Hamilton leads nutrition community health program

Jane Hamilton, PhD, MPH, associate professor in the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, recently received a Houston Methodist Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Grant to address food security, an often overlooked social determinant of health, among people who were formerly chronically homeless residing at Temenos Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) in Midtown Houston.


To develop and implement a nutrition-focused community health worker intervention at Temenos PSH, Hamilton has partnered with UTHealth School of Public Health, St. John’s United Methodist Church programs: Bread of Life and Temenos PSH, Second Servings, and the University of Minnesota Cooperative Extension SNAP-Ed Program.


According to Hamilton, homeless individuals often suffer from serious mental illness (SMI) in addition to being homeless. In fact, homelessness is often chronic among the serious mental illness population.


She says there’s a misconception that ending homelessness through placement in PSH will automatically improve the individual’s overall health. Research shows that although the homelessness may end, health problems can continue to exist due to a lack of access to and knowledge about healthy eating and cooking practices.


To combat this, Hamilton and her team are developing and implementing a nutrition-focused community health care worker intervention to achieve health equity in this vulnerable population. Hamilton says they will incorporate an "empowerment model" within the intervention, to engage Temenos residents and reduce food insecurity.


Community health workers will be based at Temenos PSH as part of Hamilton’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-funded UTHealth Houston HOMES program and will provide nutrition education, help with access to food benefits, meal planning, and stocking pantries to ensure there is nutritious food in resident apartments. Other services provided by community health workers will include grocery store field trips, cooking supervision, group cooking classes, developing a cookbook with the residents, and planting and maintaining a community garden.


Hamilton says the goal of the community health care worker intervention initiative is to improve food security, which is defined a household having access to adequate safe and nutritious foods. Food insecurity is high among the homeless population, particularly those who are transitioning into housing.


Hamilton has done a lot of work with the homeless population. Through all her projects, her motivation is to address social determinants of health to help achieve better health overall.

“We really feel honored to get this grant,” Hamilton said. “Partnering with a church and the community in collaboration with a school of public health is a really great way to address health disparities among hard-to-reach populations.”



Click here to see more information about health equity and outcomes.   

Faculty spotlight:

Emhoff carries out passion at UTHealth Houston HCPC

Stephanie Emhoff, PhD, assistant professor in the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, recently joined the faculty after completing her postdoctoral fellowship with the UTHealth Houston Trauma and Resilience Center.


Emhoff grew up in Michigan, attending Michigan State University, where she completed her undergraduate degree. She attended graduate school at the University of Albany-State University of New York, where she received her degree in clinical psychology. In 2018, she did both her predoctoral and postdoctoral at UTHealth Houston.


While at Michigan State, Emhoff originally set out to complete her pre-med degree to become a psychiatrist. She took a few psychology classes and found out she was more interested in the therapy side.


Her focus is providing trauma-focused interventions for those who have experienced traumatic events in their life, such as abuse, neglect, or injury. While pursing her undergraduate degree, Emhoff took a part-time job, working with youth at a residential treatment center. She says that experience solidified her decision to go into psychology.


Currently, Emhoff oversees psychology services on the juvenile probation unit at UTHealth Houston Harris County Psychiatric Center. She provides clinical supervision and training to predoctoral psychology interns and practicum students.


One of Emhoff’s goals is to expand the service provided to underserved populations dealing with trauma. She says, according to research, the majority of youth in the juvenile justice system experience some type of trauma in their lives, yet never receive treatment.


Emhoff enjoys the many tasks included in her job. She is thankful to her mentors while she was in her training programs and is excited to help mold the next set of psychologists coming through the same program she did.


“It’s really fun to be able to be a part of that next generation of psychologists,” Emhoff said. “To see them get excited about this type of work and their passion grow is fulfilling.”

In her spare time, Emhoff likes spending time with her two kittens and dog. She also enjoys trying all the different restaurants Houston has to offer. 

Psychiatry team wins MindGames competition

(left to right) Caroline McCool, MD; Hunter Hinman, MD, Gauri Wable, MD, PhD

Caroline McCool, MD; Hunter Hinman, MD; and Gauri Wable, MD, PhD, teamed up to compete and win the annual resident competition MindGames earlier this month.


MindGames is a national residency team competition hosted by the American Psychiatric Association as a fun way for residents to test their knowledge on patient care, medical knowledge, and psychiatric history. Teams from all across the United States compete against each other on a preliminary qualifying exam, and the top three teams advance to a live Jeopardy-style final round.


The residents were invited to compete together by Vineeth John, MD, MBA, professor and vice chair for education. McCool had participated on previous teams, while Wable and Hinman were competing for the first time. Team members emphasized this was a total department effort to win the competition.


The department has enjoyed success in this competition in previous years, winning in 2008, 2012, and 2013. Though it is a friendly competition, the team members wanted to perform well for the department.


“I think it did increase the priority for me, knowing we as a department had performed so well in the past,” Hinman said. “I wanted to do the faculty members who supported us proud.”


“We have a strong legacy of performing well at MindGames,” McCool said. “A lot of previous MindGames team members are now faculty at the department and gave us helpful tips.”


All three not only enjoyed winning MindGames, but also found a bond with each other while competing.


“For me, it was fun being with Callie and Hunter during the qualifiers,” Wable said. “I really enjoyed our preparation time together.”


John expressed his pride in the team winning the department’s fourth MindGames Trophy.


“It is our hope that the team's success could galvanize our trainees to aspire for national honors and awards,” John said. “The exhilaration of winning is unparalleled. Along with that comes the awareness of the richness of our field which finds itself at the intersection of varied disciplines coalescing into a glorious mix of culture, art, movies, and literature.”


Read more about MindGames here.

Gilmore-Thomas accepted into fellowship program

Adrienne Gilmore-Thomas, PhD, was recently accepted into the Addiction Scientists Strengthened through Education and Training (ASSET) R25 Fellowship Program provided by San Diego State University and sponsored through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).


Gilmore-Thomas works in the UTHealth Houston Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction (CNRA), specifically with patients that are suffering from both addiction and mental health disorders.


ASSET works to develop a group of young professionals to become addictions scientists. This is done through the R25 training grant that NIDA provides that was awarded to Maria Zuniga, PhD, and Eileen Pitpitan, PhD, of San Diego State University. Six fellows are sponsored for a 12-week session in the summer. Skills taught in this time include:


  • Manuscript and grant writing
  • Presentation skills
  • Community-engaged substance use research
  • Network-building
  • Mentoring


Gilmore-Thomas learned about the program through the Texas Development Center for AIDS Research, where she’s part of the substance abuse scientific working group. After learning of the program and with the support of her mentors, Joy Schmitz, PhD, and Angela Heads, PhD, she was accepted into the program.


Through ASSET, Gilmore-Thomas will have the opportunity to develop a research project, which will act as a preliminary study to apply for later grants through NIDA. Gilmore-Thomas plans to focus on the initiation and retention of individuals in cocaine use treatment.


With her mentors through ASSET and at UTHealth Houston, Gilmore-Thomas hopes to develop a program that will allow her to become an independent researcher. She is eager to get started.


“I’m genuinely excited,” Gilmore-Thomas said. “This is the first research fellowship I’ve applied to and received. Because this is a training program, I’ll be able to learn so much.”


Learn more about the ASSET Program here

Early bird registration currently open for 2022 UTHealth Houston Addictions Conference

The UTHealth Houston Addictions Conference will be held on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 26 and 27, at the Sarofim Research Building, 1825 Pressler St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days.


Addiction is a complex brain disease that affects millions of Americans with far-reaching and devastating consequences. Scientific research has advanced our understanding of addiction neurobiology and its treatment, using an array of effective behavioral and pharmacological interventions. 


Experts will talk about models for integrating addiction medicine into primary care, along with efforts to improve substance abuse education and training for medical students, physicians, and other health care professionals. Other novel models for closing the gap will be showcased, including integration of addiction treatment with behavioral health care services for people experiencing homelessness, with co-occurring mental health conditions, or living with or affected by HIV. 


The conference is open to medical professionals, nurses, social workers, residents, fellows, and other trainees. For those who attend, up to 12.0 hours of continuing medical education credits are available. Early bird registration is currently open and will end on July 31.


Contact marketing coordinator, Aaron Zapata, at Aaron.Zapata@uth.tmc.edu. Scan the QR code below for registration information. 

Upcoming Conferences!

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

We are conducting a study to develop adaptive treatment interventions; that is, 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)

This study aims to examine the safety and efficacy of allogenic mesenchymal stem cells as an adjunctive treatment of treatment-resistant bipolar depression. Patients will be assigned into a treatment or a placebo group.
Contact: 713-486-2627

The UTHealth Houston Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders at the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is collaborating with LivaNova, a global medical technology company, to start a new clinical trial – the “RECOVER study” – to help treat depression.
Contact: 713-486-2627

To see all open studies, visit our website.
Publications
In the news

The role of lithium treatment on comorbid anxiety symptoms in patients with bipolar depression - Pub Med.Gov - June 2022

Gregory JonesCarola RongCourtney M VeceraChristopher I GurguisRoshan Chudal, Rushaniya KhairovaEdison LeungAna C RuizLokesh ShahaniMarcus V ZanettiRafael T de SousaGeraldo BusattoJair SoaresWagner F GattazRodrigo Machado-Vieira


A narrative review on invasive brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression - Pub Med.Gov - June 2022

Manoj P DandekarAlexandre P DiazZiaur RahmanRitele H SilvaZiad NahasScott AaronsonSudhakar SelvarajAlbert J FenoyMarsal SanchesJair C SoaresPatricio Riva-PosseJoao Quevedo


Addressing Physical, Functional, and Physiological Outcomes in Older Adults using an Integrated mHealth Intervention “Active for Life”: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial - Gavin Publishers - May 2022

Teresa J Kelechi, Melba A Hernandez-Tejada, Sundaravadivel Balasubramanian, John Bian, Moby Madisetti, Alexis Nagel



Ron Acierno, PhD, was quoted in the Texas Tribune about the fear teachers face in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting.


Acierno was also a guest on segments of the Doug Pike Fifty+ show. He spoke about how to mentally deal with the fallout of a tragedy like the one in Uvalde (10:15 mark).


Leslie Taylor, PhD, talked to FOX 26 News about ways parents can talk to their children after the Uvalde tragedy.


Cristian Zeni, PhD, MD, was interviewed by Univision Houston Channel 45 on the same topic.


Sanjay Adhia, MD, spoke to KHOU-TV Channel 11 about the mental health of active shooters.


Michael Weaver, MD, talked to The Daily Beast about how a brain injury could affect an addiction to a substance.


Daryl Knox, MD, was interviewed by The Carlat Report about minimizing the use of seclusion and restraints within the psychiatric patient population.


Join our mail list
We appreciate your donation!
Contact us

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

713-486-2500

Email

Website

Connect with us:
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram