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.

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.