Department News | September 30, 2025

Our department was well represented at the recent Association for Academic Psychiatry (AAP) Annual Meeting in Milwaukee where our faculty, fellows, residents, and staff showcased their work and were acknowledged for their dedication to advancing the field of academic psychiatry. A big congratulations to our own Heidi Combs, MD, MS for her outstanding leadership as president of AAP from 2024–2025. We are so grateful for her service!
 
We are also thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of two colleagues – Laurel Pellegrino, MD, who received the Early Career Development Award, and Andy Phan, MD (PGY4), who received the Resident Psychiatric Educator Award at this year’s meeting. Please join us in congratulating Drs. Pellegrino and Phan for their well-deserved achievements!

Department News | September 30, 2025

We’re excited to share that Rob Chen, MD, PhD has been selected for the prestigious Outstanding Resident Award Program by the National Institute of Mental Health. Now a third-year resident, Dr. Chen is working with Douglas Fowler, PhD in the UW Genome Sciences Center to investigate how genetic mutations linked to schizophrenia impact neuronal function. He is also collaborating with Debby Tsuang, MD, MSc on research using large-language models to unravel the genetics of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. His work aims to deepen our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying serious mental illness and ultimately support the development of more targeted treatments. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Chen on this well-deserved honor!

Department News | September 30, 2025

Congratulations to fourth year medical student Madison Reichelt, this year’s recipient of the Margaret O’Donnell Prize in Psychiatry. We award this prize to a senior medical student who has been highly involved in behavioral health issues and done outstanding academic work in psychiatry.
 
As a member of the Student Committee on Health Access, Madison set out to license more providers in longitudinal (telehealth) care to WWAMI students regardless of their current location. She proposed a solution utilizing the interstate licensure compact, and after 18 months and dozens of meetings, they are now licensing a third interstate provider through Husky Health, with more sites to come. Madison’s career aspirations are to improve underserved access to psychiatric care. She is currently working on her capstone for the Black Health Justice Pathway, which is an exploration of the history of systemic racism in psychiatry and ways to promote health justice in modern practice.
 
We thank her for the amazing work she has done thus far for our field and for the many things we know she will accomplish as a psychiatrist and colleague in the future.

Department News | June 23, 2025

On June 20, 2025, we came together at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture to celebrate the graduation of our psychiatry residents, psychology residents, and senior fellows! 

It was a day filled with pride, joy, and deep appreciation as we honored this exceptional group of emerging mental health professionals. We couldn’t be more proud of the clinicians, scholars, and advocates they’ve become. As they step into the next chapter of their careers, we are confident they will continue to make a profound impact in the world of mental health.

To our graduates: thank you for your hard work and your commitment. We are excited to see where your paths lead and the lives you will touch. Please know that you will always be a part of our UW family, and we hope to keep in touch as you continue to shine in your future endeavors. Here’s to your bright futures and the incredible difference you will make!

Numerous trainees and faculty members received accolades at the graduation ceremony. Congratulations to all!

Psychology Resident Awards

• The Making a Difference Joan C. Martin, PhD, Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Psychology Resident – Clara O’Brien, MS
• The Director’s Prize: Dr. Nancy Robinson Award – Eleanor Battison, MS
• The John E. Carr PhD Award for Outstanding Achievement in Empirically-Supported Psychotherapies – Katherine O’Connell, MS, LMHCA
• The Joseph Becker PhD Award for Outstanding Research Achievement – Emma Parrish, MS

Psychology Internship Faculty Recognition Awards for Teaching & Supervising Excellence

• Adult Track – Ty Lostutter, PhD
• Autism Track – Megan Goldenshteyn, PhD
• Behavioral Medicine/NP Track – Shelley Wiechman, PhD, ABPP and Arjun Bhalla, PhD
• Child Track – Eileen Twohy, PhD

Psychiatry Resident Awards

• Outstanding Junior Resident – Ruth Assefa, MD
• Hoffmann Award – Michael Silva, MD
• Academic excellence – Yanni Chang, MD, MPH
• Clinical excellence – Jules Harari, MD
• Outstanding resident – Kathy Snyder, MD, MBS
• Outstanding Teaching Scholars – Alexis Carnduff, MD
• Excellence in Public Psychiatry and Social Dedication – Michael Measom, MD, MEd
• Outstanding Chief Resident – Claire Oduwo, MD

Psychiatry Residency Faculty and Staff Recognition Awards

• Deborah Cowley Psychiatry Chief Residents’ Award – Matt Iles-Shih, MD
• Excellent Faculty Mentor Award – Laurel Pellegrino, MD
• Excellent Teaching Faculty Award – Dana Dieringer, MD

Department News | June 23, 2025

These resident-selected awards recognize faculty and guest didactic speakers for their excellence in teaching and their valued contributions to resident education.​

​Best Case-Based Learning Award​

• Stephanie Corp, DO – Medical Clearance​
• Amelia Dubovsky, MD and Chris Nguyen, MD – Complex Decisional Capacity and Safety Monitoring Case Discussion​
• Nadejda Bespalova, MD – Psychopharmacologic Treatment of Bipolar Mania in the Outpatient Setting; SUD in Women​
• Joan Fiore, PhD – Couples and Family Therapy​

​Best Inclusion of EDI Concepts and Language​

• Dana Dieringer, MD – Restraints and Seclusion​
• Laurel Pellegrino, MD and Cummings Rork, MD, PMH-C – Physician Response to Patient Suicide​
• Maria Yang, MD – Psychotic Disorders Treatment Cases Part 1; Homelessness and Psychiatry​
• Christine Curry, MD – Social Justice and Structural Violence in Public Sector Psychiatry
• Rebecca Hendrickson, MD, PhD – Criticisms of Psychiatry and Patient Movements​
• Amanda Seely, MD – Psychiatric Epistemology: Deconstructing the Clinical Gaze​

Best Incorporation of Evidence-Based Information​​

• Garth Terry, MD, PhD – Cannabis​​
• Paul Borghesani, MD, PhD – Ten (or so) Essential Papers on Antipsychotics​​
• Stephen Thielke, MD, MS, MA – Geriatric Psychopharmacology: Advanced​​
• Jonathan Buchholz, MD – Addiction Psychopharmacology: Advanced​​

Most Engaging Lecturer​​

• Heidi Combs, MD, MS – Diagnosis and Psychopathology of Personality Disorders: Intro; Diagnosis and Psychopathology of Catatonia​​
• Robin Berger, MD – Starting Supportive Therapy: MBT Skills​​
• Stephen Thielke, MD, MS, MA – Dementia: Intro​​
• Paul Borghesani, MD, PhD – Neuroscience Series​​
• Bertrand Wicholas, MD – Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy series