Photographs from the Psychiatry Residency Program Instagram

Last month, we celebrated Resident/Fellow Appreciation Week, capping off the week with Thank a Resident Day on February 23rd. Residency/Fellowship training represents a time of prolific growth, evolution, development, learning, teaching, and meaningful service to our patients and their families. Residents serve as the hospital’s “house staff” and are an integral part of the healthcare team. Thank you again to our residents and fellows!

Adobe Donation Supports Youth Suicide Prevention Program

Ian Cero, PhD, Peter Wyman, PhD, and Anthony Pisani, PhD recently received a $20K donation from Adobe, Inc. to fund initial research into the potential uses of AI for suicide prevention among high-risk adolescents. This pilot will evaluate the potential for Adobe’s image-generating AI platform (Firefly) to improve suicide safety planning for youth and adults in their lives. The pilot will be conducted with patients discharged from our Child and Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program with youth and supportive adults collaborating to use Firefly to visualize images personally important to their safety plan.

KL2 2024 Award winners Defayette (top left), Dzikowicz (top right), Kehoe (bottom left), Moghaddam (bottom right)

Kristina Washington Named Sr. Administrator for Adult Acute/Crisis/MIPS

We are excited to share that Kristina Washington, LCSW will be promoted to the new position of Senior Administrator for Adult Acute/Crisis/MIPS services. In this role, Kristina will provide administrative oversight, guidance, and support for all of our adult inpatient crisis programs such as the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, Mobile Crisis, and Crisis Call Line, as well as other acute programs such as the Adult Partial Hospitalization Program. READ MORE>>>

Advanced Certificate in Addictions Counseling Program Rounding the Bend on Pilot Year

The Advanced Certificate in Addictions Counseling Program, a partnership between our Strong Recovery Services, the Warner School of Education, and the School of Medicine and Dentistry, is rounding the bend on its pilot year. The faculty, staff, and students who made this program possible feel tremendous pride in the learning community we’ve collaboratively created. Interested in learning more about this program and becoming a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor? An informational session will be held on March 28th at noon. Click here to register. READ MORE>>>

Putting the Clinician First: The Impact of Compassion Fatigue and the Benefits of Intentional Self-Care 

We are excited to announce our Strong Recovery Service's 12th Joseph Ryan Conference, "Putting the Clinician First: The Impact of Compassion Fatigue and the Benefits of Intentional Self Care.” This event is open to all professionals working in the mental health and substance use disorder fields. CASAC and LMHC CEUs are available with other CEU approvals currently pending. To register, contact Stacey Ciotti.

17th Annual Psychology Day at the United Nations

The 17th Annual Psychology Day at the United Nations is April 25th! Our URMC Psychology team is holding a watch party for the UN's annual Psychology Day virtual programming. The Psychology Coalition at the UN recently highlighted our watch party alongside three other national watch parties. All are encouraged to join the international presentation virtually and to join us on social media using the hashtags #PsychologyDay2024 and #PsychDayUN2024 to thank a psychologist or psychologist-in-training in your life.

Growth in Tough Times Call for Art Now Accepting Submissions

The Bridge Art Gallery is now accepting artwork submissions for their next call for art, Growth in Tough Times until May 3rd. Artwork is accepted from artists of all ages. Email the gallery or fill out this form to have your artwork considered in the show.

Registration Now Open for the 2024 UR Department of Psychiatry APA Reception

Are you going to the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in May? We invite you to join the Department of Psychiatry on Monday, May 6th at 5 PM for a UR Department of Psychiatry reception at The Skylark Living Room.

Perspectives for Black History Month and Beyond: Q&A with Dr. Arielle Sheftall

In February, Arielle Sheftall, PhD spoke with UR Medicine on the most recent research on understanding and addressing mental health disparities as well as what these findings mean in the context of Black History Month and beyond. (Please note: You will need to log into LinkedIn to read this article.) READ MORE >>>

URMC Announces First-of-its-Kind Alliance to Expand Health Care Access to Rural Communities

A new partnership will bring telemedicine stations to select Five Star Bank locations in Seneca and Steuben counties to improve health access in rural communities.

"This pilot is the next evolution, bringing telemedicine to those who may lack access to technology at home. They now can visit a trusted location in their community and get the care they need, as well as check key health indicators to promote preventive care," says Michael Hasselberg, NP, MS, PhD. READ MORE>>>

Biomarker Changes in Spinal Fluid Could Help Diagnose Alzheimer's Early Emily Clark, DO, associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research and Education Program (AD-CARE), spoke with Medical News Today on the latest research finding that changes in spinal fluid could help diagnose Alzheimer's early. READ MORE>>>

2024 Summer Brown Bag Information Coming Soon!

Our annual Department of Psychiatry Brown Bag Summer Series will be returning this summer! Stay tuned for information coming soon on how to join this educational series focused on all facets of inequity.

Celebrating Black History Month at Pediatric Behavioral Health and Wellness

In February, staff at our Pediatric Behavioral Health & Wellness locations decorated doors throughout the clinic celebrating and highlighting Black History. Above are just a few of these doors!

• Mark Oldham, MD published a proposal to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services alongside Thomas Heinrich, MD of the Medical College of Wisconsin, and James Luccarelli, MD, D.Phil of Massachusetts General Hospital requesting reclassification of delirium in the Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Groups.
• Ellen-ge Denton, PsyD, MS was a co-author of a study examining the clinical utility of depression risk assessment tools and the implications for suicide risk assessment in high-risk, resource limited youth populations.

• Mar. 12: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• Mar. 13: Geriatric Medicine Grand Rounds: Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia
• Mar. 13: ABPN: An Update from the Intersection of Psychiatry & Neurology
• Mar. 20: Psychiatry Grand Rounds
• Mar. 28: Addictions Counseling Advanced Certificate Virtual Information Session
• Mar. 28: Opioid Overdose Prevention Training
• Apr. 12: Putting the Clinician First: The Impact of Compassion Fatigue and the Benefits of Intentional Self-Care