Psychiatry@Yale [April 2012]

April 2012

Current Yale medical student and soon-to-be Yale psychiatry resident Ryan Blum (second from right) is shown the rest of his class by David Ross, MD, PhD, assistant professor and associate program director of the department's residency (far right). Blum's wife Daniela, a social worker at the Yale Child Study Center, and eighteen-month-old daughter Norah look on with Mark Mercurio, MD, professor of pediatrics.
Photo credit: Michael Marsland/Yale University

Department Celebrates Another Successful Residency Match

Last month, medical students from as near as Yale and as far as South Africa learned they had matched to Yale's psychiatry residency program.

"We are very pleased with this year's results," said Robert Rohrbaugh, MD, professor of psychiatry, deputy chair for education and career development, and residency program director. "The residency class of 2016 is an incredibly talented and diverse group." Read more

Record Number of Applications for Psychology Section Match

The chief of the department's psychology section Rajita Sinha, PhD, and its director of clinical training, Michael Hoge, PhD, are pleased to announce the twenty-one fellows who will join the department's psychology pre-doctoral internship program in July. This year, the program received a record 359 applications. Read more

More Data on Sexuality Needed, Says "Dr. Ruth"

Dr. Ruth Headshot 100x100 On Saturday, March 31st, "Dr. Ruth" Westheimer visited Yale as the featured guest at Neuroscience 2012, an event organized by the Yale School of Medicine's department of psychiatry. Her remarks were peppered with the same playful, forceful verve that made her a household name. Westheimer, a lecturer in the department, pressed for additional research on human sexuality. Read more

Genetic Mutations at Conception Linked to Autism

About 15 percent of autism cases in families with a single autistic child are associated with spontaneous mutations that occur in sex cells, Yale researchers report in the April 4 issue of the journal Nature. Matthew State, MD, PhD, Donald J. Cohen Professor of Child Psychiatry, professor of psychiatry and of genetics, and co-director of the Yale Program on Neurogenetics, is senior author. Yale news release / New York Times article

Why Women Might Find it Harder to Stop Smoking

A new study suggests the regulatory effects of nicotine in the brain are distinctly different between men and women. All authors are from Yale, including Kelly Cosgrove, PhD (left); Irina Esterlis, PhD; Sherry McKee, PhD; Frederic Bois, PhD; John Seibyl, MD; Carolyn Mazure, PhD; Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, PhD; Julie Staley, PhD; Marina Picciotto, PhD; and Stephanie O'Malley, PhD (right). Read more

Tobacco Increases Marijuana Risks

A review of literature reveals that cannabis users who also smoke tobacco are more dependent on cannabis, have more psychosocial problems, and have poorer cessation outcomes than those who use cannabis but not tobacco. The converse does not appear to be the case. Yale authors of the paper, which appeared in the Journal Addiction, are Erica Peters, PhD (left) and Kathleen Carroll, PhD (right). Read more

This is Your Brain in Meltdown

The current issue of Scientific American features a cover story about stress and the brain authored by Yale's Amy Arnsten, PhD (left); Carolyn Mazure, PhD (center); and Rajita Sinha, PhD (right). Read more / Yale library link

Surgeon General Releases New Report on Youth Smoking

Yale's Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry, is a contributing author of the Surgeon General's latest report on tobacco use among youth. Released March 8th, the report details the scope, health consequences and influences that lead to youth tobacco use and strategies that prevent its use. Read the report

Advancing Care for OCD: From Laboratory to Clinic

Lab research and clinical work are different, yet complimentary, approaches to mental health research. According to Christopher Pittenger, MD, PhD, when these approaches come together, researchers can build connections across findings that may appear inconsistent at first glance. Dr. Pittenger is the director of the Yale OCD Research Clinic and runs a lab at CMHC's Abraham Ribicoff Research Facilities. Read more

Diaz Honored as Outstanding Mentor of Psychiatric Trainees

Esperanza Diaz, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at Yale, will receive the inaugural Area 1 American Psychiatric Association Member-in-Training Mentor Award. Dr. Diaz is medical director of the Connecticut Mental Health Center's Hispanic Clinic and the Connecticut Latino Behavioral Health System, and is an associate program director of the Yale School of Medicine's psychiatry residency. Read more

Duman Named to CT Academy of Science and Engineering

Ronald Duman, PhD, the Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry, professor of pharmacology and neurobiology, and director of CMHC's Abraham Ribicoff Research Facilities, has been elected to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of science. Read more

Trevisan Receives APA Teaching Award

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) and its Council on Medical Education and Lifelong Learning have selected Louis Trevisan, MD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, as a recipient of the Nancy C.A. Roeske, MD, Certificate of Recognition for Excellence in Medical Student Education. Read more

Kirwin Starts Term as Head of Geriatric Psychiatry Assoc.

Paul Kirwin, MD, associate professor of psychiatry, took the presidential reins of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) at its annual meeting in March. His keynote speech touched on government policies concerning the frail elderly, educational incentives in the field of geriatric psychiatry, and Medicare payment reform. Read more (MedScape log-in required)

Can Mindfulness Help You Quit Smoking?

In a Q&A with Psychology Today, Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and medical director of the Yale Therapeutic Neuroscience Clinic, discusses how practicing mindfulness might help smokers quit for good. Read more

Funding Will Aid Study of Bipolar Disorder in Adolescence

The International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF) will fund a project exploring the development of bipolar disorder in adolescence led by Hilary Blumberg, MD, associate professor of psychiatry, in the Child Study Center and of diagnostic radiology. Blumberg is the director of the Mood Disorders Research Program at Yale. Read more

Photo Albums

Southwick named Greenberg Professor of Psychiatry / Neuroscience 2012 with "Dr. Ruth"

Conferences and CME Opportunities

8th Annual Yale NEA-BPD Conference

Fri, May 4, 2012: This conference will address difficulties with impulsive aggression in individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, including basic clinical research, neuroscience, forensic treatment development, psychopharmacology, and consumer and family member perspectives. Read more and register online

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Related Conditions

Tues, May 22, 2012: This course will enable participants to: 1) distinguish the typical clinical presentation of OCD and related disorders, 2) practice standard evidence-based pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy for OCD and related disorders, and 3) be aware of current directions in OCD research, including experimental therapeutic approaches for refractory cases. Read more and register online

The Development of the Parent as a Person

Fri, July 20 and Sat, July 21, 2012: This unique clinical-research conference is built around a clinical case in which the patient's parents and children were part of an intensive treatment process at Austen Riggs. The CME-eligible conference will examine how cutting-edge findings clarify and deepen our understanding of both competent and problematic parenting. The event will be held at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, MA. Read more and register online

Alumni Spotlight

Alum Co-Edits Psychotherapy Volume

Julia B. Frank, MD, former Yale psychiatry resident and fellow, has co-edited a volume titled The Psychotherapy of Hope: The Legacy of Persuasion and Healing. This collection of essays by distinguished contemporary scholars broadly assesses the current state of research and practice in psychotherapy. Dr. Frank is associate professor of psychiatry and director of medical student education in psychiatry at George Washington University. Details

RSVP Online: Yale Reception at APA Annual Meeting

Please join Yale's Department of Psychiatry at the American Psychiatric Association's 2012 Annual Meeting. At our reception, to be held Monday, May 7th, 2012 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Union League of Philadelphia, Aaron T. Beck, MD '46, father of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), will be presented the Distinguished Alumni Award. Details and register online