Dunn Center is thriving nearly two years later | |
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Twenty months after it first opened, the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center at UTHealth Houston is fulfilling its promise by offering unique services, such as a hair salon and music therapy room, while nearly halving the waitlist for people seeking acute psychiatric inpatient services.
With all 11 units now fully open, the award-winning hospital – which combined with the nearby UTHealth Houston Harris County Psychiatric Center makes up the largest academic psychiatric campus in the country – has also contributed to the decrease in the forensic waitlist with 120 new beds. In addition, UTHealth Houston providers have assessed more than 6,000 patients, admitted over 2,500, treated more than 500 competency restoration patients, and performed over 1,300 ECT procedures in the new Center for Interventional Psychiatry.
As part of the treatment program at Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center, patients can have their hair trimmed and styled by hair care ministry Have Shears Will Travel barbers and stylists like Arron McLaurin, Oenita Tatum, and Matthew Flores. Others can enjoy the instruments in the music therapy room, exercise in the gym, or feel the sun in the landscaped center courtyard.
Congratulations and a big thank you to Texas Health and Human Services, the John S. Dunn Foundation, and the 253 nurses, 224 psych techs, 58 psych interns and 43 social services clinicians, as well as all the faculty and staff, who serve our patients every day.
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Gilmore-Thomas receives grant to further study | |
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Adrienne Gilmore-Thomas, PhD, program manager with the UTHealth Houston Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction in the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, was recently awarded a $10,000 pilot grant from the Addiction Scientists Strengthened through Education and Training (ASSET) program to conduct a research project.
Gilmore-Thomas has been in the ASSET program, provided by San Diego State University and sponsored through the National Institute on Drug Abuse, for a little more than a year. Her project, “Barriers to treatment for stimulant use: A focus on predisposing beliefs and need factors,” will look at patients having co-occurring disorders and their resistance to seeking treatment. This pilot study will enroll 125 patients.
The population Gilmore-Thomas is working with are patients with addiction disorders who also suffer from mood disorders, such as depression or anxiety. She hypothesizes that cognition and emotional regulation can predict whether or not a patient will seek treatment.
Gilmore-Thomas plans to survey patients on what they think about receiving treatments; how they are functioning in their lives, such as having the ability to make appointments and arrive to work on time; and whether they are able to attend recreational events. She then plans to see if she can link the patient's substance use problems with their ability to accomplish these functions.
The last aspect of Gilmore-Thomas’ study is a brief intervention that measures a person’s cognition, their ability to control their emotions, and their ability to think in a flexible way. Since this patient population can often experience negative effects from substance use, she hopes when patients are presented with these results, it will encourage them to seek treatment programs.
Gilmore-Thomas was motivated to start this work because of her past work in the community. She takes pride in caring and providing treatment for those with complex co-occurring disorders.
“I’ve been so excited to receive this grant,” Gilmore-Thomas said. “I’ve been so blessed and so fortunate. I have so many people thank and express gratitude to that made all this possible.”
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Adaralegbe wins fellowship award | |
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Adeleye Adaralegbe, MD, PhD, second-year resident at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, was recently selected as a 2024 Nyapati Rao and Francis Lu International Medical Graduate (IMG) Fellowship Award winner. By being selected, Adaralegbe will be able to attend the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT) annual meeting held in Austin in February 2024.
Only five IMG Fellowships are awarded each year. The IMG Fellowship application requires a proposal for an education innovation project. To be selected, the proposed project is evaluated based on background and gap analysis, goals, approach, outcomes, and dissemination plan.
Adaralegbe’s project involves the development of an interactive, experiential course in dementia knowledge test for psychiatry trainees that is delivered online or face to face with the goals of enhancing knowledge, inspiring curiosity, and accentuating lifelong learning.
Neurocognitive disorders often present with mood, personality, and behavioral changes, sometimes resulting in their misdiagnosis as primary psychiatric disorders. On the other hand, cognitive symptoms among patients with psychiatric disorders are common. Given the considerable overlap in the clinical presentation of patients with dementia and other psychiatric conditions, distinguishing between the two groups of patients may be challenging. Adaralegbe thinks psychiatrists would benefit from a better understanding of the diverse and manifold clinical features of various neurocognitive disorders, as their accurate diagnosis is crucial for accessing appropriate treatment in a timely fashion.
As part of the fellowship, Adaralegbe will be assigned a mentor who will work with him throughout the year on his proposed project. Mentors are psychiatrists that have made valuable contributions to the field as educators, researchers, clinicians, and administrators.
Adaralegbe is very excited to be accepted into the fellowship and is looking forward to working on his project.
“I believe that the project and mentorship will better prepare my future career goals in academic psychiatry,” Adaralegbe said.
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Spotlight:
Giridharan awarded UTHRO Endowment
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The Institute on Aging (IoA) collaborated with The University of Texas Houston Retiree Organization (UTHRO) Endowment for Healthy Aging to fund a $5000 seed grant for junior faculty at UTHealth Houston. The award supports gerontology-focused studies by UTHealth Houston faculty with initial research expenditures. The pilot grants are intended to assist awardees in obtaining larger sources of funding for their research.
The 2023 UTHRO Endowment for Healthy Aging Award recipient is Vijayasree Vayalanellore Giridharan, PhD, assistant professor in the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, for her research proposal entitled “Associating Neuropsychiatric Outcomes and Intestinal Barrier Permeability in Elderly Post-COVID-19 Survivors.”
Giridharan’s project explores the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has disproportionately impacted older adults, underscoring the need to comprehend the long-term effects on this vulnerable population. Understanding the interplay between COVID-19, gut microbiome changes, and neuropsychiatric outcomes is crucial for geriatrics. This research informs strategies to develop tailored interventions to enhance the health and well-being of older adults, offering insights into the aging process, and the intricacies of the gut-brain axis with broader implications in neuropsychiatry.
Giridharan is excited to continue her research. She is grateful for UTHRO and IoA’s recognition of her work and commitment to advancing the realm of healthy aging.
“I am truly honored and thrilled to receive the 2023 UTHRO Endowment for Healthy Aging Award which empowers junior faculty like myself to make impactful strides in enhancing health care for older adults,” Giridharan said. “This grant not only bolsters my investigation into the crucial connection between neuropsychiatric outcomes and intestinal barrier permeability in elderly post-COVID-19 survivors but also acts as a catalyst for making broader contributions to the field of gerontology.”
Read more about UTHRO here.
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The following clinical trials are in operation, following all necessary safety guidelines. If you're interested, contact the appropriate study.
The Effects of Abstinence on EEG Power and Attention in Cocaine Use Disorder
The purpose of this study is to compare the brain processes involved in attention of current cocaine users and those who have been abstinent for at least one month. These brain responses are expected to help us understand how the brain recovers after no longer using cocaine and to identify attention problems that can be addressed in future treatments.
Contact: 713-500-DRUG (3784)
PEA for Bipolar Depression
The purpose of this six-week study is to test a novel antidepressant medication called PEA (palmitoylethanolamide) in addition to a mood stabilizer for patients with Bipolar Disorder. This medication is considered a nutraceutical that works by targeting the endocannabinoid system to reduce inflammation and may help reduce symptoms of depression.
Contact: 713-486-MOOD (6663)
COVID-19 Bereavement in Youth
The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of pandemic-related bereavement in children and adolescents.
Contact: psy.ccbstudy@uth.tmc.edu
To see all open studies, visit our website.
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Mitochondrial health index correlates with plasma circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA in bipolar disorder - Molecular Psychiatry - September 2023
Rafaela C. Cordeiro, Camila N. C. Lima, Gabriel R. Fries, Giovana Zunta-Soares, Jair C. Soares, João Quevedo, Giselli Scaini
Environmental Enrichment Rescues Oxidative Stress and Behavioral Impairments Induced by Maternal Care Deprivation: Sex- and Developmental-Dependent Differences - PubMed - November 2023
Gislaine Z Réus, Morgana S Abitante, Luana M Manosso, Airam B de Moura, Laura A Borba, Maria Eduarda M Botelho, Ana Caroline Darabas, Julia P Demo, João Paulo Behenck, Camila O Arent, Leandro Garbossa, Larissa Joaquim, Taiane A Cardoso, Fabricia Petronilho, João Quevedo
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Luis Fernandez-Wische, MD, spoke to FOX 26 News about how to cope with the holiday blues.
Jennifer Bahrman, PhD, was quoted in a Healthline Wellness Wire newsletter about why people enjoy true crime.
Ronald Acierno, PhD, was interviewed by Everyday Health about how to access mental health care for military members and veterans.
Jin Ho Yoon, PhD, spoke to FOX 26 News about the importance of minimizing exposure to smoking and secondhand smoke as the City of Sugar Land reviews its ordinances and zoning for tobacco, hookah, and vaping businesses.
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Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
713-486-2500
Email
Website
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