St. John Fisher Wegmans School of Nursing Students Support 4-900
St. John Fisher College Wegmans School of Nursing Student Nurse Association members recently dedicated their fundraiser to collecting much needed items for 4-9000, the child and adolescent psychiatry unit at Strong. On Wednesday Laura Satta, Katie Strowe, and Marissa Cole delivered a large quantity of hygiene products, clothing and games to nurse manager Lara Walker. A big thank you again for Laura, Katie and Marissa for their support of those receiving mental health care!

Welcome to Our Incoming Psychiatry Residents!

March 19th was Match Day, which marks the day when soon-to-be-graduating medical students around the United States find out where they will be beginning their career as physicians as residents. We're excited to welcome our incoming class to our Psychiatry Residency program! Our new residents come from medical schools around the world with a wide range of backgrounds, life experiences, and interests. Welcome again, and we look forward to seeing you all soon!

Resources for an Evolving Crisis
A rise in overdose deaths in 2020 has been linked to synthetic opioids, stimulants, and the use of substances in combination (polysubstance use). The UR Medicine Center of Excellence recently released a video and fact sheet on the need for attention to polysubstance use. READ MORE>>>

New Resources for Assessing Catatonia
Joshua Wortzel, MD and Mark Oldham, MD recently created educational resources in collaboration with Andrew Francis, PhD, MD on how to assess for catatonia using the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS) with videos on scoring individual items on the scale.  READ MORE>>>

Judicial Observation Project Tackles Implicit Bias in Court System
Diane Morse, MD is among those involved in a new pilot from the United Christian Leadership Ministry of Western N. Y., Inc (UCLM) and the Seventh Judicial District of N.Y. Courts to address implicit bias and systemic racism in New York State courts. The Judicial Observation Project (JOP) brings in 14 trained volunteers to the courtroom to help observe, identify and better understand how implicit biases manifest themselves in the justice system. Learn more about JOP here. 

Rochester Educators Certified as Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainers

In March, 16 professionals from eight Monroe County school districts were officially certified as Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainers through our Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness's UR-SOS program! As Trainers, they will help train others in Youth Mental Health First Aid, a program that teaches adults the skills needed to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth. Kudos to the trainees and all those involved in their work to help support teens with behavioral health needs! READ MORE>>>

Changes to Clinical Risk Management and Quality Improvement Team
The Department of Psychiatry’s Clinical Risk Management and Quality Improvement Team (CRMQIT) has undergone some changes over the past few months.

• On January 31st, we welcomed Clare Stortini, MPA, CPHRM as the Assistant Director for Risk Management and Patient Experience. She brings to this role experience in grievances, patient complaints, and risk events. 
• Helen Vanderlan, CASAC-MC started on January 3 as CRMQIT team director in terms of supervision, support, and overall team function.
• Brigitte Lee, LCSW, Senior Health Project Coordinator for Utilization Review and Compliance, will be settling back into her area of focus and interests in utilization review and regulatory compliance in collaboration.
• Eliza Gramarye, Information analyst, will transferring to a role at the Quality Institute.  We wish her well in this new position!

Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Steps Out to Blue Cross Arena

Our Golisano Children's Hospital Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness services were among those bringing health information out to the community at a Rochester Amerks game at Blue Cross Arena on March 27th. 

Awards and Recognition

Caroline Nestro Moves to New Role in School of Nursing after 38 Years

It is with mixed emotions that we announce that Caroline Nestro, PhD has left the Department of Psychiatry after accepting a new leadership position at the University of Rochester School of Nursing. Caroline has been with our department for over 38 years in various roles, including as a nurse on many of our units and programs, a nurse manager for the adult ambulatory service, Co-Director of our Office of Mental Health Promotion until 2017, and most recently as the Director of our Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Culture, and Equity. A celebration was held in March in honor of her many contributions to the department. We will dearly miss her but wish her all the best as she enters this new chapter of her career. 

Catherine Cerulli Named Awardee of Satcher Awards 

A big congratulations to all of the awardees of this year's David Satcher Awards presented by the Center for Community Health and Prevention (CCHP) including our very own Catherine Cerulli, JD, PhD! In addition to directing our Laboratory of Interpersonal Violence and Victimization, which partners across services to improve the health of those living with violence, she also is the director of the Susan B. Anthony Center which advocates for social justice and equality in research and policy. If you missed the live award ceremony, stay tuned to the CCHP website for a recording soon! READ MORE>>>

EJ Santos Named Women of Excellence Honoree

EJ Santos, MD has been recently named an honoree of the RBJ’s 2022 Women of Excellence awards. This award celebrates women in the Rochester community of longstanding, notable success who are leading the way for other women. Dr. Santos is the Chief of Clinical Service for our Geriatric Mental Health and Memory Care Division and the director for our Older Adults Clinic at Science Parkway. Congratulations again to Dr. Santos on this well-deserved award! READ MORE>>>

Carol Podgorski Receives NYS Department of Health Award

Carol Podgorski, PhD, MPH, MS, associate professor of psychiatry, recently received an award from the New York State Department of Health to support the University’s Finger Lakes Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease which is on the forefront of research and clinical trials for a cure for Alzheimer's Disease.

Mark Your Calendars!

April 21st is Psychology Day
April 21st is our 4^th annual University of Rochester Medical Center Psychology Day! Thank you psychologists and psychologists-in-training for all you do for our patients, their families, our community, and our healthcare system at large. This year we especially honor your dedication as we continue to navigate the mental health surge related to the coronavirus pandemic (along with our other dedicated mental health colleagues!). THANK YOU! Please join us in celebration across social media platforms by using the hashtags #PsychologyDay2022 and #PsychDayUN2022.

April 21^st is also Psychology Day at the United Nations as well. Visit their virtual talks between 11am and 2pm. In addition, for the first time, the American Psychological Association has recognized April 17th through the 23rd as Psychology Week. 

At URMC, we want to take this day to thank our many psychologists and psychologists-in-training across the UR system, including: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Cancer Center, Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, Ob/Gyn, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Neurology, and Psychiatry plus the College Counseling Center on River Campus. We have students, interns, and postdoctoral fellows, drawing top candidates from across the US. In addition, we have psychologists across our UR Leadership, including President Sarah Mangelsdorf. Please spread the word to all your Psychology colleagues!

Learn How to Defuse Challenging Situations with Bystander Training
The TRANSFORM Research Center invites you to join a free 3-hour intensive bystander training exclusive for our Rochester community. "Support Over Silence for KIDS" is a call to action that gives community members the skills to confidently defuse challenging moments between a caregiver and their child in public. Nancy L. Weaver, PhD, MPH, Professor of Behavioral Science at Saint Louis University, created this program to educate community members on how to listen empathetically and non-judgmentally to caregivers in tense situations to help deescalate what’s happening in the moment. READ MORE>>>

Psychiatry Musicians to be Featured in Spring Showcase
On April 26, 2022, from 12-12:45pm, the URMC Department of Psychiatry will present the first virtual Creatively Connecting: Spring Showcase! This event will feature musical performances by members of the department. We hope this will be an opportunity to not only connect with one another, but also connect with our local Rochester community. This event will feature Gre's Concoctions, a locally owned business right on Mt. Hope Ave! A link of the showcase will be shared via email, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We hope you can join us! ​

75th Anniversary Webinar on Biopsychosocial Innovations in Research
Please join us on April 26th from 6-7:15pm for the University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Psychiatry’s 75^th Anniversary Webinar exploring Biopsychosocial Innovations in Research. You will hear from panelists across disciplines and programs within Psychiatry discuss the impact of the biopsychosocial model on research. READ MORE>>>

Diane Morse to Speak at Brightstar Community Conference

Interested in learning about the available resources to support victims of sex-trafficking and how to be an advocate for policies that support victims? Brightstar Community is holding "Raise Your Awareness, Lift Their Voices: A Conference for Sex Trafficking Awareness and Prevention," a free virtual conference with speakers every Wednesday in April from noon to 1 PM. Diane Morse, MD will be among the speakers on April 27th giving a medical perspective on sex-trafficking. READ MORE>>>

Taking Action Summit Moves to Eastman School of Music
Due to the exciting fact that our UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence's Taking Action summit has grown, we have changed venues! The summit will now take place at the internationally renowned Eastman School of Music to accommodate for more in-person attendees!

The lineup of speakers for the summit is also now online! Join us either in-person or virtually for sessions with acclaimed speakers with lived experience, award-winning authors, providers, policymakers, and community champions. Be sure to register here to join the conversation! 

Join Team UR Psych/Mental Health & Wellness for this Year's NAMI walk

2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the Rochester NAMI walks, and this year the event is back IN-PERSON at Village Gate! In honor of our department's 75th Anniversary, we would like to challenge ourselves and raise $7,500 collectively as one team to support NAMI Rochester's education, advocacy, and support programs for individuals with mental health challenges and their families. Stay tuned to our Team Page for details on how to join the UR Psychiatry/ Mental Health and Wellness team for the walk as well as details on how to donate to NAMI Rochester! 

Psychiatry in the News

Researchers Find New Clues in the Brain Linking Pain and Food
Those experiencing chronic pain often report struggling with their weight. A recent study led by Paul Geha, MD of our Department of Psychiatry and the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience might explain the association between chronic pain, changes in brain structure, and eating habits. READ MORE>>>

What Is Intimate Partner Violence? It’s Not Just Physical Abuse
Catherine Cerulli, JD, PhD, director of the Susan B. Anthony Center and our Laboratory of Interpersonal Violence and Victimization, recently discussed early warning signs and how to spot an unhealthy relationship before domestic violence starts. READ MORE>>>

Who Would Be Helped by the NY's Clean Slate Act? Rochester Residents Share Stories
Diane Morse, MD was among those interviewed by Democrat and Chronicle to provide insight from a public health perspective on New York State's proposed Clean Slate Act which would automatically clear the criminal record for select misdemeanors and felonies. READ MORE>>>

March Psychiatry Publications 

• Jennifer Warmingham led a study with colleagues from Mt. Hope Family Center and the Children's Institute examining links between childhood  maltreatment and emotional processing and regulation in adulthood. 
• A new editorial by Eric Caine, MD discusses common roots as well as diverse conditions associated with premature mortality from substance use and suicide.
• Aileen Aldalur, MA published a paper discussing the “deaf tax” of unique barriers, experiences, and responsibilities disproportionately burdening deaf trainees and faculty and practical steps for institutional leaders when considering equity and inclusion in academic medicine.
• Kimberly van Orden, PhD and Kathi Heffner, PhD published a paper in Gerontologist discussing their work at the Rochester Roybal Center for Social Ties and Aging Research developing behavioral interventions to promote social connection in caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. 
• Eric Caine, MD published an editorial in JAMA Network Open on rethinking how we ask persons seeking care about the safety of their homes when it comes to gun ownership, depression, and preventing suicide.
• Paul Geha, MD was a coauthor on a study using sensory phenotyping to predict responses to treatment in those with nerve injuries following surgery or another traumatic event. 
• Diane Morse, MD and Catherine Cerulli, JD, PhD were coauthors on this article with University of Buffalo colleagues examining factors that support and undermine women's motivation to engage in opioid use disorder treatment while in opioid intervention court. 

• Marc Swogger, PhD was a coauthor on a new publication looking at kratom’s role in the self-treatment of substance use disorders.

• Catherine Cerulli, JD, PhD published a paper with colleagues from Ohio State University and Mt. Hope Family Center on individual and contextual risk and protective factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors among Black adolescents with histories of arrest. 

Upcoming Events

• ​Apr. 20: Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Persons with Severe Mental Illness
• Apr. 22: Support Over Silence for KIDS
• Apr. 22: Changing Times: Behavioral Health In Monroe County
• Apr. 26: Creatively Connecting: Spring Showcase
• Apr. 26: Support Over Silence for KIDS
• Apr. 27: Addressing Loneliness in Individuals With Substance Use Disorders
• Apr. 27: Sex Trafficking: A Medical Perspective 
• Apr. 28: Meyerowitz Lecture
• May 3: What's Great in Our State: A Day to Celebrate Children's Mental Health Awareness
• May 4: Support Over Silence for KIDS