Department Kudos

SAVE THE DATES

Upcoming Faculty Development Seminar

The next Faculty Development Seminar is:

• Wednesday, April 2, 2025, from 9-10:30am – Consulting as Faculty Members: Securing and Engaging in Opportunities and Navigating Challenges
• Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 9-10:30am – Promotion Readiness: Writing Your Personal Statement
• Wednesday, July 16, 2025, from 9-10:00am – Understanding Your Responsibilities: External Activities and COI Disclosures with Nicole Tannebaum, JD, MSPH

Writing Groups: Upcoming

The Faculty Writing Group is the first Wednesday of every month from 8:00-9:00am. These meetings are on Zoom. This group is for faculty including adjunct faculty.

SPOTLIGHTS

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: Carissa Balderas, PhD

Carissa Balderas is a clinical psychologist on the Transplant Behavioral Health team within the Emory Transplant Center. In this role, she conducts pre-transplant psychosocial evaluations, living donor psychosocial assessments and provides psychotherapy for patients both before and after transplant. In addition to her clinical work, she is also an active member of the Faculty Development Committee, founding member of the Transplant Center’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee and serves as co-chair of the Latinx Trainee Affinity group.

Outside of Emory, Carissa serves as Vice President of the Georgia Association of Sleep Professionals. In this capacity, she advocates for the integration of behavioral sleep medicine within medical settings. She also contributes to professional development efforts as a member of the Georgia Psychological Association’s Continuing Education Committee, helping bring high-quality, APA-approved educational programming to psychologists in Georgia. 

Carissa is deeply committed to health psychology and finds it profoundly rewarding to support individuals living with complex medical conditions. Her clinical work is grounded in the belief that physical and mental health are deeply interconnected and tending to both is essential for healing and quality of life. Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams who care deeply about patients and their families continues to be one of the most fulfilling aspects of her role. 

Being part of the Transplant Behavioral Health team has been a defining highlight of Carissa’s career. She is grateful to have contributed to the growth of psychological services within the Emory Transplant Center and is excited about ongoing opportunities to expand access to mental health care, particularly with new services for patients with alcohol-associated liver disease. In the future, she looks forward to dedicating more time to supervising and mentoring psychology trainees—helping to shape the next generation of health psychologists is both a responsibility and a joy.

Outside of work, Carissa enjoys spending time with her husband and spirited 3-year-old daughter. As a family, they love discovering new playgrounds, riding bikes and spending time with friends. On quieter weekends, Carissa enjoys listening to podcasts, and plotting their next family adventure – preferably one including good coffee and time outdoors.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: Jeremy Ragsdell, MD

Jeremy Ragsdell works primarily as a Consult-Liaison psychiatrist at the DOU which includes Emory Decatur, Emory Hillandale and Emory Long Term Acute Care. He currently serves as the physician leader for the Schwartz Rounds committee at Emory Decatur. Additionally, he is a member of the Faculty Development Committee, Ethics Committee, DOU Credentialing Committee, leads the medical student consult psychiatry rotation and is a preceptor for Physician Assistant students at Emory Decatur.  

Jeremy completed residency training in psychiatry at LSU before coming to Emory, and before that finished medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He dedicates most of his professional time to his work at Emory and Emory was his first foray into independent medical practice, so his prior responsibilities/roles are limited.

In Jeremy’s work, he finds the greatest satisfaction in working with his patients. The ability to make a positive impact on their lives is deeply fulfilling. He also appreciates being surrounded by intelligent, hard-working colleagues who inspire him to continually strive for excellence. The strong support system within Emory and the encouragement he receives for advancing his skills as a physician enhances his sense of purpose and motivates him to grow both personally and professionally. These aspects of his work create a rewarding and empowering environment he values immensely.

Some key highlights of Jeremy’s career trajectory include being actively involved in the growing psychiatry department within Decatur, where he has had the opportunity to contribute to its development and success. He was also honored to be selected as the physician leader for the Schwartz Rounds, an experience that allowed him to foster meaningful discussions around compassion in healthcare. Additionally, he takes great pride in working closely with students and residents, mentoring them and supporting their growth as they navigate their own careers in medicine.

Goals for the future include maintaining a strong sense of curiosity within the field of psychiatry. Staying continuously engaged with emerging research and ideas to deepen Jeremy’s understanding and contribute to the advancement of the field and provide excellent care for his patients. Additionally, he plans to refine his academic publishing pursuits, improve as a student educator and mentor and support the growth and success of the Emory psychiatry department through collaboration and innovation.

Outside of work, Jeremy finds balance and joy in a variety of pursuits. He enjoys gardening, which allows him to connect with nature and unwind. Cycling provides a sense of freedom and adventure, while running helps him stay active and clear his mind. He is active in a number of driving clubs in Atlanta and a frequent patron of the arts. Above all, spending quality time with his family is his greatest source of fulfillment.

ADJUNCT FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: Scott Seitz, PhD

Scot Seitz is a psychologist in Atlanta who co-owns an independent practice Lumen Guidance & Consultation with Katie Hale. His training was in clinical and community psychology, which informs the two main-focus areas of his practice: psychotherapy and program evaluation. On the clinical side, Scot works with adults, adolescents and couples experiencing a range of mental health concerns. As an independent evaluator, Scot helps organizations design and execute measurement and evaluation plans to assess the implementation and effectiveness of their programs. He often works with behavioral health organizations, community-based nonprofits and positive youth development and mentoring programs. Scot finds it rewarding to help organizations measure their impact at the individual, institutional and community levels, thereby supporting continued growth and funding of meaningful programs. 

Scot has been an adjunct faculty member in the Emory University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences for over two years. In this role, he is an active member of the Atlanta Behavioral Health Advocates (ABHA), an inter-professional workgroup within the department that aims to advocate for individuals who are disproportionately impacted by social inequities. In addition to participating in annual ABHA initiatives, he sits on a standing ABHA committee that facilitates the review and submission of blog posts to PsychologyToday.com. As an adjunct faculty member, Scot also supports the training and supervision of behavioral health trainees.

Scot’s favorite part of being an adjunct faculty member is building community with departmental faculty, staff and trainees who are passionate about making positive change in the Atlanta community and beyond. As a former psychology intern and postdoctoral fellow within the department, he values Emory’s community of learning and advocacy and cherishes the opportunity to continue to engage in it. Through his involvement in ABHA and interactions with Emory faculty, staff and trainees, he continues to grow as a clinician, advocate and program evaluator.

You may be surprised to learn Scot attended Emory College and did not take a single psychology course (he majored in biology and women’s studies). He discovered his passion for psychology after teaching for two years in a public charter school as a Teach For America corps member. He had to complete a year of post-baccalaureate coursework before applying to psychology graduate programs. Outside of his academic and professional life, Scot is an avid tennis player and fan. You can often find him at local tennis courts (trying not to double fault!).

TRAINEE SPOTLIGHT: Yiqi Huang

Yiqi Huang is a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Program at Emory. In the lab, she studies how inflammation affects neurotransmission in human iPSC-derived dopamine neurons in a dish, aiming to explain high inflammation-related motivational deficits in MDD. She is also a TA for undergraduate neuroscience classes and has volunteered for two years to teach experiments and concepts in neuroscience for the Brain Bee competition. She serves as a mentor for newer students in her program and is also a former soprano in the Emory Choir, performing in several concerts. Outside of Emory, Yiqi is a crisis counselor at Crisis Text line, where she saves lives and helps people cope with difficult emotions and experience. 

Yiqi most enjoys there are multiple ways to improve mental health and help people. Through research, she gets the chance to touch on the frontier knowledge about neuropsychiatric disorders and push one step further with the findings created with her hands at the bench. When providing counseling, she likes to immerse herself in clients’ world, understand different souls and give the support they need. Even though she only meets each of them for a short time, she feels she is getting better at tailoring different styles of support for different people. Her goal is to integrate different counseling theories and models to create the best possible recipe for everyone. Yiqi thinks there is no perfect one-size-fits-all approach. It is rewarding and validating to help people. One of the clients said to her "keep doing what you're doing, you have made this world a better place." She will treasure this for her whole career. She has also become more aware of her own experiences and minds through her work.

Yiqi started the journey of getting to the brain by joining a neuroscience lab at Zhejiang University (ZJU) in China during her sophomore year. She studied how stress speeds up the aging process and the role of pyroptosis during early brain development. During her undergraduate study at ZJU, she won the national scholarship, which is offered to top 1% students in the country. She also won more than 10 other awards and scholarships. She graduated with an honor degree and the Outstanding Graduates award. 

Looking to the future, Yiqi’s goal for the future is to keep improving mental health. Her immediate plan after graduation is to complete the degree requirements towards licensure. She has always been a sensitive kid growing up. It's relieving that something she used to feel trapped in now makes her more capable of empathizing, providing care and help for others in need. She thinks she is finding her voice.

Outside of work, Yiqi likes philosophy and psychology. Recently, she has become fascinated by existentialism, which liberates her from the anxiety of constantly looking into the future and asking for meaning. She likes nature, forests and trees especially. Her clothes are usually of nature colors. You may recognize her by that on campus Yiqi also likes music: singing, composing, listening and playing. Her favorite composer is Mozart – always lighthearted and delicate to listen to, but not too emotional.

If anyone has suggestions for affordable/good master programs for mental health counseling, please email Yiqi!

MENTOR SPOTLIGHT: Marianne Celano, PhD (Written by Milena Armani, MD; Kara Brendle, PhD; Noriel Lim, PhD; Laura Jane Miller, MD; Alexandra Perez, PsyD; and Lindsay Stewart, PhD)

Marianne Celano has been a great mentor, and her mentorship has benefitted many junior faculty in the department. Her mentorship style is collaborative and genuine. She expresses curiosity and care about her mentees' goals and offers practical insights as well as encouragement toward longer-term professional possibilities. Marianne's willingness to meet her mentees where they are, both professionally and personally, is deeply valued. She has been able to flex her support depending on her mentees' needs: she can be very hands-on, offering very detailed and direct feedback or can sit back and trust her mentees to take the driver's seat. Marianne offers candid and insightful feedback that endeavors to sharpen decision-making.

Despite her busy schedule, Marianne has made herself readily available to mentees needing to connect. For instance, she has been available to help when issues of child abuse and neglect arise. Such moments instill great urgency in clinicians, and Marianne responds accordingly, helping elucidate the next steps needed, from DFCS engagement to treatment planning and family systems support. She unlocks cases with her systemic perspective.

Beyond professional growth, Marianne genuinely cares about the overall well-being of her mentees. She fosters a supportive and safe space where they feel comfortable discussing challenges beyond their careers, including work-life balance, personal development and the pressures of academic medicine. Her holistic approach to mentorship recognizes success is not solely defined by professional achievements but also by personal fulfillment and resilience. This consistent support allows her mentees to navigate their careers confidently, knowing they have a mentor who values them as whole individuals. Marianne’s genuine investment in others' development ensures she provides guidance tailored to everyone’s strengths and needs, making her a truly impactful mentor. 

Marianne's wisdom, which comes from her many years of experience, has been invaluable. She offers her wealth of experience and expertise in meaningful ways. She gives excellent advice and uses relevant personal examples to communicate her points effectively. What sets Marianne apart is her authenticity and thoughtful, inquisitive approach to mentorship. She creates a supportive environment where curiosity is encouraged, fostering meaningful discussions that challenge perspectives and promote growth. Marianne is superbly adept at thinking outside the box, considering numerous perspectives, and offering creative ideas. Her ability to ask insightful questions not only deepens understanding but also empowers those she mentors to develop critical thinking and self-reflection skills. She models creative and energetic patient-centered care, and many have learned a lot by collaborating with her as a co-therapist.

One of Marianne's best assets as a mentor is her directness. She has a dry wit that is engaging and memorable. She can be a straight shooter, as well, telling her mentees what they need to know, not just what they want to hear. Marianne is able to do this effectively because she is skilled at fostering a collaborative environment that is built on mutual respect and trust—trust that she has her mentees' best interests at heart. Her direct style of mentorship fosters clarity and accountability, which can be very valuable in a mentoring relationship.

Marianne has been tremendously helpful in providing her mentees with opportunities for additional training (e.g., Intensive training in Trauma-Focused CBT and Parent-Child Interaction Training). She gives a great deal of support and guidance (e.g., reviewing many pages of materials and providing specific feedback) to her mentees who are preparing for certification, promotion or conference presentations. Her tireless support directly impacts the careers and future endeavors of the junior faculty she mentors.

Whether it be in research, supervision or clinical care, Marianne challenges her mentees to go outside of their comfort zones in a way that facilitates their growth. Her commitment to fostering scholarly activity is unwavering. She not only spearheads initiatives that result in publications but also actively encourages her mentees to present at conferences. Her dedication to helping others succeed is evident in everything she does. Thanks to Marianne, her mentees have learned not just academic skills but also what it means to be a leader who lifts others up. 

Marianne's support has led to greater confidence in her mentees' skills. She identifies mentees' strengths, even those that they may not recognize, and tailors her mentorship to build on them, challenging her mentees to explore new areas for greater growth. She fosters an environment where her mentees feel encouraged to ask questions, embrace new learning opportunities and push themselves beyond their safe zones. For instance, through Marianne's mentorship, some of her mentees have been encouraged to return to the office to work safely and effectively with young children as the clinic was emerging from the impact of COVID-19. This made a positive difference not only in patient care with this population but also in her mentees' outlook and progress toward obtaining PCIT certification.

Marianne’s mentorship in early childhood and family systems also set some of her mentees up for having practical skills to offer after receiving theoretical training in infant mental health. Furthermore, she has been integral in helping other mentees expand their interest in couple and family services and enhance their growth as couple and family clinicians. She shepherded mentees through professional transitions with care and wisdom. Marianne’s guidance has helped shape her mentees' career decisions and ways of navigating various systems. Her support has not only strengthened her mentees' growth but also empowered them to share what they have learned with their own trainees, thus continuing the cycle of mentorship and knowledge.

A key piece of advice from Marianne, which her mentees will keep passing on, is to always advocate for patients, especially those with fewer resources or from minority communities. She has encouraged her mentees to speak up when something could be improved and always think systemically (considering family dynamics, reframing challenges and helping family members understand one another's perspectives) to create meaningful change. She has also consistently pushed mentees to "think systemically" and look at the broader picture (in terms of how departments, programs, people and patients interact and engage), particularly when trying to change an existing system.

Another memorable piece of advice Marianne gives families at the beginning of treatment is to selectively choose goals/behaviors to focus on at any given time, so they are not overwhelmed. She has provided some memorable examples from her own experience raising children. Helping families with this advice has proved very fruitful. Marianne consistently highlights the power of small yet meaningful interventions, showing how even the simplest skills can create lasting, positive change for families. Her ability to recognize and implement these subtle yet effective strategies not only strengthen the therapeutic process but also empowers families to navigate challenges with greater confidence and resilience.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: VA’s Acute Mental Health Services (written by Kelly Skelton, MD, PhD, Viorica Pencea, MD and Erica Duncan, MD)

The Acute MH program at the VA serves all veterans who present to the Atlanta VAMC Emergency Department (ED) with psychiatric complaints, admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit (a 40-bed inpatient unit) or seen in the front door (FD) clinic. The FD clinic serves as both a walk-in outpatient clinic and bridge clinic to ensure veterans waiting to establish with their regular outpatient providers are seen promptly and not left unattended or without support and/or medication refills while establishing care with the Atlanta VA MH outpatient clinics. 

Georgia is the ninth-ranked state for veteran population (just over 700k in 2019), with that number and ranking expected to climb. As the largest VA healthcare center in Georgia, there are many veterans with MH care needs being serviced by the Atlanta VA Healthcare system. With this size of a population, there is never a shortage of veterans with acute MH needs and crises. The Acute MH team functions to not only meet the MH needs of veterans in acute crisis but also assist them in engaging appropriately with the extensive outpatient services, clinics, residential facilities and psychosocial resources available to them. 

While it is a significantly larger program than many elsewhere in the country, the engagement with multiple training programs is especially unique. Our various services (especially the ED and inpatient unit) would not function as they do without the assistance of (and training of) both Emory and Morehouse residents. Residents are a vital part of the daily functioning of both areas, working closely with teaching attendings daily. The Acute MH program trains psychiatry residents, combined internal medicine/psychiatry residents, podiatry residents, PMHNP residents, as well as multiple medical, PA and NP students. The Emory alums still remember fondly the beneficial and valuable experience of navigating this unique training.  

The inpatient team includes Emory attending psychiatrists David Novosad, Ajitabh Pandey, David Gutman and Ravi Telakapalli. They are assisted by the aforementioned Emory and Morehouse residents, along with PAs Megan Plouzek and Ui An. The unit would not function without a litany of ancillary staff, including nursing, social workers and techs. 

The ED team includes Emory attending psychiatrists Christopher Sharp, Eric Stanshine, Jesse Fredeen, Maryam Hosseini and Karen Padron. Of equally vital importance to veteran care (but not directly supervising residents) are PMHNPs Holly Lightkep and Anna Sanchez. Like the inpatient unit, this unit would not function smoothly without the regular assistance of Emory and Morehouse residents, as well as a considerable ancillary staff including a wonderful ED social work team and all the other staff vital to a functioning emergency room (ED MD docs, nursing, techs, etc). 

The FD team includes a multidisciplinary team of PMHNPs, psychologists and social workers, whose clinical care, dedication, and advocacy frequently facilitates Veterans’ first engagement in care at Atlanta VA. 

Many of our employees are graduates of the Emory residency program and still involved in the program, many as faculty, and committed to teaching. The psychiatry attendings provide regular lectures to the residents on site (along with medical students, PA students, NP students), as well as daily supervision on both the inpatient unit and emergency room. 

Something that might not be common knowledge about the program is over 80% of the psychiatrists making up the VA Emergency room team are graduates of the Emory psychiatry residency.   

In addition to the above programs, the Atlanta VA’s Neuromodulation Clinic provides mental health treatments for veterans with Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD) and PTSD. This clinic offers Electroconvulsive Therapy, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, IV ketamine and Esketamine for depression and Prism EEG neurofeedback for PTSD. This program was developed to help veterans who have not found relief with other treatments. A TRD clinic at a VA is unique because it is an increased likelihood of refractory symptoms in the veteran population. Prism EEG neurofeedback is the most recent addition and the first EEG neurofeedback to be offered by any VA. In this treatment, EEG and a real time computer simulation are used to help patients learn to modulate amygdala activity. 

It takes a team to make these treatments available with no gaps in care. The neuromodulation team is grateful for significant VA departmental support and Emory colleagues offering their expertise over the years. Several trainees interested in these treatments have joined this team over the last few years. Patients are referred to this clinic by a wide variety of providers, including from outside the mental health department. Besides treatments, this team offers invaluable resources to colleagues by providing treatment refractory consultations when a path forward appears unclear. 

If you are interested in learning more about the VA MH Acute program, please email Dr. Viorica Pencea or Dr. Kelly Skelton. If you want to refer a veteran, please email. 

If you are interested in collaborating on a research project, please email Dr. Erica Duncan. If you want to refer a veteran, please place a VA consult or email Dr. Troy Kapral with questions.

WELLNESS COMMITTEE

The Wellness Committee is recruiting members! 

If you have an interest in helping others, make better lifestyle choices and create a culture of wellness, we need you! We’re looking for members in the Department who are available to meet at least once a month. 

Contact Elizabeth McCord and Rachel Ammirati if interested.

FACULTY KUDOS

Research

Druss BG, Jones N. Evidence-Based Practicing in Mental Health. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online March 05, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.0010

Fannon J, Li C, & Goodman G. (2025, August). Spirituality in twelve-step recovery:  A mixed-methods analysis of sex and food addictions. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Denver, CO. 

Fannon J, Marure CC, Zweig R, Boyers S, Csikai E, Fatehi M, Haushalter S, Kim D, Li C, Sandlow N, Segal A, Yang E, & Goodman G.  (2025, August).  Exploring the relationship between object relations and ego-resiliency in psychodynamic therapy.  Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Denver, CO.

Fluyau D, Kailasam VK, Kim P, Revadigar N. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Quality of Life: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2025 Feb 28. doi: 10.1097/YIC.0000000000000585.PMID: 40014013. 

Goodwin GM, Nowakowska A, Atli M, Dunlop BW, Feifel D, Hellerstein DJ, Marwood L, Shabir Z, Mistry S, Stansfield SC, Teoh E, Tsai J, Young MB, Malievskaia E. Results From a Long-Term Observational Follow-Up Study of a Single Dose of Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depressive Disorder. J Clin Psychiatry. 2025 Mar 3;86(1):24m15449. doi: 10.4088/JCP.24m15449. PMID: 40047545. 

Hampton-Anderson JN, Wood-Jaeger B, Maxwell TB, Craighead WE. (in press). Racial Discrimination and Anxiety in African American Youth: Risk, Resilience, and Intervention. Journal of Mood and Anxiety Disorders.

Haushalter S, Fannon J, Marure CC, Zweig R, Boyers S, Csikai E, Fatehi M, Kim D, Li C, Sandlow N, Segal A, Yang E, & Goodman G. (2025, August). Relationship between identity diffusion, identity and coherence of self, and self-esteem in therapy. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Denver, CO.

Hunnicut-Ferguson K, Stoner SA, Kable JA, Grant TM & Coles CD. (2025). Substance use and mental health symptoms in adults with prenatal alcohol exposure, Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 107436, ISSN 0892-0362.

Kaslow NJ, Speanburg S, Kapoor S, Hudson WH, Domingue HK, Kalarithara S, Crooks CL, & Crowell AL. (2025). Therapeutic alliance and ruptures in three psychoanalytic dyads: An exploratory investigation. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 45(1), 105–120.

Kim D, Fannon J, Marure CC, Zweig R, Boyers S, Csikai E, Fatehi M, Haushalter S, Li C, Sandlow N, Segal A, Yang E, & Goodman G. (2025, August). Measuring narcissism to understand the social cognition and object relations of depression. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Denver, CO.

Lathan EC, Davydenjo I, Hosking C, Cortina Rodriguez D, Haynes T, & Powers A. (2025). Integrating a trauma recovery center into an urban hospital setting serving multiply marginalized patients in the southeastern United States. BMC Health Services Research. 

Li C, Fannon J, Marure CC, Zweig R, Boyers S, Csikai E, Fatehi M, Haushalter S, Kim D, Sandlow N, Segal A, Yang E, & Goodman G. (2025, August). Emotional instability, self-esteem, and idealizing transference in psychotherapy for depression. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Denver, CO. 

Marure CC, Boyers S, Li C, Segal A, Yang E, Fannon J, Haushalter S, Scott S, Topper J, Zweig R, & Goodman G.  (2025, August). Understanding the effect of mental health stigma within a church congregation. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Denver, CO.

Mulligan DJ, Schmidt KF, & Lamis DA. (2025). Sex differences in the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult homelessness among underserved bipolar patients. Journal of Affective Disorders, 379, 379–386 

Peddi A, Sendi MSE, Minton ST, Langhinrichsen-Rohling R, Hinojosa CA, West E, Ressler KJ, Calhoun VD and van Rooij SJH. Towards predicting posttraumatic stress symptom severity using portable EEG-derived biomarkers. Sci Rep 15, 5344 (2025).

Schwartz A, Bentman A, De Golia S, Spitz D. “Competency-based medical education series: Fostering success in times of change: Developing corrective measures with a growth mindset.” American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 2025 (symposium).

Schwartz AC, Hung, E. Can psychiatry meet the moment for competency-based medication education: Advancing competency-based assessment in psychiatry training programs. American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 2025 (workshop).

Sendi MSE, Fu Z, Harnett NG, van Rooij SJH, Vergara V, Pizzagalli DA, Daskalakis NP, House SL, Beaudoin FL, An X, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Jovanovic T, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Musey PI, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW and Ressler KJ. Brain dynamics reflecting an intra-network brain state are associated with increased post-traumatic stress symptoms in the early aftermath of trauma. Nat. Mental Health 3, 185–198 (2025). 

Townsend M, Bernstein C, Schwartz AC. Late-career: Navigating the rewards and challenges of leadership in academic psychiatry. American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 2025 (workshop).

van Lutterveld R, Sterk M, Spitoni C, Kennis M, van Rooij SJH, Geuze E. Criticality is Associated with Future Psychotherapy Response in Patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—A Pilot Study. Chronic Stress. 2025;9.

Xie T, van Rooij SJH, Inman CS, Wang S, Brunner P and Willie JT. The case for hemispheric lateralization of the human amygdala in fear processing. Mol Psychiatry (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-025-02940-2 

Yang E, Boyers S, Li C, Segal A, Marure CC, Fannon J, Haushalter S, Scott S, Topper J, Zweig R, & Goodman G. (2025, August). Examining the impact of adverse childhood experiences on faith-based coping mechanisms in adult church congregants. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Denver, CO. 

Honors, Awards, Rankings

Jordan Cattie received the Theodore Blau Early Career Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Clinical Psychology from the Society of Clinical Psychology, Division 12.

Krystal Frieson Bonaparte obtained board certification in Addiction Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Rachel Hershenberg received faculty development funds to support her attendance at the annual Anxiety and Depression Association of America conference, where she will chair a panel discussion entitled “Treatment Resistant Depression in the Transition from Adolescence to Young Adulthood.”

Nori Lim was recently elected Secretary of the Society for the Psychology Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race (APA Division 45) and received faculty development funds to support his attendance at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.  

Allison LoPilato received faculty development funds to support her participation in the highly selective Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine’s Implementation Science Academy. 

Joseph Mathias was nominated for the Emory Healthcare award “Co-Worker Who Made A Slam Dunk in 2024.”  

Molly Millians received Faculty Development Funds to support her attendance at the 9th International Research Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, where she presented a paper entitled “Does Home Educational Enrichment Improve Early Mathematics in Children with FASD?”

Sheila Rauch (1) was accepted for the Emory Public Scholarship Academy (2) was selected as a female faculty rising star by the Emory Alliance for Women in Medicine and Science.

Sanne van Rooij received Faculty Development Funds to support her attendance at the Biennial Meeting of the International Brain Stimulation society in Kobe, Japan.

Media

David Goldsmith (1) Everyday Health | FDA Expands Access to Clozapine for Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia.

Dorian Lamis (1) The Guardian | High suicide rates show music industry ‘profoundly dangerous’, researchers say.

Barbara Rothbaum (1) AJC | Emory to Expand Research into How Psychedelic Drug can Help Treat PTSD. (2) ADAA | Women Trailblazers in Mental Health | An Interview with Barbara Rothbaum

Presentations

Robert Elliott presented with Haley Way at the Southern College Health Association Annual Meeting at the University of Georgia on the topic "Using Validated Clinical Measures in Student Health Psychiatry to Improve Outcomes."

Rebecca Schneider presented “Treatment Resistance and Exposure Response Prevention in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder” at the Complex Cases in Pediatric and Adolescent Psychiatry Symposium hosted by CHOA.

van Rooij SJH, Hinojosa CA, Riva Posse P, Au M, Teye-Botchway L, Langhinrichsen-Rohling R, Minton S, Job G, Ressler KJ, Kaslow N, Rauch S, Jovanovic T, Holtzheimer PE, Calhoun VD, Camprodon JA, McDonald WM. The variability and stability of individualized connectivity-based TMS targets. Poster presentation at the 6th Biennual meeting of the International Brain Stimulation conference, February 2025, Kobe, Japan

TRAINEE KUDOS

Carolyn Neal, Najeah Okashah and Ben Maxey represented our program in APA’s MindGames, a national residency team competition that tests knowledge on patient care, medical knowledge and psychiatric history and placed seventh out of 109 programs.

McDermott TJ, Siegle GJ, Guelfo A, Huynh K, Karkare MC, Krawczak R, Johnston A, Semerod J, Jagadeesh D, Elbasheir A, Fulton TM, Krafty RT & Fani N. (in press) Find your rhythm and regulate: Breath-synced vibration feedback during breath-focused mindfulness reduces respiration variability in trauma-exposed adults. Journal of Anxiety Disorders.