Photo Credit: Lara Walker, RN

Goodnight Lights Return for December
We're excited to share that Goodnight Lights will return this year throughout the month of December. Join University of Rochester employees and the Department of Public Safety at Saunders Lot every Wednesday at 5:45 PM as we wave goodnight to patients in our Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Unit on 4-9000 with lights. The next Goodnight Lights are December 15th and 22nd. Be sure to bring a flashlight! 

Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Chosen as Woods Oviatt Gilman, LLP Gift Recipient 

​Special thank you to our friends at Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP who presented our Pediatric Behavioral Health & Wellness Clinic with a donation of $2,500! We are honored to be selected as one of their six charities of choice for the 2021 Holiday Season. Thank you for your generosity & commitment to our youth.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Service Begins at UR Medicine
We are excited to share that our Interventional Psychiatry team has recently begun offering Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treatment for Major Depressive Disorder. This non-invasive procedure uses a magnetic field to stimulate brain regions associated with depression and is FDA approved for people suffering from major depression that have not had adequate response to other treatments. UR Medicine is the first health system in the area to offer this treatment widely in the community. The TMS service is starting small and plans to grow quickly to meet community needs and consumer preferences.

Sam Huber, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, thanked all those involved with the service launch, saying "We have an amazing TMS crew including Drs. [Samantha] Kamp, [Oner] Gonen, and [Telva] Olivares, as well as RNs Marie Page and Lily Caron, and Practice Manager Leah Green. Each have contributed to our new service in ways that cannot be understated. This team truly lives our Interventional Psychiatry mission of 'providing psychiatry’s most effective treatments in the most effective ways.'" 

Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness Receives Cabrini Grant
We are excited to share that our Golisano Children's Hospital Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness services has recently been named a recipient of a grant from the Cabrini Health Foundation. Kenya Malcolm, PhD, Director of Infant and Early Childhood Initiatives, will lead a training initiative as part of the program's larger efforts to expand services for young children and their families. Thank you so much to the Foundation for supporting this important work.

Strengthening Educators’ Response to the Mental Health Needs of Teens
Our Expanded School Mental Health Team at Golisano Children's Hospital is launching UR SOS, a new SAMHSA-funded project to build skills among educators in the Finger Lakes so that they can help teens facing behavioral health challenges. If you or an educator you know is interested in being involved with UR SOS, check out the informational slides here or email Corey Nichols-Hadeed. READ MORE>>>

Michael Hasselberg Named Top 50 Leader in Digital Health
We are congratulating Michael Hasselberg, MS, PhD for recently being named one of Rock Health's Top 50 Leaders in Digital Health. Dr. Hasselberg is the UR Medicine's first Senior Director of Digital Health as well as co-director of the UR Health Lab, which developed the open-source Dr. Chat Bot software to make sure it is safe for university employees to report to work everyday. We commend Dr. Hasselberg's leadership in telehealth, digital innovation and technology, particularly during these unprecedented times. READ MORE>>>

Carol Podgorski Receives Family-Oriented Care Award
We're proud to share that Carol Podgorski, PhD, Director of the Finger Lakes Center of Excellence in Alzheimer’s Disease and as Co-Director of our Family Therapy Training Program, was recently awarded the 2021 Family-Oriented Care Award at the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association's annual conference. This award recognizes an outstanding clinician and/or researcher who incorporates family-oriented care into their day-to-day work promoting health with patients and their families. READ MORE>>>

Take a Virtual Tour of CAPHS and Meet the Staff

Have questions or just curious about what you might experience when coming in for an intake to our Child and Adolescent Partial Hospitalization (CAPHS) program? Meet our staff and take a look at what a typical day is like at our CAPHS program above!

Marriage and Family Therapy Program Holding Open House
Our Institute for the Family will be holding one more open house for their Master of Science Program in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) Program in 2021! Are you interested in a career where you can help families across the lifespan? Join the Institute of the Family team on December 17th at 3:30 PM to learn more about becoming a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist through the University of Rochester. READ MORE>>>

Can Lucid Dreaming Help Us Understand Consciousness?
Michelle Carr, PhD, Dream Researcher in our Sleep & Neurophysiology Research Laboratory, spoke with The Guardian on the rise in popularity of lucid dreaming and what it can tell us about the human consciousness. READ MORE>>>

Almshouse to Psychiatric Center: Mental Health Care in Rochester

Laurence Guttmacher, MD and Robert Riley, MPH of the Rochester Psychiatric Center spoke at the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County on how changes in psychiatric care played out in Rochester between the 19th and 20th century. 

Why mindfulness works: Training your brain in uncertain times
Autumn Gallegos, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, recently spoke with University of Rochester Alumni on the science behind mindfulness and how you can get started practicing mindfulness and gratitude. READ MORE>>>

Michele Capellupo to Retire
After 43 years with the university, Michele Capellupo, MS, RN, Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Clinical Risk Management and Quality Improvement Team, is retiring. Michele has been part of the Medical Center since 1978 and has been part of our team in Psychiatry in numerous positions since 1985. Thank you, Michele, for all your years of commitment to our patients and our department, and we hope you enjoy the retired life! 

Supporting our Community During the Holidays

• If you are looking for a way to give back while doing your holiday shopping this season, check out the Zoey's Lovely Heart Club 6th Annual Tree Farm Fundraiser! Started by our very own Megan Lytle-Flint, PhD and her husband Patrick, this fundraiser helps support Golisano Children's Hospital and families in the NICU. If you missed the event earlier this December, you can still order your wreaths, trees, t-shirts and blankets online here.
• Our partners over at the Children's Institute are also holding a holiday toy-drive to support teachers and childcare workers with programs and services for young children’s social-emotional health and wellbeing. Some items on the wishlist include blocks, Legos, and Lincoln Logs, play kitchen accessories, art supplies, dolls, and tubes of dinosaurs, animals, insects, or other collections. For more information or to schedule a time to drop off donations, contact Diane Trentini at (585) 295-1000 x230. 
• Lastly, the Boys & Girls Club of Rochester is once again holding a toy drive for children in underserved sections of our city. Contact kbernardo@bgcrochester.org or 585-328-3077 x102 for more information or consider contributing directly the club's Amazon wishlist here. 

November Psychiatry Publications 

• Steve Silverstein, PhD, Docia Demmin, MS of Rutgers University, and Samantha Fradkin, MS recently authored a chapter of Precision Psychiatry discussing using data and computational methods to develop biomarkers in schizophrenia symptoms.

• Mark Swogger, PhD was a coauthor on this paper looking at social, psychological, and substance use characteristics of adults in the US who use kratom, a plant that produces opioid-like effects.

• Michael Hasselberg, PhD was a coauthor on a paper discussing the UR Medicine's Dr. Chatbot to screen and give information to patients during the COVID19 pandemic as well as the value of using technology in symptom monitoring and clinical decision-making.

• Timothy Baran, PhD of the Department of Imaging Sciences, Feng Lin, PhD, and Paul Geha, PhD of the Department of Psychiatry and the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience published a study on how age-related differences in brain activity plays a role in chronic back pain.

Upcoming Events

• ​Dec. 15: ​Psychiatry Grand Rounds
• Dec. 17: Marriage and Family Therapy Open House
• Jan. 5: Psychiatry Grand Rounds
• Jan. 27: The Bridge Art Gallery Celebrates 10 Years Virtual Reception