Department: Psychiatry
Chair: Steven Wengel, M.D.
No. of people in department (faculty/staff): 20 faculty, 32 staff members
New faculty:
- Soonjo Hwang, M.D., moved to Omaha after completing a three-year research fellowship at the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH).
- Daniel Gih, M.D., is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with interest in eating disorders and electroconvulsive therapy.
- VaKara Meyer Karre, M.D., joined the hospital-based Consultation/Liaison Team. She completed her fellowship in psychosomatic medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
- Stephen Salzbrenner, M.D., will be joining the department in January 2017. His clinical interest is in mood disorders and pharmacogenetics.
New programs:
- Jennifer Yalof, Psy.D., initiated a wellness program for UNMC students and residents. She has received training at Harvard University in stress management and resiliency and has brought this expertise to the UNMC campus, including developing curricula for eight residency programs as well as for UNMC graduate students.
- With the help of Nebraska Medicine, the department now offers clinical services of Dialectical-Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.
- Plans are in the works for a pilot program in “mind-body medicine” to reduce health care utilization in patients with chronic medical illnesses.
- Soonjo Hwang, M.D., has initiated a neuroscience research program for children and adolescents with mood disorders, ADHD, and disruptive behavior disorders. He plans on achieving better understanding of these conditions using a variety of modalities, including neuroimaging and genetic testing, with the goal of development of new treatments for these conditions to improve patients’ lives.
- The department provides consultation to several transplant services – oncology, neurology, and family medicine.
Significant research grants/publications:
- Sheritta Strong, M.D., is the principal investigator on a pilot project funded by Blue Cross/Blue Shield to study the efficacy of a smartphone “app” using cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for patients with symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Recent publications:
Gih D. Guiding Psychiatry Trainees on Their First Job Search. Academic Psychiatry. 2016 Oct 7. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 27718169
Mohan A, Roberto AJ, Mohan A, Lorenzo A, Jones K, Carney MJ, Liogier-Weyback L, Hwang S, Lapidus KA. The significance of the Default Mode Network (DMN) in Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Review. Yale J Biol Med. 2016 Mar 24:89 (1) 49-57
Meffert H, Hwang S, Nolan ZT, Chen G, Blair JR. BOLD data representing activation and connectivity for rare no-go versus frequent go cues. Data Brief. 2016 Feb 9;7:66-70
Meffert H, Hwang S, Nolan ZT, Chen G, Blair JR. Segregating attention from response control when performing a motor inhibition task: Segregating attention from response control Neuroimage. 2016 Feb 1;126:27-38
White SF, VanTieghem M, Brislin SJ, Sypher I, Sinclair S, Pine DS, Hwang S, Blair RJ. Neural correlates of the propensity for retaliatory behavior in youths with disruptive behavior disorders Am J Psychiatry. 2016 Mar 1;173 (3):282-90
Hwang S, Nolan ZT, White SF, Williams WC, Sinclair S, Blair RJ. Dual neurocircuitry dysfunctions in disruptive behavior disorders: emotional responding and response inhibition Psychological Medicine. 2016 Mar; 46(7): 1485-96.
Soonjo Hwang, M.D., is principal investigator on the following UNMC studies:
Investigating the impact of fluoxetine treatment on BOLD response in trauma-exposed patients with conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder and the relationship of this impact with symptom improvement: Data analysis and publication (491-16-EP)
Symptom profiles and neuropsychological task behavioral data for children with disruptive mood and behavior disorders (586-16-EP)
Investigating the impact of oxytocin on irritability/emotional dysregulation in children and adolescents with disruptive behavior and mood disorders, and the possible mediating role of amygdala activity (321-16-FB).
Other highlights:
- Soonjo Hwang, M.D., and Brigette Vaughn, APRN, are members of the Institutional Review Board, and Mark Fleisher, M.D., serves as consultant to the IRB.
- Madeline West, M.D., is a member of the COM Admissions Committee.
- Dennis McNeilly, Psy.D., is an assistant dean for continuing education.
- Howard Liu, M.D. serves as director of the Behavioral Health Center of Nebraska (BHECN) and also assistant vice chancellor for faculty development.
- Christopher Kratochvil, M.D., serves as associate vice chancellor for clinical research.
- Drs. Chris Kratochvil & Andre Kalil served as representatives of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, helping to design and launch a study of ZMapp for Ebola virus disease. The trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was conducted primarily in West Africa. Findings were published in the Oct. 13 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
- Thomas Magnuson, M.D., has provided leadership and direct patient care for an innovative clinical program, providing telemedicine services for geriatric populations in rural areas, especially rural long-term facilities. Dr. Magnuson has been practicing telepsychiatry for more than 10 years, providing access to a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist to more than 60 communities and nearly 100 facilities. More than 500 patients have been assessed and treated in that time. Dr. Magnuson delivers psychiatric care for dementia-related behavioral problems, depression, delirium, and chronic mental illness such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Without these services patients would have to travel long distances for psychiatric care. Dr. Magnuson also plays an active role in resident education.
- Leigh Anderson, APRN-NP, and Michelle Christo, APRN-NP, deliver telepsychiatry services to students at an academic institution in rural Nebraska. They are providing psychiatric care primarily for depression and anxiety. The nearest psychiatric services are four hours away.
- The department of psychiatry also is exploring options for developing a wider range of telepsychiatry sites, including services to Native American children and adolescents.
- Mark Fleisher, M.D., is on the national board of directors for NADD and recently received the national Menolascino Award from NADD (the national association for care of patients with developmental disabilities and mental health needs).
- Drs. Mark Fleisher, Ashish Sharma and Chris Kratochvil were named in the recent Best Doctors in Omaha listing.