University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

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Get Psyched

Week of June 13th, 2023

Jun 12, 2023

MEDIA FEATURES

Can magnets help heal depression? Dr. Elizabeth Fenstermacher is featured in a CU Anschutz News article that talks about Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), an “outpatient procedure that uses MRI-strength magnetic pulses to stimulate a specific region of the brain – the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.” For patients with treatment-resistant depression, the procedure offers hope beyond yet another medication trial.

Dr. Scott Thompson participated as a panelist in the Aspen symposium to answer questions about his work on the first modern-era Colorado psilocybin clinical trial for depression, as featured in this Aspen Times article.

Emily Hemendinger, MPH, LCSW, is featured in an article for the Denver Post about eating disorders. She said, “For some folks (for whom) a higher level of care is really needed, there are aspects of treatment that are extremely uncomfortable.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND AWARDS

Advancing Research Collaboration: AB Nexus Awardees Announced. The AB Nexus program has announced its sixth round of grant awards to researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the University of Colorado Boulder. One of them being Patrick Romani, PhD for his study Novel Methods to Prospectively Predict the Occurrence of Severe Behavior Problems in Youth.

Shannon McWilliams was nominated for the work hard and be nice to people award.

The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) has been exploring ways that academic health centers can address the mental health crisis afflicting our nation today. Access to care has been a major problem. One solution they have been showcasing is behavioral healthcare integrated into the primary care setting.
They have developed a four-part webinar series devoted to this topic. The fourth and final installment is scheduled for June 13 at 2:00 PM MDT. This webinar will feature exemplar integrated systems of care, one of which is the integrated system developed at the University of Colorado between the Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry. Frank deGruy will be presenting a brief description and operation of this unique, successful system. Register here.

PRESENTATIONS

Coons, H.L., Talmi, A., Ogbeide, S.A., & Ward, W.L. (March 2023). All Things (Un)equal: Strategies to Improve Gender Equity and Inclusion in Academic Health Centers. 11th National APAHC Biennial Conference, Louisville, KY.

JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS

Davis RA, Branagan T, Schneck CD, Schold JD, Thant T, Kaplan B. Lithium and the living kidney donor: Science or stigma? Am J Transplant. 2023 May 24: S1600-6135(23)00489-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ajt.2023.05.022. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37236400.

Hemendinger, E. June 7, 2023. Mounting research documents the harmful effects of social media use on mental health, including body image and development of eating disorders. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/mounting-research-documents-the-harmful-effects-of-social-media-use-on-mental-health-including-body-image-and-development-of-eating-disorders-206170

Welcome to the Department of Psychiatry

The Department of Psychiatry is a diverse community of staff and faculty dedicated to our mission. It is comprised of over 300 regular, affiliate, and volunteer clinical faculty, working at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, UCHealth/University of Colorado Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Denver Health Medical Center, and the VA Medical Center, as well as at the Department of Corrections and the Colorado Mental Health Institutes at Pueblo & Ft. Logan. Currently, the general adult psychiatry residency is ACGME accredited for 45 positions, the child and adolescent psychiatry residency is ACGME accredited for 14 positions, the addiction psychiatry fellowship is ACGME accredited for 3 positions, the consult-liaison psychiatry fellowship is ACGME accredited for 3 positions and the forensic psychiatry fellowship is ACGME accredited for 4 positions. The department is dedicated to serving a community in which we value all people and have a continued commitment to diversity and inclusion in our clinical, research, treatment and educational activities.

Dr. Neill Epperson

Chair, Department of Psychiatry

FULL STORY & VIDEO

Our Vision

The CU Department of Psychiatry sets the standard for Education and Training of leaders in psychiatry and mental health care, conducts ground-breaking Research that aims to eradicate suffering due to psychiatric and substance use disorders, provides ready access to state of-the-art mental health preventions and interventions across the continuum of care, and collaborates with the community and other key stakeholders to promote well-being among all Coloradans. We accomplish this vision in a manner that respects, values and advocates for the dignity and worth of each individual and family.

Our Mission

Core Mission: We provide a safe, equitable and inclusive environment for trainees, faculty, staff, and patients. We bridge the gaps of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, gender, gender identity, ability status, religion, political beliefs, socioeconomic status and any other factors related to systemic oppression by trusting and honoring each other and our differences. Our Department promotes unbiased recruitment of qualified individuals from diverse backgrounds in all mission areas. We focus on retention, career advancement and promotion through empowering individuals and creating an environment that facilitates continuous growth and success.

Education and Training Mission: Through our educational programs, we train medical students, graduate students, residents, psychology interns, fellows, and practicing health care professionals to be future leaders in mental health and behavioral health disciplines. We train leaders who recognize and work to eradicate health inequities that weaken families and communities.

Research Mission: Our interdisciplinary research programs produce new knowledge regarding the causes of mental illness and substance use disorders as well as the psychosocial, behavioral and sociocultural aspects of physical and mental health conditions. We identify, develop, and implement new, early prevention strategies and novel interventions to improve the lives of all human beings. We seek to be rigorous and inclusive in all of our scientific endeavors.

Clinical Care Mission: Through state-of-the-art clinical services, we deliver a full range of mental health and behavioral health interventions for patients and their families. These include neurobehavioral assessments, psychotherapy, behavioral change and health promotion strategies, neuromodulation and psychopharmacology services that recognize the wealth of cultural knowledge on how social contexts impact physical and psychological well-being.

Community and Advocacy Mission: We work with our local communities, affiliated institutions, and state and federal government agencies to promote strategies for increasing mental health awareness, reducing stigma, identifying and eliminating health disparities, and standing against discrimination and harassment to all members in our community.

Psychiatry (SOM)

CU Anschutz

Anschutz Health Sciences Building

1890 N Revere Ct

Suite 4003

Mail Stop F546

Aurora, CO 80045

303-724-4940

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