Department news | February 28, 2017

The Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) honored Brenna Renn, PhD, with the Distinguished Student Award for her outstanding potential to make significant contributions in behavioral medicine via attendance at the SBM Annual Meeting. Dr. Renn has attended the SBM Annual Meeting since 2012 and recently served as the Annual Meeting Coordinator for the SBM Student Special Interest Group (2015-2016) and as Student Representative for the SBM Aging Special Interest Group (2012-2013). Her research has resulted in 12 presentations at these meetings, including an upcoming symposium on physical activity interventions in older adults in which she is serving as both chair and presenter. Dr. Renn will be recognized at the Presidential Keynote Address during the 2017 SBM Annual Meeting in San Diego. She is a senior fellow in the Geriatric Mental Health Services Research Fellowship program and is working closely with Patricia Areán, PhD.

The same organization awarded Katherine (Kate) Hoerster, PhD, MPH, with their Early Career Investigator Award. Dr. Hoerster is an investigator at the Seattle VA’s Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. She is a licensed clinical psychologist, providing care to Veterans in the Seattle VA’s PTSD Clinic. Kate’s work focuses on understanding and addressing the influence of socio-cultural and environmental factors on health and health behavior, particularly among Veterans with psychiatric conditions. She has first- or co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts, many of which are in highly ranked journals, including American Journal of Public Health, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and Preventive Medicine. She is currently funded with a five-year VA HSR&D Career Development Award focused on studying MOVE!+UP, a peer-led behavioral weight loss intervention for Veterans with PTSD.

Congratulations to you both!

Department news | January 31, 2017

Jennifer Piel, MD, is the new Editor of the Legal Digest section of the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. The quarterly publication serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas at the interface of psychiatry and the legal system. Dr. Piel, based at VA Puget Sound, will manage all aspects of the Legal Digest section that highlights recent legal cases and their application to psychiatrists, forensic evaluators, and patients with mental health needs.

Department news | December 31, 2016

On November 30, Forefront honored Kate Comtois, PhD, MPH, at its fourth annual suicide awareness dinner. For two decades, Comtois has offered Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training to psychology and psychiatry residents at the UW. Her research extends to evaluating DBT in large healthcare systems such as UW Medicine.

In response to a 2012 legislative mandate, Comtois has been conducting training in Collaborative Assessment and Management for Suicidality (CAMS), a program that helps patients learn to self-manage factors of suicide risk. She is also the principal investigator on clinical trials to improve services to suicidal individuals.

Department news | December 31, 2016

Lucy Berliner, MSW, director of the Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress, was named to Seattle Magazine’s Hall of Fame in the “Research/Medicine/Science” category for being a trailblazer in the field of child sexual abuse and in training clinicians to assess and treat young sexual assault victims. Lucy works with victims of trauma and crime, and researches the impact and effects of trauma. “I am honored to be recognized for helping make the world a better place for victims,” said Lucy. “They so deserve it.” Full article

Department news | October 31, 2016

Jai Gandhi, UWMC Inpatient Chief Psychiatry Resident, received the Association for Academic Psychiatry (AAP) Fellowship Award at the organization’s annual meeting this September in Puerto Rico. The award honors psychiatry residents who demonstrate particular promise as educators and scholars in academic psychiatry as shown by their demonstrated ability as a teacher; commitment to an academic career; publications, presentations, and educational, or research projects in which the nominee has played a major role; and personal qualities that bear upon the nominee’s capacities in academic medicine.

Suzanne Murray, director of our psychiatry residency program, received the Distinguished Fellow Member award given to people who unselfishly guide the next generation of academic psychiatrists and who have achieved mastery in a career dedicated to educational endeavors.

Department news | September 30, 2016

UW Psychiatry will be a common name at the upcoming annual meeting of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine in November. Drs. Ratzliff, Pellegrino, Fann and Unützer are all receiving recognition for their work.

The Integrated Care Pathway started by Anna Ratzliff received the 2016 Alan Stoudemire Award for Innovation and Excellence in Psychosomatic Medicine Education on behalf of the Fellowship and Awards Committee. The Career Enrichment Pathway for psychiatry residents, one of the first of its kind, provides a rich array of experiences to learn about integrated care and to develop unique clinical skills.

The Fellowship and Awards Committee also awarded Laurel Pellegrino, UW Outpatient Chief Resident, with the 2016 Dorfman Journal Paper Award for Best Case Report for her article in APM’s journal, Psychosomatics, “Service Dogs in the Hospital: Helpful or Harmful? A Case Report and Clinical Recommendations.” This case report was co-written with Joe Cerimele and Amelia Dubovsky.

Jesse Fann is the recipient of the 2016 Dlin/Fischer Clinical Research Award for his paper “Impact of a Telehealth Intervention on Common Comorbid Conditions of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Active Duty Service Members: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” This award, determined by the Research and Evidence-Based Practice Committee, is given to the author of the paper judged to be the most outstanding submission to the APM annual meeting.

The same committee awarded Jürgen Unützer the 2016 Don R. Lipsitt Award for Achievement in Integrated and Collaborative Care. This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence and innovation in the integration of mental health with other medical care through collaborative care.

Congratulations to all four for their APM sweep!

Department news | September 30, 2016

John "Jack" Carr, Acting Chair for our department from 1981-1985, has been awarded the 2016 American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Institutional Practice. This highly selective award recognizes outstanding practicioners in psychology. Dr. Carr is especially recognized for his long-standing contributions of psychology within medical centers. He was one of the early proponents and champions of integrating psychology with the practice of medicine, integrating psychology and social science into the medical school curriculum, and serving as an institutional role model for medical school psychologists and psychology faculty members. Dr. Carr, now Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, is one of the few medical school academic psychologists who served as an acting chairman of a department of psychiatry at a research intensive medical school. Dr. Carr will receive his award at the 2016 APA Convention in Denver and will be acknowledged formally in the November 2016 Awards issue of the American Psychologist.

We thank Dr. Carr for paving the way for the integration of the biological and behavioral sciences!

Department news | September 30, 2016

VA Puget Sound was a 2016 Division 18 – VA Section award winner three times over in August, receiving 3 of 7 awards for Psychologists in Public Service at the VA Section meeting in Denver. Mark Reger was awarded Outstanding Researcher, Tracy Simpson received the Outstanding Supervisor or Mentor award, and Samantha Yard was recognized as the 2016 Outstanding Psychology Trainee. A very nice representation for VA/UW faculty!

Department news | June 30, 2016

This year, for the first time, our Department is celebrating faculty mentoring through our new Wayne J. Katon Outstanding Mentor Award. This annual award recognizes a Department faculty member who demonstrates sustained commitment to the creative, scholarly, professional and personal development of mentees.

The award honors Wayne Katon, a gifted and dedicated mentor who supervised dozens of junior faculty across several departments who have become leaders in many aspects of psychiatry and principal investigators of their own grant funded research programs. Wayne directed a federally-funded T-32 Fellowship Program in Primary Care Psychiatry/Health Services Research for over 25 years that produced more than 30 successful researchers at the interface of medicine and psychiatry, including many members of our department.

The inaugural recipient of this award is Raphe Bernier, a rising star in our department who is widely considered one of the leading and most promising autism researchers in the world. A terrific nomination packet submitted on his behalf detailed Raphe's remarkable generosity and investment in all members of his lab team and his commitment to developing the next generation of researchers in autism (students, trainees, and junior faculty).

Other faculty members nominated for their outstanding mentoring were Deb Cowley, Mary Larimer, Kathleen Myers, Rick Ries, and Michael Vitiello.

Thanks to Lydia Chwastiak, chair of the selection committee, and to the committee members for all of their work. Thanks also to those department members who submitted nominations on behalf of their mentors. And finally, thank you to all of our faculty who mentor our trainees, junior faculty, and staff!