February 2014  

First-year psychiatry residents and their partners attend the play Freud's Last Session at TheaterWorks in Hartford, Conn. with the department chair, residency program directors, and chief residents.

The January 2014 issue of The Residents' Journal, a publication of The American Journal of Psychiatry, features five articles authored by Yale trainees. Ryan Blum, MD; Katherine Michaelsen, MD; Rajiv Radhakrishnan, MBBS, MD; Simha Ravven, MD; Tobias Wasser, MD; and Samuel Wilkinson, MD contributed articles related to the topic of forensic psychiatry. Dr. Wasser, program-wide chief resident, served as the issue's guest section editor. Download the issue (PDF) 

Activation of a single type of neuron in the prefrontal cortex can spur a mouse to eat more - a finding that may pinpoint an elusive mechanism the human brain uses to regulate food intake. Benjamin Land, PhD (left), postdoctoral associate in psychiatry, is lead author. Ralph DiLeone, PhD (right), associate professor of psychiatry and of neurobiology, is senior author. The article appears in Nature Neuroscience. Read more / View the article 

Yale researchers have developed a computer-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program to treat substance abuse and dependence, and report that it results in better outcomes both in the near term and over time. The findings appear in The American Journal of Psychiatry. Kathleen Carroll, PhD, the Albert E. Kent Professor of Psychiatry and director of the Psychotherapy Development Center at Yale, is lead author. Read more 

A study published in Biological Psychiatry provides the first in vivo evidence of β2-subunit-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor upregulation in tobacco dependent individuals with schizophrenia. The study also reports that lower receptor availability was related to poorer behavioral outcomes, suggesting a new target for medications to treat symptoms of schizophrenia. Irina Esterlis, PhD (left), assistant professor of psychiatry and of diagnostic radiology, is first author. Deepak Cyril D'Souza, MBBS, MD (right), professor of psychiatry, is senior author. View the article 

Researchers studying meditators have found that a more selfless variety of love actually turns off the same reward areas that light up when lovers see each other. Kathleen Garrison, PhD (left), postdoctoral associate in psychiatry, is lead author. Judson Brewer, MD, PhD (right), adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry, is senior author. The article appears in Brain and Behavior. Read more / View the article 

An altered response to THC, the active constituent of cannabis, in individuals with a family history of alcoholism who themselves were not problem drinkers, suggests that alterations in a brain cannabinoid receptor, CB₁R, may play a role in alcohol misuse vulnerability. Mohini Ranganathan, MBBS (pictured), assistant professor of psychiatry, is lead author. Deepak Cyril D'Souza, MBBS, MD, professor of psychiatry, is senior author. The late Andrew Sewell, MD, who was an assistant professor of psychiatry, was an important contributor. The study appears in Psychopharmacology. View the article 

James Comer, MD has been appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. This commission is charged with strengthening the nation by ensuring that all African Americans receive an education that prepares them for college, productive careers, and satisfying lives. Comer is the Maurice Falk Professor in the Child Study Center, professor of psychiatry, and associate dean for student affairs at Yale School of Medicine. Read more 

Marina Picciotto, PhD, Charles B.G. Murphy Professor of Psychiatry and professor in the Child Study Center, of neurobiology, and of pharmacology, discusses her research interests, describes what makes Yale such a great community for investigators, explains the department's expanded Translational Neuroscience Intitiative, and shares some advice for junior faculty. Read more 

Ketamine and similar drugs are not yet FDA-approved as antidepressants, but patients in clinical trials report striking results. The compounds may be a 'game changer' for individuals diagnosed with depression. Gerard Sanacora, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry, directs the Yale Depression Research Program. Read more 

The program for Specialized Treatment in Early Psychosis (STEP) recently reopened its clinical service to new admissions, offering first-class care to individuals in the early stages of psychotic illness. Vinod Srihari, MD (left), associate professor of psychiatry, is the principal investigator of STEP research and the founding director. Jessica Pollard, PhD (right), assistant professor of psychiatry, is the program's new clinical director. Read more 

Scientific research happens every day at Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC). CMHC is home to basic science laboratories and a Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit (CNRU), where patients and scientists collaborate to discover new treatments for people with mental illnesses. Philip Corlett, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry, introduces the Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit at CMHC. Read more 

A Tauck Family Foundation grant will fund a collaboration between Yale Department of Psychiatry, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and Bridgeport Public Schools that is designed to implement a social-emotional learning program called RULER. Michael Strambler, PhD (left) and Lance Linke, PhD (right), associate research scientists in psychiatry who are affiliated with The Consultation Center, are project co-directors. Read more 

On the heels of a successful daylong event in November, the Yale Global Mental Health Program (YGMHP) will host its second biannual symposium on Saturday, March 1st. The symposium will focus on refugee mental health. On Friday, March 7th, the program will host Dr. Vikram Patel, a preeminent global mental health expert and professor at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, for a sponsored psychiatry grand rounds. YGMHP is led by Carla Marienfeld, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry. Read more 

Sarah Fineberg, MD, PhD, a fourth-year psychiatry resident in the department's Neuroscience Research Training Program, has been chosen to receive one of the Society of Biological Psychiatry's 2014 Chairman's Choice Awards. The award allows Fineberg to participate in special junior Investigator programming during the Society's annual meeting. Read more 

Alan Lewis, MD, PhD, a second-year psychiatry resident in the department's Neuroscience Research Training Program, has been chosen to participate in the American Psychiatric Association's Research Colloquium for Junior Investigators. The purpose of the colloquium is to provide guidance, mentorship, and encouragement to young investigators in the early phases of their training. Read more 

Continuing Medical Education

The 4th Annual Psychopharmacology Master Class will be held on Friday, March 28, 2014. Certified for 6.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits (TM), the course will provide updates on recent clinical data and expert recommendations for the treatment of mood disorders with a specific focus on depression. Gerard Sanacora, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and director of the Yale Depression Research Program, is the course director. Read more and register online 

In Memoriam

Braxton McKee, MD, associate clinical professor of psychiatry, passed away on February 3, 2014. Dr. McKee completed his psychiatric training at Yale in 1963 and was a member of the department's faculty for five decades. Among his contributions to the Department of Psychiatry, he was a supervisor in and directed the department's Long-Term Psychotherapy Program for many years. Read more 

Alumni Spotlight

The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine has announced the appointment of Nash Boutros, MD, as the chair of the Department of Psychiatry. Boutros has served on the faculties of the medical schools at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, Ohio State University, Yale, and Wayne State University. Read more 

Psychiatry Grand Rounds

Friday, February 21, 2014; 10:15-11:30 am

Poynter Fellowship: "Brain on Fire: A Patient's Perspective on Autoimmune Encephalitis"

Susannah Cahalan (pictured), Journalist, New York Post and Author of Brain on Fire: A Patient's Perspective on Autoimmune Encephalitis

Discussant: Christina Janelle Azevedo MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St

Details / Download to your calendar 

Friday, February 28, 2014; 10:15-11:30 am

Division of Prevention and Community Research Presents: "Cultivating American Indian Culture as a Remedy for Substance Abuse: Creation of an Indigenous Intervention"

Joseph Gone, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology and of American Culture, University of Michigan

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St

Details / Download to your calendar 

Friday, March 7, 2014; 10:15-11:30 am

Yale Global Mental Health Program Presents: "Transforming Lives, Enhancing Communities: Innovations in Global Mental Health"

Vikram Patel, MSc, MRCPsych, PhD, FMedSci, Professor of International Mental Health & Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St

Details / Download to your calendar 

Grand Rounds video archive

The department's website includes videos of past Grand Rounds presentations. Talks are added as they are digitized.