Department news | December 31, 2015

The UW School of Medicine’s addictions programs have done it again. For the fourth year in a row, US News and World Report ranked UW Medicine as a top 10 medical school for drug and alcohol abuse programs, coming in at #10. Four west coast schools made the top ten list with Harvard University ranking first. The Drug and Alcohol Abuse training program was one of eight programs at UW medicine to receive a top 10 ranking. The other UW Medicine programs are Family Medicine (#1), Rural Medicine (#1), AIDS (#4), Geriatrics (#8), Pediatrics (#8), Internal Medicine (#8) and Women’s Health (hidden ranking).

Richard Ries, Director of the Addictions Division and the Addictions Services at Harborview, is proud of the fact that we are the only psychiatry department in the country that offers an Addictions Track as an entry option for residents. Addiction graduates function as clinical and research faculty at various departmental sites and occupy key positions in regional hospitals and treatment centers. The national ranking is just one indicator of the strength of our Addictions Division. An innovative leader in such areas as wrap-around care and opioid treatment, the Addictions Division has a large number of faculty members who engage in research, patient care, and education including Dennis Donovan’s group at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, Mary Larimer’s team at the Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, Therese Grant’s work at the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit, Andy Saxon’s research on opioid addiction treatment at the Center of Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education, Ray Hsiao’s efforts at The Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Murray Raskind and colleague at the Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers , John Neumaier’s group in Psychiatric Neurosciences and Mark Sullivan’s work to study and intervene in the prescription opioid epidemic.

Department news | November 30, 2015

The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine (APM) selected Amritha Bhat, MD, as the recipient of a 2015 William Webb Fellowship, a nationally competitive program. This fellowship fosters the career development and leadership potential of outstanding trainees with an interest in consultation liaison psychiatry. As a Webb Fellow, Dr. Bhat will serve on pivotal task forces and working groups as part of the APM leadership team. Congratulations, Amritha!

Department news | November 30, 2015

Resident Vivek Datta, MD, MPH, has recently been awarded the Rappeport Fellowship presented to outstanding residents with a particular interest in the relationship between psychiatry and the law. The fellowship seeks to award those who will make a significant contribution to this field. Congratulations Vivek!

Department news | November 30, 2015

This year's recipient of the Joseph Becker Research Award is Andrea Niles, MA, an Adult Track resident in the Psychology Internship Program. The award stimulates quality research by rewarding a psychology resident for independence, creativity and intellectual depth in a research effort. Andrea’s research examines how PTSD confers greater risk for poor physical health among sexual minority women.

WSMA Press Release | September 28, 2015

Assistant Professor Ray Hsiao, MD, was elected president of the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) at the association's annual meeting in September.

Department news | June 30, 2015

Seon Kum, Psychiatry PGY-3 Resident, has won a one-year funded American Psychiatric Association/SAMHSA Minority Fellowship to pursue projects and national leadership activities focused on diversity in mental health care and addressing health disparities. Seon's plans for his fellowship year include establishing a Men of Color group for patients at the Seattle VA, helping to initiate and mentor medical students in the Department's Diversity Subinternship Program, and exploring local mental health care delivery and needs for underserved groups, as well as national best practices.

Department news | June 30, 2015

K. Warner Schaie, PhD recently received the 2016 International Society for Intelligence Research (ISIR) Lifetime Achievement Award for his extensive research in and contributions to the field of Geropsychology. He received both his MS and PhD from the University of Washington and continues to be an affiliate professor with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Dr. Schaie is best known for his role as founding Director of the Seattle Longitudinal Study (SLS). SLS is considered by many to be one of the most extensive psychological research studies of how adults cognitively develop and change through adulthood. Started in 1956, this study tests and adds participates every seven years and to date, has had over 6,000 adults, ages 20 – 100+, participate.

In addition to his significant contributions to science, Dr. Schaie is very proud of the mentoring he has done over the years. “From time to time, we have a social hour where ⅓ to ½ [of my mentees] show up,” says Dr. Schaie. He has mentored many people over the years and looks forward to finding out what they’ve done and how far they have come.

Dr. Schaie’s research over the past 50+ years has not only shown a relationship between age and cognitive ability, but also has influenced policy. Results from the SLS helped change the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 70 in many fields. Thanks to this research, many people are able to continue working into their 60s and 70s.

Dr. Schaie will accept the award at the 2016 ISIR Annual meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia in mid-July.

Department news | June 30, 2015

University of Washington undergraduates who present their work at the Undergraduate Research Symposium nominated Sara Jane Webb, PhD for special recognition leading to an Undergraduate Research Mentor Award for her efforts in guiding undergraduates to become scholars. Sara’s research focuses on the use of electroencephalography (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs), eye tracking, and behavioral measures to study how infants, children, and adults learn about their environment, and how that learning is impacted by developmental disruptions. She was also a finalist for the 2014 UW Medicine Award for Excellence in Mentoring.

Department news | June 30, 2015

Joel Mitchell PhD, Associate Chief of Staff at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and Acting Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, received three prestigious and highly competitive National awards including, "Leadership Award" (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs); the Outstanding Healthcare Administrator Award (American Psychological Association), and the U.S. Navy Patriot Award.

Department news | June 30, 2015

Jennifer Piel, MD, JD, received "WA State Woman of the Year" for her advocacy of Mental Health in WA State, as well as a 2nd "Young Investigator Award" from the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. She is the first to receive this highly prestigious award twice. Piel works as a Staff Psychiatrist and Director of the Disruptive Behavior Evaluation Clinic at the VA Puget Sound, Seattle Division and as an Acting Assistant Professor and Associate Program Director for the Psychiatry Residency Training Program.