December 2014  

George Heninger (left) and George Aghajanian (right). Photo: Jerry Domian

On Friday, October 24, 2014, Yale Department of Psychiatry hosted a tribute to the careers of George Aghajanian, MD and George Heninger, MD. Combined, the two have contributed more than a century of service to the department and to the Connecticut Mental Health Center. Aghajanian and Heninger are professors emeriti and senior research scientists in psychiatry.

• Read a conversation with Drs. Aghajanian and Heninger
• Watch video from the October 24 grand rounds

Ayana Jordan, MD, PhD, a resident in psychiatry who has conducted research on the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction in West Africa, helped organize a series of radio shows in Sierra Leone with the goal of dispelling Ebola myths and teaching listeners how to cope with stress and grief. The shows, scheduled over four Saturdays in October and November, were broadcast to the four largest cities in the country. Read more 

The department's annual clinical innovation awards were presented to representatives of the CMHC Wellness Center - Jeanne Steiner, DO (top left), associate professor of psychiatry; Robert Cole, MHSA (top center), lecturer in psychiatry; Aniyizhai Annamalai, MBBS, MD (top right), assistant professor of psychiatry and of medicine; and Maria O'Connell, PhD (bottom left), assistant professor of psychiatry; and the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team at VA Connecticut's Errera Community Care Center - Theddeus Iheanacho, MBBS (bottom center), assistant professor of psychiatry; and David Rosenthal, MD (bottom right), assistant professor of medicine. Read more 

Yale's psychiatry residency is among the top three programs in the country according to the first ranking of medical training programs conducted by the physician network Doximity, with collaboration from U.S. News & World Report. The rankings are part of the Residency Navigator, a new tool that allows residency applicants to compare postgraduate training programs. Read more 

For treating patients with prescription opioid dependence in primary care, buprenorphine maintenance therapy is superior to detoxification, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Richard Schottenfeld, MD (left), professor of psychiatry; Brent Moore, PhD (center), research scientist in psychiatry; and Declan Barry, PhD (right), assistant professor of psychiatry, are co-authors. Read more / View the article 

New findings published in Lancent Psychiatry suggest that administering progesterone to cocaine-addicted post-partum women helps prevent relapse. Kimberly Yonkers, MD, professor of psychiatry, of public health, and of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences, is lead author. Mehmet Sofuoglu, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry, is senior author. Read more / View the article 

A study published in the journal Social Science & Medicine suggests there is significantly less chance of older veterans experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide when they resist negative age stereotypes. Robert Pietrzak, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of psychiatry, is a co-author. Read more / View the article 

Larry Davidson, PhD, a professor of psychiatry in the department's Psychology Section and director of the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health, was awarded the 2014 Alexander Gralnick Research Investigator Prize at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association. The prize recognizes exceptional research and mentoring accomplishments in the area of serious mental illness. Read more 

A new grant will allow investigators to analyze treatment records of veterans with chronic pain with the goal of improving the quality of pain management at the Veterans Health Administration. Robert Kerns, PhD, professor of psychiatry, of neurology, and of psychology, is the project's principal investigator. Kerns is director of the Pain Research, Informatics, Multi-morbidities, and Education (PRIME) Center. Read more 

Charles Dike, MBChB, MD, MPH, FRCPsych, assistant professor of psychiatry, has been appointed to serve as the assistant medical director for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) effective January 1, 2015. DMHAS Commissioner Patricia Rehmer, MSN announced the promotion in August. Read more 

Connecticut State Representative Toni Walker has appointed Derrick Gordon, PhD, as a child/youth advocate on the state's Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee. Gordon is an assistant professor of psychiatry in the department's Psychology Section. He is the director of Research, Policy, and Program on Male Development at The Consultation Center. Read more 

Yale researcher Nenad Sestan, MD, PhD, professor of neurobiology and of psychiatry, has received a 2014 National Institute of Mental Health BRAIN Initiative grant. The grant will advance the molecular profiling of cell types in the human brain and their connections - made possible by a new method of preserving brain tissue to maintain cell integrity and gene expression analysis at the single-cell level. Read more 

Lening Olivera-Figueroa, PsyD, ABPP has been selected by the American Board of Professional Psychology Foundation as the recipient of its Diversity Scholarship Award. Olivera-Figueroa is a lecturer in psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and a fellow in the NIMH Research Fellowship in Functional Disability Interventions based at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Read more 

In her blog for the Huffington Post, Robin Masheb, PhD discusses the prevalence of binge eating disorder among our military servicemen and women. Masheb is a research scientist in psychiatry, an assistant professor of divinity, and associate director of the Program for Obesity, Weight and Eating Research at Yale. Read more 

Paul Mulinski, MSW, PhD, a member of the Yale faculty for more than 40 years, has retired as associate chief of staff of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System effective October 3, 2014. Mulinski is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry in social work in Yale's Department of Psychiatry. He plans to continue to teach residents and other trainees as a supervisor and case conference discussant. Read more 

D. Eugene (Gene) Redmond, Jr, MD, professor of psychiatry and of neurosurgery, works on developing stem cell treatments for Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, and spinal cord injury, and on using modified viruses to deliver genes to the brain. His current research includes studying the dopamine systems and their role in Parkinson's. Take 5 offers a brief introduction to Yale faculty members in a Q&A format. Read more 

A recent profile of Mona Thapa, MBBS explores personal experiences that have shaped her career. Thapa, an addiction psychiatry fellow at Yale School of Medicine, discusses her exposure to youths abusing drugs in Nepal and an experience with a young victim of human trafficking in Washington, D.C. Read more 

Violence and unrest in Ukraine for much of the past year have left many of those affected with psychological trauma. A delegation of mental health professionals from Ukraine visited Yale in late August for a one-week training course before returning home with new techniques and approaches for treating patients. Watch the video 

In Memoriam

Lesley Siegel, MD, an assistant clinical professor in the Child Study Center at Yale, a former chief of psychiatry for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, and a graduate of the Yale psychiatry residency, passed away on Thursday, September 25, 2014. Read more 

Photo Album

PHOTO 1: October 24, 2014 - Yale Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds honoring George Aghajanian and George Heninger. Honorees and speakers included (left to right) Ronald S. Duman, PhD, the Mears and Jamison Professor of Psychiatry and professor of neurobiology, Yale School of Medicine; John H. Krystal, MD, the Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Professor of Translational Research, professor of neurobiology, and chair of psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; George Aghajanian, MD, professor emeritus of and senior research scientist in psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; George Heninger, MD, professor emeritus of and senior research scientist in psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; Dennis Charney, MD, professor of psychiatry, of neuroscience, of pharmacology and systems therapeutics, and dean, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Mark Gold, MD, the Dizney Eminent Scholar and Distinguished Professor, and chair of psychiatry, University of Florida College of Medicine; Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, the Nash Family Professor and chair of neuroscience, professor of pharmacology and systems therapeutics, and professor of psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Watch videos of the presentations. Photo: Shane Seger 

PHOTO 2: September 18, 2014 - Ribbon-cutting for new inpatient mental health unit (8E) at West Haven campus of VA Connecticut Healthcare System (VACHS). Front row (left to right): Gerald Culliton, director, Connecticut Healthcare System; Kathy Loehr, RN, head nurse manager, 8E; Ismene Petrakis, MD, professor of psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and chief of psychiatry, VACHS; Michael Kearney, commander of American Legion Post 10; Cheryl Cresta, recreation arts therapist, 8E; Donald Barker, environmental services, 8E; and Bob Gizerian, project engineer. Second row (left to right): Michael Ebert, MD, professor of psychiatry and associate dean for veterans affairs, Yale School of Medicine and chief of staff, VACHS; Margaret Veazey, MSN, RN, associate director for patient care service, VACHS; Richard Kravitz, MD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine and medical director, 8E; John H. Krystal, MD, the Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Professor of Translational Research, professor of neurobiology, and chair of psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; and Chris Schwenger, project engineer. View more photos on Facebook. Photo: Pamela Redmond

PHOTOS 3 & 4: Public psychiatry fellowship program visits the Connecticut State Capitol. The trainees met with Doreen Del Bianco, legislative program manager at Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, to learn the process by which mental health legislation is developed and enacted. Photo 3: (left to right) trainees Lucas Henry, MD; Dale Sebastian, MBBS; Christina Arredondo, MD; and Jennifer Traxler, DO. Photo 4: The dome of the Connecticut State Capitol Rotunda. Photos: Jeanne Steiner

PHOTOS 5 & 6: September 23, 2014 - Press conference at Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC). Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro held a press conference to highlight how the Affordable Care Act is boosting coverage for and access to mental health services. Photo 5: DeLauro (left) with Michael Sernyak, MD (right), professor of psychiatry and CEO of CMHC. Photo 6: DeLauro with Edward Smith, a client and cafeteria cook at CMHC. Read more. Photos: Allan Appel 

Upcoming Psychiatry Grand Rounds

Friday, December 5, 2014; 10:15-11:30 am

Creative Resilience & Aging: Louis Armstrong, Race, & Growing Old in the '60s

Jeffrey M. Lyness, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychiatry and of Neurology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St

Details / Download to your calendar 

Friday, December 12, 2014

No Grand Rounds

Friday, December 19, 2014; 10:15-11:30 am

Psychiatry Resident Grand Rounds: "Title TBA"

Kamiar Alaei, MD, MPH, MS, DrPH, Public Service Professor in Public Administration and Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York (left); and Arash Alaei, MD, Clinical Associate Professor in Health Policy, Management and Behavior, University at Albany, State University of New York (right)

CMHC Auditorium, 34 Park St

Details / Download to your calendar 

Friday, December 26, 2014

No Grand Rounds

Online Grand Rounds Archive

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