February 2012 

In January, U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (left) announced a $2.5 million grant for the New Haven Mental Health Outreach for Mothers (MOMS) Partnership. DeLauro hugs Megan Veneema Smith, DrPH (right), assistant professor of psychiatry and principal investigator on the grant.

Photos: New Haven Independent

Grant will Assist Local Mothers with Mental Health Needs 

Yale University, city agencies, and community groups will work together to address the mental health needs of New Haven mothers thanks to a five-year, $2.5 million award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health. Megan Veneema Smith, DrPH, assistant professor of psychiatry, is principal investigator on the grant. New Haven Independent article / New Haven Register article 

The Yale Department of Psychiatry takes great pleasure in announcing the naming of Steven Southwick, MD the inaugural Glenn H. Greenberg Professor of Psychiatry, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Resilience. Dr. Southwick is a recognized expert on the psychological and neurobiological effects of extreme psychological trauma. Read more 

Tichianaa Armah, MD, a fourth-year resident in Yale's Department of Psychiatry, will receive the Vera Paster Award from the American Orthopsychiatric Association. This annual award recognizes an outstanding trainee in a mental health discipline for research and public service that contributes to the empowerment of people of color. Read more 

Convergencias is an annual conference focusing on current topics related to Mexico's development. For the first time, thanks in large part to first-year psychiatry resident Guillermo Valdés, MD, the conference features a panel on health that will include Mexican Secretary of Health Solomon Chertorivski. The health panel will take place on Saturday, February 25, 2012 here at Yale. Details / Register 

Experiencing stressful life events can reduce gray matter in critical regions of the brain that regulate emotion and important physiological functions, even in healthy individuals, Yale researchers report. Emily Ansell, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, is lead author of the study. Other authors are Kenneth Rando; Keri Tuit, PsyD; Joseph Guarnaccia, MD; and Rajita Sinha, PhD. Read more 

A new brain imaging study suggests stress activates areas of the brain associated with craving in cocaine-dependent women, while drug cues activate similar brain regions in cocaine-dependent men. Marc Potenza, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry, is first author and Rajita Sinha, PhD, Foundations' Fund Professor of Psychiatry, is senior author. Other Yale contributors include Kwang-ik Adam Hong, Cheryl Lacadie, Robert K. Fulbright, MD, and Keri Tuit, PsyD. Read more 

ABC Nightly News spoke with Gerard Sanacora, MD, PhD about the exciting potential of drugs that act on the brain's glutamate system and which may point the way to new treatments for depression. Dr. Sanacora is professor of psychiatry and director of the Yale Depression Research Program at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. Watch the video at ABCNews.com 

In honor of Connecticut Mental Health Center's 45th anniversary, the Center produced a video highlighting its unique history and the impact of the center's services in the lives of its clients. The video is now available online at the Psychiatry Department's YouTube channel. Watch the video 

The Annals of Internal Medicine recently published the work of Sarah Mourra, MD, fourth-year Yale Psychiatry Resident, as part of its "On Being a Doctor" series. The series features short essays on illuminating experiences in practice. Read One Thousand and One Nights (PDF)

Chinese psychiatrists will enhance their professional training as part of a new program designed by the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute (GHLI). During their study at Yale, the Chinese psychiatrists will visit Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital, the Veterans Administration West Haven campus, Connecticut Valley Hospital, Connecticut Mental Health Center, the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health, and the Institute of Living in Hartford. Read more 

"Dr. Ruth" Westheimer will be the featured speaker and honoree at the Yale Department of Psychiatry's annual Neuroscience Symposium. The event, geared towards the general public, will be held Saturday, March 31st, 2012. It is presented with the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), and in association with the Connecticut chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Read more and register 

Books by Yale Psychiatry Faculty  

The Psychiatric Report: Principles and Practice of Forensic Writing

Edited by Alec Buchanan, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and Michael A. Norko, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
Provides a theoretical background to psychiatric writing for the law and a practical guide to the preparation of the report. An essential guide for anyone required to write a psychiatric report. Read more 

Alumni Spotlight 

YSM Alum Leads Efforts to Provide Healthcare in Nepal  

Yale Medicine magazine features the work of Nyaya Health, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) started by three Yale students in 2005. Bibhav Acharya, MD, YSM '11, is currently the executive vice president of Nyaya Health. Read more / Nyaya Health web site 

SAVE THE DATE: Yale Reception at APA Annual Meeting    

Please join Yale Psychiatry at the American Psychiatric Association's 2012 Annual Meeting. At our reception, Aaron Beck, MD, Yale Medical School graduate and father of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), will be presented the Distinguished Alumni Award. The event will be held on Monday, May 7th, 2012 at the Union League of Philadelphia. More details will be forthcoming. Registration for the APA 2012 Annual Meeting has begun.

Alumni, please submit your news and updates to psychiatry@yale.edu.

Upcoming Grand Rounds

Please visit the Department's web calendar for more upcoming events.

Friday, February 10, 2012; 10:15-11:45 am

Resident Grand Rounds: "Patient-Sensitive Therapeutic Communication and Evidence-Based Practice: Alternatives or Allies?"

Paul L. Wachtel, PhD; Distinguished Professor, Doctoral Program, Clinical Psychology, City University of New York

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St

Details / Download to Your Calendar 

Friday, February 17, 2012; 10:15-11:45 am

Resident Grand Rounds: "A Psychobiological Model of Parenting"

Helena Rutherford, PhD; Associate Research Scientist, Yale Child Study Center with Linda Mayes, MD; Professor in the Child Study Center, of Public Health, of Pediatrics and of Psychology, Yale University

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St

Details / Download to Your Calendar 

Friday, February 24, 2012; 10:15-11:45 am

The State of the Medical School

Robert Alpern, MD; Ensign Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) and Dean, Yale School of Medicine

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St

Details / Download to Your Calendar 

Grand Rounds video archive

The Department's web site includes videos of past Grand Rounds presentations. Talks will be added as they are digitized.