Rachel E. Fargason, M.D. appointed to the Patrick H. Linton Professorship in Psychiatry
The University Of Alabama System Board Of Trustees appointed Dr. Rachel E. Fargason, Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical Services in the Department of Psychiatry, to the Patrick H. Linton Professorship in Psychiatry.
Dr. Fargason, Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical Services in the Department of Psychiatry, joined UAB in 1993. A dedicated clinician, educator and exceptional leader, she is recognized for her clinical accomplishments across the department, UAB Medicine and throughout the state. Since 2013, she has held multiple clinical leadership roles during which she has been highly instrumental in transforming clinical services within the Department of Psychiatry to meet the ever growing demand at UAB and the community for mental health care. She serves as Medical Quality Officer for Psychiatric Services for UAB Medicine where she continues to work tirelessly to expand and improve clinical services not only within the department but across UAB Medicine.Dr. Fargason remains an active clinician, treating psychiatric patients across the life-span and is well-known as an expert in adult ADHD. In addition to her clinical work she operates multiple general practice teaching clinics for residents, and overseeing a team of ambulatory nurse practitioners in the spirit of expanding outpatient access.
Dr. Fargason earned her medical degree from the University of Maryland in 1987 before moving to Illinois to begin post graduate training. She subsequently transferred to UAB to complete her psychiatry residency and in 1993 she joined the faculty as Assistant Professor. Her dedication and achievements, both academic and clinical, paved the way for her succession through the academic ranks, first as Associate Professor in 2002 and subsequently her promotion to Professor in 2013.
“Dr. Fargason’s excellence as our departmental clinical leader in her role as Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, and the broader respect that she enjoys throughout the institutional clinical enterprise, makes her an exceptional appointee to the Linton Professorship in the Department of Psychiatry,” said Dr. Meador-Woodruff, Heman E. Drummond Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry.
The Patrick H. Linton Endowed Professorship was established in honor of Dr. Linton, a longstanding faculty member and chair of the Department of Psychiatry. This Professorship has historically been held by a senior leader in our departmental clinical mission to honor the clinical growth and accomplishments of Dr. Linton during his 20 year tenure as chair of Psychiatry.
Psychiatry’s Beacon Recovery Program expands community-based substance abuse treatment
UAB Department of Psychiatry announces the opening of the Beacon Recovery Day Treatment Center and additional evidence-based treatment and recovery support services pivotal to the health and wellbeing of individuals with substance use disorders. The recent opioid epidemic has undeniably intensified the need for expanded treatment services. In response, UAB Beacon Recovery has grown rapidly within the past year to provide a wider range of treatment options to more individuals. Along with a new Day Treatment Program, the expansion includes a walk-in assessment clinic, additional specialty treatment groups, treatment-integrated peer recovery support, school-based adolescent treatment and family services. In addition, physicians from UAB Center for Psychiatric Medicine provide on-site mental health and primary health care as well as medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
Assessment and treatment services are accessible to anyone seeking help, regardless of income or ability to pay. To support the expansion and the need for additional space, Family and Adolescent Programs and the Department’s Administrative Core for the Substance Abuse Division was relocated to the 3rd floor of the Tower Building at 530 Beacon Parkway West near Homewood.
Addiction spans across all age, gender, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic groups from big cities to rural communities. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), nearly one in every 10 Americans are addicted to alcohol and drugs yet very few (11%) receive treatment. The surge in opioid use and overdose deaths has heightened community-wide response efforts to identify gaps and develop strategies to reduce barriers to treatment. The new Day Treatment Program and expansion of other Beacon Recovery services supports UAB Department of Psychiatry’s efforts to offer quality, comprehensive outpatient continuum of care for adults and adolescents with substance use needs.
Meet the clinical team and learn more about Beacon Recovery
OPEN HOUSE
Thursday May 2, 2019
3:30 to 5:00
For more information about Beacon Recovery, visit www.uabmedicine.org/beaconrecovery or connect via Facebook @ UABMedicineBeacon
Dr. Karen Cropsey Testifies before U.S. Senate on Opioid Epidemic
On February 28, 2019, Dr. Karen Cropsey, Vivian Conatser-Turner Endowed Professor in the UAB Department of Psychiatry, presented testimony before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services about the devastating opioid epidemic that has blanketed our state and nation. As one of several presenters, Dr. Cropsey highlighted system-wide gaps and policy barriers that impede access to effective treatment interventions and presented strategies to support a system that is comprehensive, accessible, and inclusive. Click HERE to read the transcript.
Karen Cropsey, PsyD, is a Professor and Clinical Psychologist in the UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology. Dr. Cropsey completed her doctoral training at Indiana State University in Terre Haute followed by an internship in Clinical Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and postdoctoral fellowships in forensics and substance abuse at University of Mississippi and Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2007 she joined the faculty of UAB Psychiatry as Associate Professor where she serves as a clinician and researcher focused on addiction treatment. For the past 20 years, Dr. Cropsey has conducted numerous NIH-funded research on addiction and opioid use disorders, particularly among disadvantaged populations such as justice-involved individuals and persons living with HIV/AIDS.
Five Clinician-Educators Join Faculty of Department of Psychiatry
Over the past year, the UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology has recruited five new clinician-educators to our primary faculty. These new faculty members bring expertise in areas critical to the many clinical and training missions of the department, including child and adolescent, geriatric, adult, consultation-liaison, and public sector psychiatry. These new faculty members include:
Pamela E. Parker, M.D.
Dr. Pamela Parker joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology as an Associate Professor. Dr. Parker graduated from Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, and received a Master of Arts from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. She completed pre-medical studies at the University of Rochester and Huntingdon College in Montgomery before attending Heersink School of Medicine. Dr. Parker, previously served as the Chief Resident of UAB Department of Psychiatry and Director of Psychiatric Consultation Services at both UAB and University of Arkansas. Dr. Parker serves as a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist and leads the department’s first Behavioral Intervention Teams (BIT) focused on early recognition and treatment of comorbid psychiatric and addictive disorders that interfere with medical treatment.
Tiffany Nowell, Ph.D.
Dr. Tiffany Nowell joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Nowell graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Keene State College before attending Saint Louis University where she received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 2015. She subsequently spent a year at the University of California, Santa Cruz as a postdoctoral fellow in a clinic serving students including the LGBTQ population. Most recently she served as Staff Psychologist at the University of Denver Health and Counseling Center. Dr. Nowell provides outpatient psychotherapy and assessment services and her experience with the LGBTQ population supports expansion of access for those patients as well as partnerships within UAB primary care clinics and select inpatient programs.
Alison Thomas, Ph.D.
Dr. Alison Thomas joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry as an Assistant Professor and Clinical Director of the Community Psychiatry Program (CPP). Dr. Thomas received her Ph.D. from Suffolk University in 2017. She completed her doctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at UAB before joining the Department as a post-doctoral trainee. Dr. Thomas’ training and knowledge combined with her commitment to patient-centered and recovery-oriented approach to practice is pivotal to her administrative responsibilities as the Public Division’s Clinical Director. As Clinical Director she is responsible for ensuring the provision of quality clinical care and programs at CPP and providing psychotherapy and assessment services to clinic patients with serious mental illness. In addition to her clinical and administrative assignments in the Public Division, Dr. Thomas also participates in the First Episode Clinic at Sparks and provides inpatient testing at Center for Psychiatric Medicine.
Matthew Ehrlich, M.D.
Dr. Matthew Ehrlich joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Ehrlich graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Williams College in Massachusetts before receiving his M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco. He went on to complete his residency in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School followed by a fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry. After completing his training, Dr. Ehrlich served as an Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard and practiced at Cambridge Health Alliance. His clinical service at UAB will focus on inpatient and outpatient care of geriatric patients at Center for Psychiatric Medicine in addition to serving patients with HIV/AIDS in Palliative Care.
Tolulope Peters, M.D.
Dr. Tolulope (Tolu) Peters joined the faculty in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Peters completed her medical training at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology College of Health Sciences in Nigeria. After receiving her M.D., she completed training in Psychiatry at MetroHealth Medical Center, an affiliate of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Following her training in Cleveland, Dr. Peters came to UAB where she completed a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Peters’ clinical services will be focused on treating patients at Children’s Hospital of Alabama.
Psychiatry Welcomes 12 New Residents and Fellows
The UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology is pleased to announce the 2019 match results for General Psychiatry Residency and Child & Adolescent Fellowship. “We had another outstanding Match this year and look forward to the opportunity to provide an academically diverse and enriching training experience to promote the professional development of our newest group of residents and fellows” said Dr. Meador-Woodruff, Heman E. Drummond Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry. Congratulations to all who matched with us!
General Psychiatry
Zviadi Aburjania - Tbilisi State Medical University Faculty of Medicine
Ibrahim Askar - University of South Carolina School of Medicine
Ethan Atwood - University of Arkansas College of Medicine
Branden Benningfield - Heersink School of Medicine
Harrison Hill - Heersink School of Medicine
Kristin Lovvorn - Washington University Health and Science- Belize
Christopher Michaelson - Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine- Auburn
Moniqua Tillman - University of Mississippi School of Medicine
Child and Adolescent Fellowship
Luke Chiou - LECOMT/Centerstone of Florida
Kelly Buchanan - University of Louisville
Manasa Enja - Case Western Reserve University
Matt Pixley - University of Alabama at Birmingham
Dr. Irena Bukelis Appointed Associate Program Director of General Psychiatry Residency
The UAB Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce that Irena Bukelis M.D., Assistant Professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, has been appointed as the new Associate Program Director of the General Psychiatry Residency Program. Since joining the Department in 2015, Dr. Bukelis’ clinical and teaching responsibilities have been primarily at Children's of Alabama.
Dr. Bukelis received her M.D. from Kaunas University of Medicine in Lithuania. She subsequently relocated to Baltimore, Maryland where she served as Center and Research Coordinator at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, an internationally recognized Johns Hopkins Medicine affiliated facility. In 2010 she joined UAB where she completed her residency in General Psychiatry followed by a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, during which she served as Chief Resident in her last year.
Since joining UAB, Dr. Bukelis has distinguished herself academically through her efforts to advance child and adolescent psychiatry by creating a scholastic culture around quality improvement. In addition to her academic commitment, “she has passion for treating patients with autism and looks forward to bringing her expertise to bolster the training that our general psychiatry residents receive in treating patients with autism,” said Dr. Meador-Woodruff, Heman E. Drummond Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry.
Three New Research Faculty Join Department of Psychiatry
The UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology is excited to welcome three new research-focused faculty members to add to the existing departmental research programs in depression, addiction, and schizophrenia.
Scott Pruett, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Scott Pruett joined the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Pruett graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana Scholars’ College at Northwestern State University before receiving his M.D. and Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Neuroscience from Louisiana State University. In 2018, he completed a residency in General Adult Psychiatry at Brown University. Dr. Pruett’s research publications have focused on brainstem mechanisms of movement disorders, but have recently shifted to Christian syndrome. His plan at UAB is to further his research in molecular psychiatry to focus on schizophrenia, and will lead efforts to develop a translational research program focused on this illness. In addition, Dr. Pruett serves as part of our inpatient attending team in the UAB Center for Psychiatric Medicine.
Minae Niwa, Ph.D.
Dr. Minae Niwa joined the UAB Department of Psychiatry as an Assistant Professor. She received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Science from the Tokyo University and her Ph.D. in Neuropsychopharmacology from Nagoya University, Japan. Dr. Niwa pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at Nagoya University, followed by a fellowship in Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University where she eventually joined faculty. Dr. Niwa has published nearly 40 peer reviewed papers, and is a recipient of a prestigious NARSAD Young Investigator Award. Her primary research interests focus on early life stress, and mechanisms by which stress leads to addiction as well as mood and cognitive disorders.
Shin-ichi Kano, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Kano joined the UAB Department of Psychiatry as an Associate Professor. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo followed by a brief postdoctoral fellowship in Immunology. Dr. Kano left the University of Tokyo to pursue additional training as a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University, where he eventually transitioned to a faculty position in Psychiatry. His research interests focus on neuroinflammation, particularly in relation to mood disorders and social behaviors. He also has an interest in longitudinal studies on first episode psychosis patients. Dr. Kano is credited with having published 25 peer reviewed papers to date and has been successful in securing NIH funding, recently receiving a major grant to study inflammation and behavior.
All three of these new faculty members join the Department's Division of Behavioral Neurobiology, which is the primary research unit of the department housing a group of 17 neuroscientists and clinicians who are all focused on studying the neurobiology of major psychiatric disorders, with a goal mental disorders to translate their research findings into improved diagnosis, treatment, and management of these mental illnesses.
Dr. Taylor Preston named Program Director of the Psychiatry Residency Program
Taylor Preston M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, was recently appointed residency program director of the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Preston, a 2013 graduate of the UAB Psychiatry residency program, also serves as the Department’s Director of Ambulatory Psychiatry.
As a key member of the departmental medical education leadership team, Dr. Preston will oversee all planning, development and operational aspects of the residency training program to ensure the provision of quality didactic and clinical education and excellence in patient care. In collaboration with departmental leaders, Dr. Preston will continue to advance the Psychiatry residency program to ensure the delivery of an academically challenging and diverse training experience within an effective academic learning environment to promote the personal, academic, and career success of all psychiatry interns and residents.
Dr. Taylor received his M.D. from Heersink School of Medicine in 2009. He went on to complete his residency in General Psychiatry at UAB in 2013 before joining the Department. “As Dr. Preston transitions into his new role, he leaves his post as Department’s Medical Student Clerkship Director, a position that he has held with distinction for the past 6 years. Under his leadership our clerkship has moved to be one of the top rated clinical training experiences for medical students across the entire Heersink School of Medicine including all of the regional campuses,” said Dr. Meador-Woodruff, Heman E. Drummond Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry.
With the support of his colleagues and the department, Dr. Preston will serve as an exceptional leader to promote the continued success and growth of the UAB Psychiatry Residency Program.
UAB Psychiatry Announces a New Medical Student Clerkship Director
The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce that Katherin Freeman, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, has been selected to serve as the new Medical Student Clerkship Director. In this role, Dr. Freeman will be responsible for overseeing and ensuring the operational quality of all aspects of the program including orientation of students and the coordination of clinical and didactic learning experiences. In addition, Dr. Freeman will provide support and guidance to medical students as needed, coordinate with clerkship directors on the regional campuses and represent the clerkship in the School of Medicine.
“This is a key education leadership position for the Department, as it is the first contact that most medical students have with our Department and Psychiatry as a specialty,” said Dr. Meador-Woodruff, Heman E. Drummond Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry. Over the last few years interest in Psychiatry as a specialty has been on the rise. A critical element under Dr. Freeman’s leadership will be to continue cultivating overall interest in the field by providing medical students with positive experiences which in turn will serve as an impetus for UAB students taking a greater interest in selecting Psychiatry for their residency training.
Dr. Freeman received her M.D. from Vanderbilt, and completed her residency training at the University of Utah Triple Board Program in Pediatrics, Adult Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Following her training, she served on the Medical Staff of the Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City. After relocating to Nevada, she joined the clinical faculty of the University of Nevada where she also maintained a private practice in child and adolescent psychiatry. In 2017, Dr. Freeman joined the faculty of UAB Psychiatry as Assistant Professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, with clinical and teaching responsibilities on the UAB Adolescent Inpatient Unit in addition to providing outpatient services at Children's of Alabama.
New Depression and Suicide Center Established
On September 21, 2018 the University Of Alabama Board Of Trustees approved the establishment of the new UAB Depression and Suicide Center in recognition of the program’s substantial growth over the past five years. The establishment of this new Center within the School of Medicine will support ongoing efforts to recruit new clinical and research faculty focused investigating the neurobiology and treatment of mood disorders.
The Center, led by Dr. Richard Shelton, serves as a collaborative, multi-disciplinary research hub dedicated to advancing knowledge in the prediction, treatment and prevention of depression and suicide. The Center supports a wide range of laboratory, clinical, and translational neuroscience projects to examine the neurobiology of mood disorders and develop treatments that not only provide immediate relief to patients suffering from depression and thoughts of suicide, but also effective options for treatment-resistant patients.
For more information about the UAB Depression and Suicide Center, visit www.uab.edu/medicine/psychiatry/research/programs/depression-suicide
Adrienne Lahti, M.D. named inaugural holder of the F. Cleveland Kinney Endowed Chair
The University Of Alabama System Board Of Trustees has appointed Dr. Adrienne Lahti to the F. Cleveland Kinney Endowed Chair in the Department of Psychiatry. An internationally recognized cognitive neuroscientist and practicing psychiatrist, Dr. Lahti joined UAB Psychiatry in 2006, and is currently a tenured professor and Vice Chair for Research Training and Faculty Development in Psychiatry. She leads the Neuroimaging and Translational Research Laboratory, an imaging lab dedicated to the study of schizophrenia using multimodal brain imaging techniques. In addition to her research, Dr. Lahti is recognized for establishing the first clinic in Alabama to focus on first episode psychosis for patients from their late teens to early adulthood. Additionally, Dr. Lahti provides clinical care to patients with late life schizophrenia at the UAB Community Psychiatry Program.
Dr. Lahti earned her M.D. from the Université de Liège, Belgium, where she also completed a residency in Neuropsychiatry. She went on to complete a residency in Psychiatry at the University of Michigan, and a fellowship in schizophrenia research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC). Dr. Lahti joined the faculty at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center where she spent 14 years building an impressive track record as a clinician-investigator focused on understanding mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. She has dedicated the last decade of her career to developing imaging modalities for the study of cognition and related issues of schizophrenia. Dr. Lahti’s achievements and qualities, as well as her international reputation as a distinguished researcher and clinician, make her an exceptional appointee to the Kinney Chair in the Department of Psychiatry.
The F. Cleveland Kinney Endowed Chair was established in honor of Dr. Kinney, an accomplished geriatric psychiatrist and emeritus member of the Department of Psychiatry. Endowment funds support continuing efforts to research problems associated with an aging population, including dementia, mood disorders, and schizophrenia.
Psychiatry Announces a New Vice Chair for Research Training and Faculty Development
The Dep
artment of Psychiatry has announced that Adrienne Lahti, M.D. has been appointed as the Vice Chair for Research Training and Faculty Development. According to the Chair of Psychiatry, Dr. James Meador-Woodruff, Dr. Lahti, the Patrick H. Linton Endowed Professor of Psychiatry, is "an outstanding and passionate clinician and educator, a well-funded and talented investigator, a forceful advocate for the needs of those with schizophrenia". In addition to stepping into her new leadership position in the Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Lahti will continue as the Director of the Division of Behavioral Neurobiology.
Dr. Meador-Woodruff went on to explain that while the Department of Psychiatry has enjoyed the robust growth of their research enterprise over the past five years, the Department realized that they have significant opportunities to elevate the early career research and academic development of their faculty and trainees. Under Dr. Lahti's leadership, Psychiatry will continue to partner with their education leaders to further invigorate their residency research track by focusing particular emphasis on enhancing recruitment efforts, furthering curriculum development, and insuring the academic success of their graduates. Dr. Lahti will also lead the Department's efforts to obtain additional NIH funding for their research training programs, work to further expand their early faculty mentorship committees for all of their academically-oriented junior faculty members, and continue the oversight of their undergraduate research students. Dr. Meador-Woodruff finished by saying, "With Dr. Lahti's added leadership, the Department of Psychiatry will continue our efforts to make UAB and our department an even better home for our talented scientists."
Psychiatry Announces a New Vice Chair for Addiction Programs
John A. Dantzler, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, has been appointed to the newly created position of Vice Chair for Addiction Programs in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Dantzler currently serves as Executive Director of the department’s Substance Abuse and Criminal Justice Programs located on Beacon Parkway in Homewood.
Dr. Meador-Woodruff stated that, “Since his recruitment several years ago, John has done an exceptional job of managing our off campus programs under the Beacon umbrella, and of increasingly integrating these programs into the core of the department.” According to Dr. Meador-Woodruff, the new Vice Chair has been charged with growing the department’s addiction-related academic missions, which he sees as critical in the current climate of a major national and local public health crisis of a rapidly expanding substance abusing and addicted population.
Dr. Dantzler will focus on expanding Psychiatry’s addiction related academic portfolio and strategically growing clinical services. “John has distinguished himself in his exceptional leadership of our Beacon Parkway programs, and is uniquely positioned to work with our leadership team to bring all of our addiction services and programs under a single umbrella.” He finished by saying, “John will be a major part of leading our Department-wide efforts to strengthen our addiction related activities.”
Nathan Smith, M.D. Appointed Professor Emeritus in Psychiatry
The Department of Psychiatry has announced that Nathan Smith, MD was appointed to Professor Emeritus in the School of Medicine by the Board of Trustees during their February 2018 meeting. “This is an exceptional honor for Dr. Smith, and a level of recognition that only has been achieved by nine other faculty members in the entire history of the Department of Psychiatry”, said the Heman E. Drummond, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, Dr. James Meador-Woodruff.
Dr. Smith was recruited to UAB in 1990 as an assistant professor. He was promoted to Professor in 2006 and retired from UAB in July 2016 after nearly 26 years of service. During his tenor, he served as Psychiatry’s Director of Departmental Clerkship for medical students, was the Director of the Psychiatry Residency Training Program, and served as Vice Chair of Psychiatry in multiple areas including Education, Administration, and Clinical Affairs. Additionally, Dr. Smith was the Assistant Dean for Admissions for the School of Medicine for 15 years.
Dr. Meador-Woodruff went on to say that “Dr. Smith distinguished himself as one of our Department’s best. Beyond his service as an outstanding administrator and leader, both for the Department and the School of Medicine, he is widely known as a compassionate, caring and outstanding clinician, and as a popular teacher and educator. We are truly fortunate to still have him in our department, continuing to see patients and working with residents in our adult ambulatory program. I can think of no better tribute to his past dedication and future service than by this recognition.”
The Department of Psychiatry Welcomes Blessing Falola, M.D. and Michael Falola, M.D., M.P.H.
The Department of Psychiatry has announced that Blessing Falola, M.D. and Michael Falola, M.D., M.P.H. will join the department as assistant professors in July 2018. Dr. Blessing Falola will work in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry where her clinical activity will be primarily at Children's of Alabama providing outpatient care. She will also develop an outpatientTransitional Age Clinic at UAB for patients ages 19 to 25 years. Dr. Michael Falola will join UAB Psychiatry spending half of his time in Adult clinical care and the other half of his time developing prediction models to identify risk for depression and suicide and response to treatment using high complexity data. The Chair of Psychiatry, Dr. James Meador-Woodruff, commented that Dr. and Dr. Falola are industrious individuals who will add greatly to our efforts in clinical care, education, and research. They will be outstanding additions to our faculty and to UAB."
Originally from Nigeria, both doctors received their M.D. from the University of Ibadan. Dr. Blessing Falola came to UAB to enter the Clinical Training Academy in Palliative and Supportive Care. After completeing this program, she started her residency in Psychiatry in 2013 and, in 2016, entered the UAB Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship which she will complete in June 2018. Dr. Meador-Woodruff went on to say that "during her residency training, Blessing completed the UAB Medicine Mini-Quality Academy. She has used this training to further quality improvment projects in our Department. Blessing has also been instrumental in the development of the UAB Psychiatry Resident Simulation Lab."
Dr. Michael Falola finished his Masters of Public Health at UAB in 2010 with an emphasis on biostatistics. He entered the Psychiatry residency program in 2014, where according to Dr. Meador-Woodruff, he distinguished himself both as an outstanding clinician and an emerging scientist. Dr. Meador-Woodruff said that "he is conducting original research using large-scale datasets to test associations between clinical and genetic variables and both response to
antidepressant therapy and subtyping and psychiatric illness and suicidal behavior. Michael is approaching data in a unique way, using a machine learning paradigm to identify novel phenotypes within a suicidal population."
Additionally, the department recently received a generous gift designated to support psychiatrists starting their careers as clinician-investigators. Dr. Michael Falola will be the first recipient of funds from this gift and will be designated as Psychiatry's inaugural Engel Scholar in Psychiatry.
New Faculty in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
UAB Psychiatry is delighted to welcome two new faculty members to our Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Dr. Jung Kim joined the faculty of the UAB Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on July 1, 2017. Dr. Kim graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science with Highest Honor before attending the Kyungpook National University School of Medicine in Daegu, South Korea. He then completed his general residency at the Harvard South Shore Psychiatry Residency Training Program and his fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Harvard's program at Boston Children's Hospital. Upon graduation Dr. Kim joined the faculty at UAB, with primary clinical and teaching responsibilities with the inpatient service at Children's of Alabama. Dr. Kim's area of interest is Developmental Disorders with particular interest in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Dr. Katherin Freeman joined the faculty of the UAB Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in September, 2017. Dr. Freeman graduated form Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts in English before attending the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She subsequently completed her residency at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center Triple Board Program training in Pediatrics, Adult Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Subsequently she joined the medical staff of the Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake. Dr. Freeman then relocated to nevada where she joined the clinical faculty of University of Nevada, Reno. She also was the medical supervisor of the HealTherapy Equine-Facilitated Mental Health Service and served as Pediatric Psychiatry Consultant to the State of Nevada Division of Child and Family Services. In recent years Dr. Freeman also maintained her own private practice in child and adolescent psychiatry in Reno. At UAB Dr. Freeman's clinical and teaching responsibilities will be on the UAB Adolescent Inpatient Unit. She will also be providing outpatient services at Children's of Alabama.
The Division and the Department are excited by the recent recruitment of these two new members of our faculty, who represent an ongoing commitment to further expand psychiatric care for children statewide through a robust partnership between UAB and Children’s of Alabama.
Dr. Soumya Sivaraman joins faculty of UAB Psychiatry
Soumya Sivaraman, M.D. was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Adult Psychiatry of the UAB Department of Psychiatry on July 1, 2017. Dr. Sivaraman received her MBBS from the Coimbatore Medical College in India, and pursued Psychiatry training at the prestigious National Institute of Mental health and Neurosciences in Bangalore. She pursued a second US-based residency training program in Psychiatry at UAB as a member of our residency research track, and was successfully recruited to our faculty following completion of her training. Dr. Sivaraman is now a member of the UAB hospital-based Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison program, and also provides care in outpatient clinics at the Community Psychiatry Clinic (CPP) within the Department that serves those with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia. Dr. Sivaraman has also joined our ECT program, and will significantly expand the Department’s capacity to provide this clinical service. We are excited to welcome Dr. Sivaraman to the faculty of UAB Psychiatry, and are delighted that she has chosen to remain a part of the Department following her postgraduate training.
Justin Thomas, Ph.D. Joins Psychiatry Department
Justin Thomas, Ph.D. joined the faculty of the UAB Department of Psychiatry as an Assistant Professor in July 2017. Dr. Thomas received BS degrees in both Biology and Psychology from UAB, and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Alabama. After his Ph.D. was awarded, he was a postdoctoral fellow at UAB in the Hypertension Research Center in the Department of Epidemiology. His clinical and research interests focus on sleep and sleep disorders. He will have an outpatient psychology practice in UAB Psychiatry primarily focused on sleep related issues, including using CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I) as a treatment modality. His research interests also are related to understanding sleep disorders. He brings to UAB Psychiatry much needed expertise on sleep disorders, and is a welcome addition to the faculty of the department.
UAB Psychiatry faculty members receipents of Kempf Fund Award for their research on schizophrenia
UAB Psychiatry faculty members Adrienne Lahti,(left) M.D. and Nina Kraguljac, M.D. (right)received the 2017 Kempf Fund Award for Research Development in Psychobiological Psychiatry at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Diego in May 2017. This prestigious prize honors research excellence in the physiological, psychological, and/or sociological causes and treatment for schizophrenia. This award recognizes a senior researcher who has made significant contributions to research on the causes and treatment of schizophrenia as both a researcher and a mentor, as well as an outstanding junior research psychiatrist working in a mentor-trainee relationship with the senior recipient of this award. Dr. Lahti was singled out for her contributions and exceptional achievements in schizophrenia research and mentorship of early career psychiatrists. The award selection committee recognized Dr. Kraguljac’s excellence in schizophrenia research as an early career psychiatrist. This is an important award in schizophrenia research, and a well-deserved honor for these two outstanding members of the UAB Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Cropsey named Vivian Conatser Turner Endowed Professor
The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees at their most recent meeting approved the appointment of Dr. Karen Cropsey as the inaugural holder of the Vivian Conatser Turner Endowed Professorship in Psychiatry. Dr. Cropsey joined the faculty of UAB Psychiatry nearly ten years ago. She received her Psy.D. from Indiana State, and pursued postdoctoral training at Mississippi State and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She was recruited to UAB from a faculty position at VCU in 2007, and she has been with UAB since, primarily as a researcher but also with meaningful roles in Department of Psychiatry clinics and education activities. Karen's research focuses on addiction and substance abuse in vulnerable population, especially in the criminal justice system and those with HIV/AIDS, and in comorbid psychiatric conditions such as depression. She has studied multiple drugs of abuse, including alcohol, nicotine, and opiates. She has been exceptionally well-funded and extensively published over her career. After an extensive national search for a holder of this newly established Endowed Professorship in the Department of Psychiatry, she emerged as an ideal candidate given her extensive research credentials, passion for understanding and treating substance abuse in these most at risk populations, and her interest in the interface of addiction and depression.