

A Faculty Factory Reunion with Jeffrey M. Lyness, MD, FACPsych

Jeffrey Lyness, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, spoke with the John Hopkins School of Medicine's Faculty Factory podcast on the recruitment and promotions process for faculty as well as what the University of Rochester is doing to make sure faculty members' diversity, equity, and inclusion work is recognized. 

February Psychiatry Publications 

• A new publication by Daniel Maeng, PhD, Ellen Poleshuck, PhD, Tziporah Rosenberg, PhD, George Nasra, MD, and Hochang Ben Lee, MD focuses on integrating behavioral health into primary care and how integration alters the treatment patterns away from emergency rooms.
• Knowing the likelihood of responding to psychotherapy can help those with major depressive disorder and their providers develop a treatment plan. Wilfred Pigeon, PhD was a coauthor on this study using machine learning to predict responses to psychotherapy among veterans.
• Caroline Silva, PhD, Nora Douglas, MD, MPH, and Kimberly van Orden, PhD published a study finding that fostering neighborhood belonging through community engagement may help decrease suicide risk among Hispanic adults. 
• Ian Rockett, PhD, MPH and Eric Caine, MD were authors on a paper investigating suicides and drug-related overdoses fatalities across several decades and the social factors associated with Self-injury Mortality.
• Hugh Crean, PhD of the University of Rochester School of Nursing and Marc Swogger, PhD were coauthors on a recent paper looking at the relationship between depressive symptoms, alcohol and drug use, and history of suicide attempts among those in an urban pretrial jail diversion program.
• Wilfred Pigeon, PhD published a study alongside faculty from the Syracuse Veterans Affairs Medical Center that explored characteristics of nightmares and how they are related to PTSD severity. 

Upcoming Events

• Mar. 9: Project ACT: Developing a Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) Collaborative with Mental Health Court
• Mar. 16: Planning For Safety and Post-Traumatic Growth
• Mar. 18: Maternal and Child Health Disparities
• Mar. 23: Promoting Social Connection Among Latino and Older Adult Caregivers: Pilot Data From the Rochester Roybal Center for Social Ties and Aging
• Mar. 29: Biopsychosocial Innovations in Care