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.

Department news | June 30, 2015

The Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) launched a new Rising Star program to help promising, early-stage investigators. Joseph Cerimele, MD, MPH, was among the first group of 12 investigators selected from applicants across the five-state WWAMI region. On June 1, each participant began a two-year career-development package designed to culminate with to the submission of a K- or R-series grant application to the NIH. Joseph aims to understand the experiences of primary care physicians regarding treatments of patients with bipolar disorder.

Department news | May 31, 2015

In December, 2014, Wayne was notified by Paul Summergrad, MD, President of the American Psychiatric Association, that he was to be honored with the APA’s Distinguished Service Award for contributing exceptional meritorious service to the field of psychiatry. Jürgen Unützer will be accepting the award on his behalf at the Convocation of Distinguished Fellows during the APA Annual Meeting in Toronto on Monday, May 18 at 5:30 PM.

Department news | May 31, 2015

Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH, MA, was recently appointed by Sylvia Burwell, the Secretary of Health and Human Service, to a 4-year term on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) National Advisory Council. The Council advises, consults with, and makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); the Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; and the CMHS Director concerning matters relating to the activities carried out by and through the Center and the policies respecting such activities.

Department news | May 31, 2015

Katherine Comtois, PhD, MPH, was recently awarded the Brickell Memorial Award by Columbia University for her contributions to adolescent suicide prevention. Each Brickell Memorial Awardee is asked to present their work to the Columbia University Psychiatry Department at the Roddy D. Brickell Memorial Grand Rounds. Her presentation highlighted the need for improved health services for the treatment and prevention of suicide.

Department news | April 30, 2015

Richard Ries, MD, will receive the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Annual Award at their yearly conference in April. Ries serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine, the primary reference and clinical text in the addictions field, and is being honored for his thoughtful leadership and deep understanding of the art and science of Addiction Medicine. The award comes at the heels of the UW School of Medicine’s drug and alcohol track achieving a top 10 ranking by US News and World Reports for the third year in a row.

Ries, Director of the Addictions Division, attributes the consistently high ranking to the large number of faculty members who engage in innovative addictions research, patient care, and education and says the Department’s commitment starts early on.

“Our Department is the only psychiatry department in the country that offers an Addictions Track as an entry option for its residents,” said Ries. “That fosters a pipeline of top notch fellows and drives all of us to stay at the top of our game.”

Multiple people, Institutes and Centers contribute to the collaborative nature of the Addictions program including Dennis Donovan’s group at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (ADAI), Mary Larimer’s team at the Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors (CSHRB), Therese Grant’s work at the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit (FADU), Andy Saxon’s research on opioid addiction treatment at the Center of Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education (CESATE), Ray Hsiao’s efforts at The Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development (CCHBD), and Mark Sullivan’s work to study and intervene in the prescription opioid epidemic.

Ries believes that one of the next big challenges in the field is to integrate addictions care into primary care. He and others are working to weave addictions care into the fabric of the Mental Health Integration Program (MHIP) using the Collaborative Care model developed at UW. Another key area for the Division has been contributing to state and national issues related to opioid addiction and overdoses.

Department news | April 30, 2015

Dr. Vivek Datta, one of our third-year psychiatry residents, received two national awards at the March annual meeting of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT) in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Datta won an International Medical Graduate award, which honors and provides national mentorship for outstanding psychiatry residents who have graduated from foreign medical schools. In addition, he was selected as one of the five 2015 BRAIN scholars. BRAIN scholars are chosen nationally from psychiatry residents and fellows nominated for outstanding research and/or teaching achievements and potential. They help facilitate small-group sessions during the AADPRT- and NIMH-sponsored pre-meeting, which focuses on how to teach neuroscience in psychiatry residencies.

Department news | April 30, 2015

The Depression Attention for Women Now (DAWN) Study led by Wayne Katon, MD and Susan Reed, MD, MPH, received the 2014 Roy M. Pitkin Award presented by the editors of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. The award honors departments of obstetrics and gynecology that promote and demonstrate excellence in research. The winning article, “Improving Care for Depression in Obstetrics and Gynecology: A Randomized Controlled Trial” compared the results of collaborative depression care adapted to obstetrics and gynecology with usual care. The authors found that Collaborative Care in obstetrics and gynecology was feasible and significantly more effective than regular care in improving mental health. The award certificate and a $6,000 prize will be presented at this year's American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, CA in May.