Psychiatry Central
Issue 12 | April 6, 2020
A Letter from the Chair
Dear Faculty, Trainees, and Staff:      
 
We are facing unprecedented times calling for strength and courage to move through each day. I have been so impressed and thankful to be working with such a dedicated team of faculty, staff, residents, and fellows who together keep our programs and Department moving forward.

A special shout out to Dave Flax and his entire team for the tremendous work they have done to get us all in motion to maintain access to our patients and our colleagues! 

I would like to share with you a few tips to manage each day:

  1. We ARE enough! Together, we will share ideas, problem solve, support each other, and get through this very difficult time.
  2. Remember, this is temporary and there is an end down the road, even if we don’t know exactly when that might be just yet.
  3. Please remember to take care of yourself -- take breaks, limit the news, eat well, rest well, and try to get some daily exercise. There isn’t a more perfect time for some mindfulness and meditation, if you are so inclined. 
  4. Feeling anxious and a little fearful is normal at this time. Please remember that we have leaders in our organization who are knowledgeable and experienced in managing crisis, guiding us, and organizing us to manage this unbelievable situation. We all have a part in the solution and response, and I would ask that you try to stay as positive and hopeful through this journey.
 
As a reminder, below are links and phone numbers should you need them: 
 


And on some more normal topics…congratulations to all of our research teams for continuing to submit grants, protocols, and applications! Peter Phalan, PhD, submitted his K23 award. Go Peter! We are also continuing to interview several very promising candidates and will be extending offers! Fingers crossed. 
 
Thank you to all for your hard work and perseverance!


Sincerely,

Jill RachBeisel, MD
Interim Chair, Department of Psychiatry
PROMOTIONS
Afshan Qureshi, MBA
The Department of Psychiatry is delighted to announce the promotion of Afshan Qureshi, MBA , to the Senior Administrator position.

Afshan has been acting as Interim Senior Administrator since last March and has proven herself to be a highly capable leader. She has an MBA in Finance and more than 25 years of experience across various industries with expertise in strategic and financial analysis, budget and accounting policies, management reporting, grants and contracts management, information technologies, payroll and Human Resources, compliance, process improvements, business operations, and clinical care.

Afshan will continue to serve as the Director of Finance as we search for the replacement.

Congratulations on your promotion Afshan, and we look forward to
your new leadership!
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR FACULTY:
Drs. Olivia Cumming and
Francesca Notarangelo
M. Olivia Cumming, MD , attended University of Maryland School of Medicine before moving to Denver for residency at the University of Colorado. She completed a community mental health track in residency and worked on HIV psychiatry and MAT teams at a community mental health center.

Last summer, Dr. Cummings moved back to Baltimore and joined the team at Midtown, where they are building and growing the Adult Psychiatric Day Hospital. She is particularly interested in vulnerable patient populations with severe and persistent mental illness and in quality improvement processes.
Francesca Notarangelo, PhD , obtained her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy and later pursued postdoctoral research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC), University of Maryland School of Medicine. 

Dr. Notarangelo is currently an assistant professor at the MPRC, where she is investigating the role of the kynurenine pathway, the main catabolic route of the essential amino acid tryptophan, in psychiatric disorders, development and gut-brain axis.
GRANTS
Dr. James Gold
James Gold, PhD , was recently awarded an R01 by the National Institute of Mental Health for his 5-year, $2,936,738 project, entitled “1/5 CAPER: Computerized Assessment of ProdromE Risk.”

The aim of the study is to improve accessibility and broaden the impact of high risk screening by testing brief computerized measures, ultimately being able to be administered on the Internet, and to improve prediction by focusing on tasks specific to underlying mechanisms driving emerging psychotic symptoms.

Congratulations Dr. Gold, and we look forward to updates on your work!
Drs. Sarah Clark & Todd Gould
Sarah Clark, PhD , and Todd Gould, MD , were recently awarded for their R21 grant, "Mechanisms of sustained anti-neuroinflammatory actions of (2R, 6R)-hydroxynorketamine (HNK)."

Depression and anxiety are often reported in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases and the anti-depressant ketamine has known anti-inflammatory properties. The goal of the project is to assess the anti-inflammatory properties of its metabolite, (2R, 6R)-hydroxynorketamine (HNK). Prior studies in the lab of Dr. Gould have shown that (2R, 6R)-HNK has rapid acting, anti-depressant properties similar to ketamine, while lacking its abuse liability and dissociative properties, making it a highly desirable therapeutic for the treatment of depression. This project will advance further development of (2R, 6R)-HNK for the treatment of complex inflammatory diseases, while also exploring the underlying mechanisms that promote protection against neuroinflammation.
Maryland Healthy Transitions
The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) is partnering with the Maryland Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) to complete Maryland’s third 5-year SAMHSA-funded Healthy Transitions (HT) grant.

Healthy Transitions is part of SAMHSA’s Now Is The Time initiative and provides services to young people ages 16-25 with behavioral health disorders to assist them in successfully transitioning from youth to adulthood. Overarching HT goals include promoting physical and mental health, building positive relationships with communities and peers, and supporting education and employment.

Dr. Sharon Hoover is the UMB Principal Investigator, and the NCSMH team provides an outreach and education lead, as well as an evaluation team of clinical research staff. Congratulations to this outstanding team and way to go!
AWARDS
Gregory Barber, MD , a PGY-2 resident, has been selected for the 2020 American Psychiatric Association (APA)/APA Foundation (APAF) Leadership Fellowship Program. 

This is a prestigious fellowship, and only 15 are issued per year. Congratulations Dr. Barber, and keep us informed of your work!
Crystal Han, MD , a PGY-3 resident, has been awarded the 2020 American Psychiatric Association (APA)/APA Foundation (APAF) SAMHSA Funded Minority Fellowship Program.

Only 28 fellowships are issued per year, and Dr. Han was one of the selected recipients.

Congratulations Dr. Han on this honor!
Maryland Psychiatric Society Poster &
Paper Competition
Mark Kvarta, MD, PhD , was recently awarded "Poster of the Year" by the Maryland Psychiatric Society for his work, entitled "Accounting for Effects of Lifetime, Current, and Community Stressors on Depressive Symptoms in Genetics Studies of Depression."

The poster summarizes data from a recent project investigating three different stressor categories (lifetime, current, and culturally specific community stress) on current depressive symptoms in the old order Amish and Mennonites -- in which genetic studies are better powered. The goal for this study was to help control for environmental influences on depressive symptoms and to better estimate genetic influence and heritability of depressive symptoms.

Dr. Kvarta demonstrated a different relationship between lifetime and current stressors with current depressive symptoms in individuals with and without a depression diagnosis, and estimates a higher heritability for quantitative depression (~46%) as opposed to categorical depression (~20%). Congratulations, Dr. Kvarta and thanks for sharing your work with us!


In addition to Dr. Kvarta, two residents (pictured below) were finalists in the poster competition. All three awards given out for the best poster by a resident or fellow were won by residents in our program.
Raina Aggarwal, MD , a PGY3 resident, won an award for her poster, entitled "Interdisciplinary Disagreements Resulting in Suboptimal Treatment of New Onset, Florid Psychosis."
Rachel Dillinger, MD , a PGY2 resident, won the award for her poster, entitled "Addressing the stigma surrounding serious mental illness in youth: A brief intervention."


Dr. Jooyoung Lee , a PGY2 resident, received the best published paper award by a resident or fellow from the Maryland Psychiatric Society for his paper, entitled "Search trends preceding increases in suicide: A cross-correlation study of monthly Google search volume and suicide rate using transfer function models," which was published in the  Journal of Affective Disorders .
EVENTS
Department of Psychiatry
6th Annual Telemental Health Meeting
The Department of Psychiatry recently held its 6th Annual Telemental Health meeting, "Telebehavioral 2020: Current and Future Practice," on Thursday, March 5 at the campus center.

Featured center and in black is the keynote and Grand Rounds speaker, Eve-Lynn Nelson, PhD , from the University of Kansas. Dr. Nelson is the Statewide Director of the Kansas Telebehavioral Health Network and PI for the federally funded Teleheath ROCKS projects and the Heartland Telehealth Resource Center. She has provided telehealth services in Kansas for almost 20 years.

We would also like to thank our members of the Psychiatry Telehealth team, and many thanks for all that you do!

From left to right : David Flax, MBA, MHA; Robert White, LCPC; Jill RachBeisel, MD; David Pruitt, MD; Andre Jackson; Kelly Coble, LCSW-C; and Afshan Qureshi, MBA.

Thank you for such a successful event, and we look forward to next year!
Dating Violence Awareness Month and
Prince George’s School Mental Health Initiative (PGSMHI)
On February 11 and in honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, students at Northwestern High School -- one of the school sites of the Prince George’s School Mental Health Initiative (PGSMHI) -- participated in a psycho-educational activity focused on healthy relationships.

The PGSMHI is directed by Dr. Dana Cunningham and is affiliated with the National Center for School Mental Health under the leadership of Drs. Nancy Lever and Sharon Hoover . Our PGSMHI extern, Claire Perkins Agbu and PGSMHI clinician, Carol Bazis, met with students in the cafeteria to discuss the signs of healthy relationships and promote mental health resources available to students.

Over 140 students shared their ideas about loving relationships on the hearts posted above and contributed to the group collage. 

Thank you, Dr. Cunningham!
PRESENTATIONS, TRAININGS, & WORKSHOPS
Visit from Duksung Women’s University
of Seoul, South Korea
On February 21, Dr. Sharon Hoover met with a team from Duksung Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea (pictured above) who were awarded the Global Challenger award to improve the health and well-being of South Koreans.

They chose the topic of school mental health related to the high suicide rates among Korean adolescents and limited availability of mental health supports. During this presentation and meeting, Dr. Hoover shared the work of the National Center for School Mental Health in our Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Thank you Dr. Hoover for your time!
Mental Health Technology Transfer Center
Regional Visit  

Drs. Kristin Scardamalia and Brittany Patterson , Assistant Professors of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, each facilitated one-day trainings and workshops on developing and improving comprehensive school mental health services in Jackson, Mississippi on February 6, and in Atlanta, Georgia on January 30.

The trainings were part of the National Center for School Mental Health’s work with the southeast region of the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. Participants included state leaders in education and mental health services, as well as school district personnel.

Thank you Drs. Scardamalia and Pattterson for serving as ambassadors and pioneers in this field and on behalf of the Department!
Kay Connors, MSW, LCSW-C , recently testified in support of the Hidden Predator Act and played an important role in sharing the latest research on child sexual abuse and mental health.
 
The bill passed in the House of Delegates (127-0) and is being heard by the Senate. It recognizes the rights of childhood sexual abuse survivors as they seek justice for past abuse and illegal acts, and the bill empowers survivors to move forward in their healing process.

Thank you Kay, and please keep us posted on the progress of the
Hidden Predator Act!
IN THE PRESS
Dr. Sharon Hoover was interviewed for a Minnesota Public Radio news story on school mental health.

The January 23 segment “In Many Minneapolis Schools, the Therapist is Just Down the Hall” addresses the benefits of school-based mental health services. Dr. Hoover shared her expertise, and discussed some of the positive outcomes seen from investing in school mental health.


Listen to the full news story !
PUBLICATIONS
Rachel Dillinger, MD , was recently appointed as Deputy Editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry Residents' Journal for 2020 - 2021.

Congratulations, Dr. Dillinger!
Teodor Postolache, MD , recently published several publications, including a book chapter for Springer Nature Switzerland , entitled "An Introduction to Circadian Endocrine Physiology: Implications for Exercise and Sports Performance."

He also published "Increased brain vitamin D receptor expression and decreased expression of cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide in individuals who died by suicide" in the Journal of Psychiatric Research , as well as "Periodontal Pathogens and Neuropsychiatric Health" in Current Topics in Medicine Chemistry .


WELCOME TO THE DEPARTMENT!
The Department would like to welcome Business Operations Manager Jennifer Johnson to the Department!

Jennifer will be working with the Division of Addiction Research and Treatment, and can be contacted at: Jennifer.Johnson@som.umaryland.edu.

Jennifer has worked in healthcare for more than 20 years, and has been in management for 19 years. She has worked in Perioperative Services, Ambulatory Outpatient Care, Gastroenterology, Infectious Disease and Epidemiology, Transport, Transplant, Marketing, Facilities, Patient Financial Services, Community Psychiatry, and Baltimore City Schools as a Paraprofessional in Special Education. 

She assisted with the development of the EPIC application for Transport that is rolled out to all UMMS hospitals that have Transport Departments. Jennifer attended Strayer University and graduated with an MBA in Management. 

She is currently in training at the Paca Pratt Building -- please take a moment to introduce yourselves!
Save-the-Dates!
Thanks for your patience as most of our events are now cancelled or postponed.
We will continue to keep you updated!

Rescheduled to September 10, 2020
Tuerk Conference
8:00 am-5:00 pm

Thanks to all for your contributions, and please email Lisa Cleary at lcleary@som.umaryland.edu with submissions. Our suggested categories include:

  • Clinical trials and studies
  • Community service
  • Education
  • Events, lectures, panels, & workshops
  • Faculty appointments
  • Grants and contracts, and collaborative opportunities
  • Honors and awards
  • IT news
  • Media press
  • Publications