May 2012  

Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, PhD (left), assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale, pictured with
Pamela S. Hyde, JD (right), Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services.

Delphin-Rittmon Joins Obama Administration as Senior Advisor on Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, has accepted a political appointment in the Administration of President Barack Obama as Senior Advisor to the Administrator in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Office of Policy, Planning, and Innovation. Read more 

According to a new study, the VA's Telemental Health Program, which uses video conferencing to connect patients with mental health care, is so successful that hospitalization rates among participating veterans dropped by 25 percent. Linda Godleski, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at Yale, is lead author. Read the study / Video report / APA session on telemental health 

Watch the latest episode of the Charlie Rose Brain Series featuring a panel of guests discussing the impacts of autism and advances in understanding the disorder. The panel included Yale's Matthew State, MD, PhD, Donald J. Cohen Professor in the Child Study Center and professor of psychiatry and of genetics. Watch the episode 

Resilience is complex and multidimensional in nature. Steven Southwick, MD, Glenn H. Greenberg Professor of Psychiatry, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Resilience, discusses how individuals can foster resilience and how science and environmental factors contribute. Listen to the Minnesota Public Radio Interview 

A recent Yale study suggests that genetic risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) is not disorder specific. This could mean that individuals with a positive family history of either PTSD or MDD are at elevated risk for both disorders and should be closely monitored after a traumatic experience. Carolyn Sartor, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, is lead author. Read more 

NIMH Director Thomas Insel, MD marks the "quiet resurgence" of psychiatry in the U.S., noting Yale's match statistics as evidence that "psychiatry has become the hot specialty for MD-PhD students". This year, half of Yale's incoming PGY-1 psychiatry residents will be MD-PhDs. Read the NIMH Director's Blog 

Seth Powsner, MD, professor of psychiatry and of emergency medicine at Yale, is the new president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry. His two-year term began this month at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting in Philadelphia. Since 2000, Dr. Powsner has served as Director of Yale-New Haven Hospital's Crisis Intervention Unit. Read more 

Last month, the VA New England Healthcare System announced that Mehmet Sofuoglu, MD, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at Yale, has been selected to serve as the Director of the VISN 1 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC). Dr. Sofuoglu has served as acting director of the Center since January 2011. Read more about the VISN 1 MIRECC 

In Women in Psychiatry, accomplished women psychiatrists reveal both the challenges and rewards of being in a wide array of professional positions. Esperanza Diaz, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at Yale, authored a chapter in this important volume. Contributors represent diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, positions, career pathways, and accomplishments. Read more 

The Chart, CNN's medical blog, posed reader questions on stress and anxiety to a panel of experts including Rajita Sinha, PhD, Foundations' Fund Professor of Psychiatry, professor in the Child Study Center and of neurobiology at Yale. Sinha is the director of Yale's Stress Center. Read part one / Read part two 

The Yale Department of Psychiatry is proud to announce the recipients of the 2012 Seymour Lustman Research Awards in Psychiatry, Chadi Abdallah, MD (left) and Kyle Williams, MD (right). Their research will be presented at the Department's Grand Rounds on Friday, June 1st. Read more 

Once again, Yale School of Medicine has the #1 ranked program for students interested in treating individuals with addictions, as evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. The magazine's annual "Best Medical Schools" list was released in March. Read more 

Photo Album: APA Alumni Reception   

View more photos from the 2012 APA Alumni Reception 

Conferences and CME Opportunities

Thurs, June 14, 2012: This conference will focus on the assessment of neuropsychiatric issues by providing guidelines to clinicians for initial recognition/management of HAND (HIV Associated Neurocognitive Disorders). Co-sponsored with the CT AIDS Education and Training Center. Read more 

Tues, June 19, 2012: This course will provide a timely update on new diagnostic guidelines and the potential integration of novel biomarkers in clinical practice. Current treatment strategies for Alzheimer's disease will be discussed, including those for behavioral and psychological symptoms. Co-sponsored with The Alzheimer's Association, CT Chapter. Read more and register online 

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 Makes Case for Consideration of Mental Health in Education Reform

In a recent column, Eric Arzubi, MD, a former resident in Yale's psychiatry department, argues the importance of including mental health considerations within education reform. Dr. Arzubi is a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow in the Yale Child Study Center and co-chairman of the Children's Committee of the Keep the Promise Coalition. Read the column 

Volume of Reflections in "Microstyle"

Dr. T. Byram Karasu's Maxims Minimus is well suited for this age of Twitter and text messages. He says, "Anything that cannot be said in 140 characters (or in 140 seconds) is not particularly worth saying." Dr. Karasu, an alumni of Yale's psychiatry residency, is University Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Psychiatrist-in-Chief of Montefiore Medical Center. Read more 

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, May 25, 2012; 10:15-11:45 am

Hormone Therapy and Cognitive Function: A Scientific Update 10 Years After the WHI

Pauline Maki, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and of Psychology, and Director of Women's Mental Health Research, University of Illinois at Chicago

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St

Details / Download to Your Calendar 

Friday, June 1, 2012; 10:15-11:45 am

The Lustman Research Awards

Chadi Abdallah, MD (left), Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; and Kyle Williams, MD (right), Child Integrated Resident, Yale School of Medicine

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St

Details / Download to Your Calendar 

Friday, June 8, 2012; 10:15-11:45 am

Commencement: "Further Evolution of Psychiatry in the Age of Health Care Reform: Implications for Career Development"

John M. Kane, MD; Professor and Chair of Psychiatry, Professor of Neurology and of Neuroscience, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine; Dr. E. Richard Feinberg Chair in Schizophrenia Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St

Details / Download to Your Calendar 

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

Chairman's Address: State of the Department 

John H. Krystal, MD, Robert L. McNeil Jr. Professor of Translational Research and Psychiatry Department Chair, 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.