It is spring in Texas! We have a diversity of trainees graduating and as many coming in as new learners: medical students, residents of all kinds, clinical psychologists, neuropsychologists. Our first class of psychiatric advanced practice providers are graduating from our department. The more diverse the workforce in psychiatry, the better care our department provides. We are proud of each and every trainee, when they start and when they finish. On April 8, we had a very rare and special occurrence, a solar eclipse. It was our good fortune to be in the "totality" band. Many of us watched the whole display. What beauty nature can provide!

Special thanks to Laura Lacritz, Ph.D., and the psychology admissions team for their hard work in putting this wonderful new class together!

NAMIWalks North Texas will take place Saturday, May 18, 2024, 9 -11:30 a.m., at Riders Field.

Please register for the team by April 25.

Davon Breedlove, a clinical psychology Ph.D. program student, spent time in Nashville serving as a community partner to the R.E.A.L. Program, engaging with youth participants diverted from the juvenile court system. This program, along with others, is highlighted in the new MAX docuseries Justice, USA, where viewers can see Davon working as a group facilitator.

All of our Graduate Medical Education programs received "Continued Accreditation" from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education! Each letter included the following commendation: "The Review Committee commends the program for its demonstrated substantial compliance with the Program Requirements without any new citations." This accomplishment is very impressive and the result of hard work. Many thanks to all of our program directors and coordinators!

UT Southwestern’s PACT Program celebrates employees and faculty who exemplify Problem Solving; Ability, Attitude, and Accountability; Communications and Compassion; Teamwork. Recognition can come from managers, coworkers, internal or external customers, faculty, patients, or visitors.

There are four levels of PACT pins: Blue (4 PACT cards), Silver (8), Gold (16), and Platinum (achieved by reaching Gold status 5 times).

Donald Egan, M.D., a third-year resident, was invited to speak at the Future Leaders in Psychiatry Program on "Storytelling in Your Medical School Application."

Amor Correa, Ph.D., was selected as an Expert Review Panel Member by the test publishing company Psychological Assessment Resources. Dr. Correa will work on an updated version of the Personality Assessment Inventory.

Eric Shellhorn, M.S.N., APRN, PMH-NP (bc), presented for the Office of Advanced Practice Providers lecture series on Outpatient Suicide Assessment and at the Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurses of North Texas conference on Death on the Front Porch: Brain, Biology, and a Mother's Terror.

Frederick Hitti, M.D., Ph.D., has been selected to receive a Distinguished Researcher Award from UTSW's President's Research Council.

Nivi Sriram, a rising 4th year medical student, received the highly competitive and prestigious New Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP). Nivi, who is mentored by Manish Jha, M.D., will give a research presentation at the 2024 ASCP meeting in Miami.

Nicholas Westers, Psy.D., presented Caring for Adolescents Who Engage in Non-Suicidal Self-Journey: Advances in Risk Assessment & Treatment at the 2024 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine meeting and spoke in a session for the special interest group of professionals trained in mental health service and research.

Graduating medical student Michael Nemeh, mentored by Chad Lane, M.D., developed a medical student course for decreasing stigma in the treatment of patients with Functional Neurological Disorder and presented the poster 'They Told Me It's All in My Head': Reducing Stigma of Functional Neurological Disorder by Educating Medical Students on the Philosophy of the Mind. Dr. Nemeh will train in psychiatry at the University of California - San Francisco.

Peyton McDuffee, an Adolescent and Young Adult team research assistant at the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, presented Implementing Age-Appropriate Screening in Medical Oncology: Strategies for Troubleshooting Barriers.

Graduate students are invited to apply for the inaugural OBI Graduate Student Award Symposium scheduled for October 17-18, 2024.

Selected applicants will deliver invited talks on their research and receive an honorarium. The two-day event will provide opportunities for the award winners to explore postdoctoral positions with Investigators and learn about mentoring and funding programs that support early career scientists. The application deadline is Tuesday, April 30.

Friday, May 10, 2024; 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

T. Boone Pickens Auditorium, NG 0.3112

Short talks, poster sessions, and social opportunities will be included. View the agenda for details and register for Research Day.

To ensure that funding will be available throughout the year for travel grants, we are making a change from rolling applications to having several open application periods throughout the year. If you have already submitted an application and are awaiting a decision, no action is needed. Find more information here.

Select Wednesdays at Noon

Watch for Emails with Calendar Invites, CME Codes, and Zoom Links

Friday, April 19, 2024

The Functional Neurological Disorder Multidisciplinary Program will be hosting an educational symposium with interdepartmental collaborations. CME will be provided. Email Dr. Chad Lane for more information.

The Promotion and Tenure Committee ensures faculty members understand the academic advancement timeline and criteria for each distinct academic rank and track. On Friday, April 19, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., a virtual session will be held for the Clinician-Educator/Clinician track. Register here.

The Southwestern Academy of Teachers Small Grants Program is now accepting applications. If you are a faculty member or trainee working in collaboration with a UT Southwestern faculty member, you could be eligible for up to $3,500 per project. These grants are intended to fund education research projects related to the teaching priorities of the UT Southwestern schools. In turn, the program promotes educational research conducted by faculty and staff and innovation in the UTSW educational community. The submission deadline is May 1.

The Psychiatry Department is hosting with colleagues from around the country a free learning event on May 7, 8:30-11:30am, in NG3.112:

Overcoming and Addressing Stigma in Substance Use Disorders (OASIS)

We invite all to attend. View the flyer for more information and a QR code for registration.

Tuesday, May 14, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This day-long event is an interactive forum on ethical issues led by the course directors and guided by some of the current literature on this topic. Elizabeth Heitman, Ph.D., will be on the discussion panel. For more information and registration, visit the webpage. 

Tuesday, May 14, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (online only)

William A. Nelson, Ph.D., M.Div.

Professor and Director, Geisel Ethics and Values Program, Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

While there is no fee to attend, participants must register. Register to attend virtually. Upon registration, participants will receive the Zoom ID and link to join the webinar. For additional information, please see the announcement.

Friday, June 7, 2024

This CME-certified program features interactive workshops on the topics of personal, professional, and system efficiency improvement. Register to attend.