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In the News 2017

	Marsh Vitamin D supplementation in bipolar depression: A double blind placebo controlled trial Study conducted by Wendy Marsh, MD, MSc et al., to explore whether vitamin D supplementation reduces bipolar depression, shows there was no significant difference lessening in depressive symptoms. Read the summary in MDLinx Journal of Psychiatric Research.

	The Research and Evidence-Based Practice Committee of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine has chosen Nancy Byatt, D.O, M.B.A. as the recipient of the 2017 Don R. Lipsitt Award for Achievement in Integrated and Collaborative Care. This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence and innovation in the integration of mental health with other medical care through collaborative care. See UMassMed Now story.

	When Anxiety or Depression Masks a Medical Problem UMassMed Study Referenced in NY Times Article It's perfectly normal for someone to feel anxious or depressed after receiving a diagnosis of a serious illness. But what if the reverse occurs and symptoms of anxiety or depression masquerade as an as-yet undiagnosed physical disorder? Read The New York Times article.

	UMass Researcher Turns Idea Into a Nationally Recognized Program During her psychosomatic medicine fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Nancy Byatt, D.O., M.B.A., had the opportunity to work as a perinatal psychiatrist at an obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) clinic. As she learned first-hand just how common depression is among new and expectant mothers, she found herself questioning how psychiatrists could ever effectively handle the burden. Read the story in the May 30 Psychiatric News.

	Study: Suicide screening, interventions in emergency department can save lives A new study finds that a combination of brief interventions administered during and after an emergency department visit can decrease suicidal behavior among at-risk patients following the emergency room visit. The findings, published in JAMA Psychiatry, are the result of a clinical trial conducted in eight hospitals by the Emergency Department Safety Assessment and Follow-up Evaluation (ED-SAFE) study. Co-led by principal investigators Edwin Boudreaux, PhD, of UMass Chan Medical School; Ivan Miller, PhD, of Brown University; and Carlos Camargo Jr, MD, DrPH, of Harvard University, ED-SAFE is a multisite study funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health aimed at improving suicide prevention in hospital emergency department patients. Read more

	33rd Annual Public Sector Psychiatry Conference "Communicating With and About Persons With Mental Illness: The Tried-And-True and the New" Tuesday, June 13, 2017, Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital. More information

	UMass Chan Medical School 'lights it up blue' for autism awareness Parents, children, friends, community members, and professionals gathered to celebrate autism awareness and acceptance at UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Memorial Health Care's Light It Up Blue observation of International Autism Awareness Day on April 7. See the video by Worcester News Tonight.

	Educational Recognition Awards Congratulations to Mai-Lan Rogoff, MD, for receiving one of this year's Educational Achievement (Star) Awards for her wonderful contributions as an innovator in flipping the classroom for the Brain NSB course. The Star Award is presented to individuals with outstanding achievements in medical student education. Dr. Rogoff was also presented with an Outstanding Medical Educator Award.

	Feldman and Broadhurst address suicide prevention in Telegram & Gazette Suicidologist Barry Feldman, PhD, and family medicine faculty member James Broadhurst, MD, are encouraged by the growing number of people who are speaking out to help suicide survivors and prevent future tragedies. Both UMass Chan Medical School experts were interviewed for an in-depth Telegram & Gazette report on suicide prevention efforts in Central Massachusetts. Read the UMassMed Now article.

	Psychiatry resident Amber Thompson receives American College of Psychiatrists PRITE fellowship Amber Thompson, MD, a second-year general psychiatry resident, has been selected by the American College of Psychiatrists as one of four fellows to serve on its Psychiatry Resident In-Training Examination (PRITE) Editorial Board. Dr. Thompson is the first UMass Chan Medical School resident to be selected for the ACP fellowship. Read the story in the February 1 UMassMed Now.