September 2023

Greetings from Ann Arbor!

Fall is an exciting time of year in academic medicine — although our new residents and fellows have been here since mid-summer. We are excited to have welcomed 12 new adult-psychiatry residents, 14 psychiatry fellows across the addiction, child and adolescent, consultation-liaison, geriatrics, and forensics specialties, and 10 new psychology postdoctoral fellows across the adult, child, and neuro psychology specialties. All have begun rotating through various inpatient, ambulatory and VA clinical sites, for training that provides a solid core of fundamental knowledge. It is truly inspiring watching the next generation of leaders in the field grow and develop their skills each day.

In May, we hosted a U-M reception as part of the APA meeting in San Francisco. We were thrilled by the great turnout of our alumni and the positive feedback we received. We plan to continue this tradition and are already looking forward to seeing many of you in New York next year at the 2024 APA conference and reception.

On August 1, we celebrated a major milestone. James Abelson, M.D., Ph.D., our longtime director of the Anxiety Disorders Program, stepped down from his role after 27 years of distinguished and transformative leadership. We are delighted, however, that Sarah Bommarito, M.D., has taken the reins of the program. Dr. Bommarito brings with her tremendous credentials with expertise in burnout prevention, physician wellness, anxiety disorders, empathy in medicine, and more. See below for details on the legacy Dr. Abelson wishes to leave behind.

It wouldn’t be fall if our calendar wasn’t full of activities. We hope to see you at many of our upcoming events, which are made stronger by the participation of people like you whose interest and support enable our accomplishments across many fronts.

I hope you enjoy catching up on some of the happenings around here and that you will not hesitate to reach out with questions, feedback, or just to say hello. Your engagement and partnership mean the world to us, especially with your firsthand knowledge of the role our training program plays in your personal success. On behalf of our trainees, patients, and their families challenged by mental illness, please know how much we appreciate your commitment and connection.

Have a wonderful fall, and we hope to see you soon.

Support the Abelson/Curtis Legacy Fund for Anxiety

To honor Dr. James Abelson’s nearly three decades of leadership, the Department of Psychiatry announced the establishment of the Abelson/Curtis Legacy Fund which benefits the Anxiety Disorders Program while paying tribute to the founder of the program, George Curtis, M.D., and to Dr. Abelson for his many accomplishments over the years.

Gifts to the fund will support the program across research, care, and faculty support, continuing to build on the program’s many successes. Read about this new fund and please consider making a gift.

[The photo shows Dr. James Abelson and his successor, Dr. Sarah Bommarito.]

Giving back to support the next generation of psychiatrists

Ann and Stewart Teal first met at the University of Michigan, where Stewart was conducting his psychiatry residency and Ann was earning her Master of Social Work degree.

In 1970, the Teals returned to U-M for Stewart’s child/adolescent psychiatry fellowship. But northern California drew them back, in part because the University of California-Davis was just starting its child psychiatry program where Stewart joined the faculty as a clinical professor. Read more about Dr. Teal's life and his legacy.

Breaking Down Mental Health podcast 

A new podcast for health care providers and others that bridges the gap between medicine and psychiatry. It provides clinical guidance about various mental health topics from the very basic to the more complex.

Listen in.

Faculty Careers in the Department of Psychiatry

We invite you to check out our open faculty positions.

Please reach out to our Faculty Affairs Manager Jen Sullivan with your area(s) of interest and CV. We look forward to hearing from you!