Babatope testifies for the creation Mental Health and Brain Research Institute in Texas

Taiwo Babatope, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, was recently invited to testify on House Bill 15/House Joint Resolution 135, authored by State Rep Senfronia Thompson and State Rep Tom Craddick, which will create the Mental Health and Brain Research Institute of Texas.

If passed, this would allow for more research to be conducted around the state for neurological disorders and other mental health issues.

Babatope explained the benefits this could have on the state, specifically for youth suffering from various mental health struggles. She said conditions such as anxiety and depression have doubled since the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic. With nearly 7 million youths in Texas, Babatope said this will continue to be a concern.

“We’ve been able to attract some of the brightest minds to places like MD Anderson for cancer research,” Babatope said. “Why can’t we replicate something like this for psychiatry? Let’s put in the work today so we can see results down the road.”

Some of the reasons for increased mental health problems in youth has been an increase in social media presence, isolation due to COVID-19, and stress due sudden life changes, according to Babatope.

“These problems – anxiety, depression, and others – are truly an invincible enemy,” Babatope said. “You can’t see depression. You can’t see anxiety. You don’t know about these problems until they are manifested externally in behaviors and actions.”

Babatope says the ultimate goal is to be able to predict those youth who may be more susceptible to mental health disorders early on, so that treatment can be started at an early age. The vision is to offer several different treatment options for patients with mental health disorders. 

Babatope has extensive training and experience working with youth populations and continuously explores innovative approaches to provide the best possible care to her patients.

Helping combat mental health issues in the early stages is a passion of hers, and she is excited to be a part of the group to help make this a reality.



“I did my training here in the United States because I wanted to be a part of change and something bigger than me,” Babatope said. “The fact that I get to do that in the mental health field that I trained in, to me, is the best of both worlds. I testified about not only what I see daily, but on what could be the consequences if we don’t address this.”

Trauma and Resilience Conference is in one month!

Join us for the 2023 UTHealth Houston Trauma and Resilience Conference - Elder Abuse and Mistreatment: Identification to Intervention, on Friday, June 2! The conference will be held at the InterContinental Houston-Medical Center, 6750 Main St. Houston, TX 77030.

The conference will provide attendees with updates on the latest advances in elder abuse assessment and treatment in the context of introducing clinicians to the opportunities and challenges that identifying and caring for this population presents. The presentations will also provide guidance on ethical and effective treatments and practices when caring for older patients.

We hope to see all of you at the inaugural UTHealth Houston Trauma and Resilience Conference!  

Soutullo named to AACAP Committee

Cesar Soutullo, MD, PhD, professor and vice chair and chief of child and adolescent psychiatry in the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, was recently appointed a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Clinical Essentials Committee. 

Soutullo and other committee members are tasked with looking through AACAP meeting courses and presentations to select those determined to be essential for continuing medical education training.

Courses focus on topics identified as a knowledge gap for practicing clinicians and ones that are most frequently requested by members of AACAP.

This is Soutullo’s first membership appointment with AACAP, although he has worked with the journal as a member of the JAACAP-Open Editorial Board. He is excited to share what he learns from this opportunity with the department.

“I see this as an opportunity to help the department’s residency and fellowship programs,” Soutullo said. “This is also an opportunity to network and bring even greater professionals to our program.”

Spotlight:

Schmitz named SRNT fellow

Written by: Roman Petrowski

The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) has named Joy Schmitz, PhD, professor and Louis A. Faillace, MD, Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, as a member of its 2023 Fellowship class.

The status of Fellow of the SRNT is a distinction conferred by the Society on members in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of nicotine and tobacco research, and of service to SRNT. Launched in 2016, nominees are judged on their research, service to the field, and service and/or demonstrated involvement in the society.

“It is a true honor to be awarded fellowship status in SRNT,” Schmitz said. “Being a member of this Society has allowed me to pursue research on nicotine and tobacco, and most importantly, translate new knowledge into more effective ways to treat tobacco use. I am humbled and grateful to know that my contributions over the years have had a substantive impact on the field.”

Schmitz is the director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction, where she has developed a longstanding research program on the development and evaluation of behavioral treatments and combinations of behavioral therapies and pharmacotherapies for substance use disorders. Her research has been continuously funded since 1995 and has resulted in over 120 publications.

Schmitz is a founding member for the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco and is an associate editor for Nicotine and Tobacco Research, the journal of the SRNT. She also serves as a member of the American Psychological Association and the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, and has held roles on NIH study sections and special emphasis panels.

At UTHealth Houston, Schmitz earned the Women Faculty Forum Clinical Excellence Award in 2016 and the UTHealth Houston President’s Award for Mentoring Women in 2003.



Schmitz completed her PhD in clinical psychology in 1988 at Auburn University in Montgomery, before a residency in that subject at the University of Mississippi Medical Center V.A. Medical Consortium.

Hernandez-Tejada joins podcast

Melba Hernandez-Tejada, PhD, associate professor in the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, recently participated in a live talk show called “C20,” hosted by Chad Kessler, MD, executive director of Emergency Medicine for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

"C20" began in April 2020 as a way to provide up-to-the-minute COVID-19 resources quickly and efficiently to clinical employees across the veterans’ health administration. The show has expanded to cover a wide variety of medical and public health topics.



Watch Hernandez-Tejada in episode 292: Integrating Innovative Technology with Evidence-based Psychotherapy to Address Pain and PTSD.

Lima receives BBRF Young Investigator Grant

Camila Nayane N. De Carvalho Lima, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, received the 2022 Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) Young Investigator Grant. This is a two-year grant for $70,000.

Her study, titled “Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Accelerated Epigenetic Aging in Bipolar Disorder: a Transcriptomic and Neuroanatomical Study,” investigates bipolar disorder’s association with accelerated aging.

Bipolar disorder is one of the main global causes of disability and is associated with premature mortality due to increased rates of suicide and medical comorbidities. It has also been recognized as a cause for accelerated aging, which can lead to poor health outcomes and elevated patient mortality risk.

According to Lima, there no current known anti-aging treatments for bipolar disorder. As a result, there is a great interest to search for novel therapeutics to address this health problem.

The project aims to investigate the effects of metformin and lithium on aging markers; namely, telomere length, mitochondrial DNA copy number, and epigenetic aging in bipolar disorder patients and controls.

This project addresses the BBRF’s mission of translationally investigating a critical health issue in psychiatric illness, using an innovative model of epigenetic aging, and testing possibilities for reversing aging.

Lima is excited to be a part of this important research.



“There’s no grant like the first,” Lima said. “I’m humbled and delighted to be awarded a young investigator grant by BBRF. Thank you to the BBRF, and to Dr. (Joao) De Quevedo and Dr. (Gabriel) Fries’ lab for their support.”

The following clinical trials are in operation, following all necessary safety guidelines. If you're interested, contact the appropriate study.

Developing Adaptive Interventions for Cocaine Cessation and Relapse Prevention

We are conducting a study to develop adaptive treatment interventions that change based on how the participant is doing. Individuals seeking treatment for cocaine addiction may qualify to participate in this two-phase program. 

Contact: 713-500-DRUG (3784)

Stem Cells for Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Depression

This study aims to examine the safety and efficacy of allogenic mesenchymal stem cells as an adjunctive treatment for treatment-resistant bipolar depression. Patients will be assigned into a treatment or a placebo group. 

Contact: 713-486-2627

VNS RECOVER Study

Researchers in the UTHealth Houston Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders are studying the VNS therapy LivaNova device to treat depression as part of the RECOVER trial.

Contact: 713-486-2627

To see all open studies, visit our website.

Understanding heterogeneity in suicidal thoughts and behaviours and the implications for genetic studies - a commentary on Lannoy et al - Pub Med - March 2023

Salahudeen Mirza, Anna R Docherty, Eric T Monson, Hilary Coon, Brooks Keeshin, Gabriel R Fries

Association between the epigenetic lifespan predictor GrimAge and history of suicide attempt in bipolar disorder - American College of Neuropsychopharmacology - March 2023

Camila N. C. Lima, Emese H.C. Kovacs, Salahudeen Mirza, Alexandra Del Favero-Cambell, Alexandre Paim Diaz, Joao de Quevedo, Benney M.R. Argue, Jenny Gringer Richards, Aislinn Williams, John A. Wemmie, Vincenet A. Magnotta, Jess G. Fiedorowicz, Jair C. Soares, Marie E. Gaine, and Gabriel Fries

As part of Autism Awareness Month, Amy Izuno-Garcia, PhD, spoke to FOX 26 News about signs of autism in adults who may have not been diagnosed with the disease as children. 

Leslie Taylor, PhD, spoke to FOX 26 News about when parents should talk to their children about school shootings.

Taylor also appeared on FOX 26 News to talk about post-COVID behavioral health ahead of UTHealth Houston’s Neuroscience Research Center's Public Forum on Saturday, April 15. 

Antonio Teixeira, MD, PhD, was interviewed by WebMD about his study showing that apathy can be a sign of Alzheimer’s disease in some people.

Cesar A. Soutullo, MD, PhD, was interviewed by the Houston Chronicle and Telemundo Houston Channel 47 about the Adderall shortage ADHD patients are facing.

Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

713-486-2500

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