Psychiatry Raises $1,635 to Support NAMI Rochester
Thank you to everyone who braved the rainy weather on May 20th to stop by the NAMI Roc annual walk! Thanks to your support, our team raised $1,635 to support NAMI Rochester's work in supporting those with mental health challenges and their families in our community! READ MORE>>>

A Message from the Office of DICE on June Observances
June marks LGBTQ Pride Month. At a time when violence and legislation are increasingly targeting LGBT+ individuals and their families, we want to reiterate our support of the LGBT+ members of our community- including, but not limited to, our patients, staff, faculty, and students. URMC has compiled a website highlighting LGBT+ history at URMC here, and we invite you to join URMC colleagues at the Rochester Pride Parade on July 15th. 

June 19th marks Juneteenth, celebrating the end of slavery in the United States in 1865, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. This holiday highlights Black and African-American achievements while recognizing the ongoing challenges of inequity and systemic racism. The University has compiled resources to learn more about Juneteenth here. In addition, the Institutional Office of Equity and Inclusion will be holding its 2023 Juneteenth Celebration lecture on June 22^nd. The University of Rochester joins peer institutions in recognizing Juneteenth as an official University holiday.

Chennel Anderson Named Director of the Office of DICE
We are excited to welcome Chennel Anderson as the new Director of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Culture, and Equity. In her new role, she will be helping to lead the Department’s DICE initiatives as outlined in our strategic plan and to ensure that we live up to our vision statement of a Department of Psychiatry described by all as a great place to work, train, receive care, and flourish. READ MORE>>>

Upcoming Psychology Training Leadership Transition
As of July 1st, we will welcome Jennifer West, PhD to her new role as Director of our Psychology Training Program. She will assume this role from Wendi Cross, PhD who has been a stalwart leader, visioner, advocate, and mentor in training talented clinicians and future faculty. Kristen Holderle, PhD who served as the Interim Director of the Postdoctoral Fellowship this year, will be moving into the role of Associate Director of Training and will be making that transition as of July 1 as well. READ MORE>>>

Board Excellence Award Winners Recognized for Going Above and Beyond
The UR Medicine Quality Institute and the URMC Board recently honored the winners of the 2023 Board Excellence Awards. Our Adult Partial Hospitalization Program and representatives from Psychiatry in the university-wide Age-Friendly Health System Workgroup were recognized for the exceptional care they provide each day to our patients. A big congratulations to all the awardees as well as a thank you for all their hard work. READ MORE>>>

TRANSFORM- 2023 Summer Research Institute Deadline Extended
Are you a postdoctoral fellow interested in transdisciplinary child abuse and neglect research? The deadline to submit your application for the TRANSFORM Research Center's Summer Research Institute has been extended to June 19th. National and internationally recognized experts in the field of child maltreatment will help teams work on developing and refining proposals for potential pilot funding. READ MORE>>

Representing Psychiatry at URMC Graduation Ceremonies

Michael Hasselberg, MS, PhD was the keynote speaker for this year's University of Rochester School of Nursing graduation ceremony.

“Be bold, dream big, and let your passion for nursing be the catalyst of change,” he told graduates.

Javauni Forrest ’23N (MS), a graduate of the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program, was also a speaker.

"We are uniquely positioned to affect the lives of our patients and their loved ones in their most vulnerable times,” he said, "Use that privilege to not only embrace your students, employees, and patients for all that they are, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation but to imbue them with the understanding that they are valued and worthwhile simply because they are." READ MORE>>>

In addition, Tziporah Rosenberg, PhD, Director for Training and Education in the Department of Psychiatry, was among the speakers at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry Master's Graduation Ceremony earlier this May. We'd like to extend our congratulations to all of this year's graduates as they enter this next stage of their careers!

Psychiatry Shadow Experience a Great Success!

In May, we wrapped up our inaugural Psychiatry Shadow Experience program. This two-day program invited ten clinical-degree students and recent graduates to meet with leadership and staff at our Chestnut Street location. All participants felt this program was a needed service for students preparing for graduation as well as for those who have recently graduated. A big thank you to all those that were involved in coordinating this event! 

URMC Department of Psychiatry at the 2023 APA Conference

In May, our department joined national scholars and researchers in San Francisco for the 2023 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. In addition, we held a reception celebrating with faculty, trainees, staff, and alumni. Thank you to all that joined us! For the full photo album, click here. 

Psychiatry In the News

Cancer and Your Mental Health: Tips from An Expert in Oncology and Psychiatry
Coping with a cancer diagnosis is often difficult, especially among those with mental health challenges or unstable support systems. Daniel McFarland, MD spoke with UR Medicine on what cancer patients and their families should know when it comes to mental health. READ MORE>>>

Handling Heartache: How to Cope with Grief on Mother's Day and Father’s Day
Mother's Day and Father's Day can be difficult for those that are dealing with grief. Serina Tetenov, MSW, PhD spoke with UR Medicine with advice and resources for those experiencing heartache around these holidays. READ MORE>>>

Burnout: The New Pandemic
Michael Privitera, MS, MD recently published a blog for the American Hospital Association discussing the new pandemic of burnout, particularly in healthcare, and steps hospital leadership can take to grow a culture in which every worker has access to ways to decrease stress. READ MORE>>>

Why You Need to Have This Dreaded Conversation with Your Doctor
Talking about hospice or palliative with your healthcare provider is often an uncomfortable conversation; however, having this discussion can improve the quality of life for seriously ill patients. Marsha Wittink, MD, MBE spoke with UR Medicine on the importance of talking with your doctors about end-of-life wishes and how to start that conversation. READ MORE>>>

Creating Community-Based Continuum of Care: A Primary Care Perspective

George Nasra, MD, MBA, Chief of our Division of Collaborative Care and Wellness, joined Mena Mirhom, MD of Columbia University on an episode of the Mind Matters podcast to discuss silos in the U.S. healthcare system and achieving behavioral health integration through a population health lens.

'I Needed to Be Around People': She Didn't Want to Be Lonely as She Aged. Here's What She Did
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD recently released an advisory on the epidemic of loneliness. A study by our HOPE Lab and led by our very own Kimberly van Orden, PhD is looking at how social engagement coaching can help residents of senior living communities feel more connected in ways that are meaningful to them. READ MORE>>>

Addressing Stigma in Rural Communities Through Art and Workshops

Lisham Ashrafioun, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Research Investigator at the VA Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention in Canandaigua, and Tedra Cobb, workshop facilitator for UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence, spoke on an episode of Prevention Leaders with Dave Closson discussing insights drawn from the center’s collaboration with rural communities across the U.S. to hold Community Conversations addressing stigma.

Mark Your Calendars

Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Community Conversation

Are you the caregiver of a child 0-8? Our Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Services is holding a Community Conversation on June 20th discussing early childhood wellness and behavioral health resources available in our community. READ MORE>>>

Healing Within Reception

Rooted by Colleen Burgoyne

Please join us on June 27th from 4:30 PM to 6 PM for an IN-PERSON reception for our Bridge Art Gallery's latest exhibition, Healing Within. This exhibition features artists from across the world and their responses to healing in the context of the significant national turmoil and a growing mental health crisis. This event is free and open to the public, but please register here. 

11th Annual Summer Brown Bag Begins July 12th

The URMC Department of Psychiatry, in partnership with the URMC Department of Medicine, URMC Department of Neurology,  UR School of Nursing, and URMC Office of Equity and Inclusion, invites you to the 11^th Annual Summer Brown Bag Series, an educational series focused on all facets of inequity. This year, the focus is "Healing the Healer", in which we will explore the impact of racism, violence, and erosion of rights on our faculty and staff. Participants may attend virtually or in person at the School of Nursing. The first session will take place on July 12^th from noon to 1 PM and will feature speaker Ruth King, founder of Mindful of Race Institute, LLC, and author, educator, and meditation teacher. READ MORE>>>

Applying the SafeSide Framework for Suicide Prevention in Rural Communities

The last "Applying the SafeSide Framework for Suicide Prevention in Rural Communities" workshop for 2023 will take place on July 25th. If you missed March and May's workshops, be sure to sign up here. 

May Psychiatry Publications 

• A new study out of the VA Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention by Westley Youngren of the University of Kansas, Kathi Heffner, PhD, Todd Bishop, PhD, Catherine Cerulli, JD, PhD, Autumn Gallegos, PhD, Hugh Crane, and Wilfred Pigeon, PhD examined the relationship between fear of sleep and PTSD as well as whether cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia can reduce fear of sleep.
• Cathy Peters, NP, RN, MS published an editorial and retrospective on Dr. Loretta C. Ford's career and how her work connected with the biopsychosocial model. 
• Aileen Aldalur, PhD, alongside Lawrence Pick, PhD of Gallaudet University, published a study examining the effects of accumulative stress experienced by Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals and psychological functioning.
• Kenneth Connor, PsyD, and Aileen Aldalur, PhD were among the authors of a paper in The Journal of Emergency Medicine examining the use of emergency department care practices in Deaf American Sign Language users as well as health care disparities faced. 
• Michael Privitera, MS, MD was a co-author of a commentary in Mayo Clinic Proceedings on the need to design information systems and workflows in healthcare with human factors science and a safety II framework in mind.

• Steven Silverstein, PhD was a co-author of a study examining the use of the Post-Traumatic Cognitions Inventory, a common instrument measuring trauma-related beliefs, in those with serious mental illness who have a greater risk of trauma exposure.

• Peter Wyman, PhD was a coauthor on a study discussing lessons learned, including successes and barriers to implementation, from implementing Sources of Strength, a peer-led suicide prevention program.

• Caroline Silva, PhD was a coauthor of a paper translating, culturally adapting, and validating the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire and the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale, an assessment of suicide risk factors, for Spanish speakers in Mexico.

• Thomas Caprio, MD was a co-author of a latent class analysis examining whether the Care Transitions Intervention, a transitional care intervention, impacted emergency room revisits among older adults recently discharged from emergency care.

• Peter Wyman, PhD was a coauthor of a paper examining whether adolescents’ comfort in disclosing their feelings and problems to caregivers predicts suicidal thoughts and behaviors and whether difficulties in emotion regulation mediate this association.

• Thomas O'Connor, PhD was a co-author of a study examining the impact of adverse childhood experiences on cortisol levels in mothers' saliva, a key measure of prenatal biology previously linked with pregnancy-related health outcomes.

Upcoming Events

• June 14: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• June 19: Deadline for TRANSFORM Summer Research Institute
• June 20: Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Community Conversation
• June 26: School of Nursing Noon Musical Mondays, Evarts Lounge 
• June 27: Healing Within Reception
• June 29: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• July 12: A Talk on Brave Space: Racial Affinity Group Healing
• July 12: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training