Department Kudos

SAVE THE DATES

The next Faculty Development Seminar is:

Upcoming Writing Groups

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: David Thylur, MD

David Thylur currently works as a consultation-liaison psychiatrist at Emory Decatur Hospital, as well as Emory Hillandale and Emory LTAC. Aside from clinical duties, he is very involved in resident and medical student education and teaches a number of formal and informal didactics in various settings. He collaborates with the Nia Project on mobile app development for suicide prevention, and with an interdisciplinary research group at Emory that studies the interplay between autoimmunity and the neurobiology of psychotic symptoms. David also regularly provides mentorship and career advising for medical students who are considering careers in psychiatry. Current and recent roles and responsibilities out of Emory include “this one he is still working on J.”

The most enjoyable and gratifying aspects of David’s work revolves around sharing his passion for learning with others. He finds a lot of joy in getting learners engaged in topics that will help them be thoughtful and humanistic clinicians. Although he may sometimes miss the mark, his hope is to be able to create learning environments where learners feel respected, heard and can feel comfortable admitting they made a mistake or expressing disagreement. 

Clinically, David enjoys the process of investigating what might be causing a particular psychiatric problem, particularly for neuropsychiatric disorders, and this process sometimes makes him feel like a detective! This is best captured by his fascination with catatonia, which continuously puzzles and humbles him. David also finds it very meaningful to advocate for medically-hospitalized patients with mental health problems, as he has observed many instances where the stigma of having a mental health problem has adversely impacted the medical care received by patients. 

David’s plan to become a head and neck cancer surgeon went awry due to an unexpected physical injury at the end of medical school, leading him to withdraw from ENT residency and seek a career that was less hands-on! He is so grateful to have chosen psychiatry, which has been a fascinating and challenging field, and also enables him to have a career with varied and diverse interests. Though the transition was tough, it also deepened understanding of who he is (and who he is not!) and how he can contribute to the world around him.  

After completing residency at Emory, David was fortunate to stay as faculty and worked on the consult-liaison service at Grady for three years, where he got the chance to work alongside, and learn from, many incredible people. Eventually, he transitioned over to his current position, which has brought new colleagues and patients to learn from.

Looking to the future, David hopes to continue developing as an educator; one of his goals is to help positively impact the culture of medical education, which he worries has unintended effects on trainees that are counterproductive to the intended mission of developing empathetic and conscientious healers. He also hopes to foster a better understanding of how to diagnose and treat catatonia not only within psychiatry but also across other specialties. He was recently invited to teach neurology residents about catatonia, which was very exciting, and hopes to be able to contribute in this manner more in the future.

Outside of work, David enjoys spending time with his wife, Maggie, and their two quirky chihuahuas. As a new homeowner, he has been trying to learn how to repair and maintain a home, which has been a fun learning process accompanied by more than a few mishaps. His other interests include tennis, motorsports and building/modifying custom mechanical keyboards (as well as other electronics).

ADJUNCT FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: Amanda Woods, PhD

Amanda Woods grew up in a low-income household in an affluent suburb just outside Detroit. At 15, she began working at a pizzeria on 8 Mile Road, behind bulletproof glass. That early exposure to individuals from vastly different backgrounds sparked a lasting interest in human behavior. She pursued her undergraduate studies at Michigan State University and went on to earn her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Georgia State University.

Amanda completed both her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Each stage of her professional journey deepened her passion for the field. The same year she received her PhD, she became a mother, and that life transition shaped her decision to focus on private practice while maintaining a strong connection to academia. She was fortunate to earn adjunct faculty status at Emory, where she has served since 2011. 

In private practice, Amanda specializes in conducting pre-surgical psychological evaluations for bariatric patients and maintains a diverse caseload of therapy clients presenting with a wide range of psychological concerns. She places a lot of importance on having a thorough evaluation, accurate diagnosis and therapeutic alliance before starting treatment, and works from an integrative perspective theoretically. 

As an adjunct faculty member, Amanda has given lectures to trainees on specialized areas of psychopathology, including eating disorders. She has also served on the adjunct workgroup committee and currently supervises psychiatry fellows in individual psychotherapy.

Amanda genuinely enjoys supervising fellows as they develop their skills in delivering psychological and behavioral interventions. She views therapy as both a science and an art and finds it deeply rewarding to help trainees discover their own approach to the craft. She was fortunate to have exceptional supervisors throughout her own training, and it feels like a true privilege to pay that forward by mentoring the next generation of clinicians. Staying connected to an academic community also allows her to remain engaged with emerging research and innovative clinical practices, which she does not get to do much of in her private practice.

Amanda recently partnered with a fellow therapist and wellness professionals to launch a new wellness center, Breathe Healing Collective, LLC., located in Suwanee, GA. Although they are in the early stages of development, the vision is to address mental health holistically through a multidisciplinary team approach. In addition to clinical services, they also host wellness retreats designed to support emotional healing and personal growth. As Amanda’s daughter begins high school and becomes more independent, she feels inspired to explore new, creative techniques in her clinical work and expand the ways she supports clients on their healing journeys. She has also gained a therapy dog, Olive, and she has quickly become her clients’ favorite part of her practice.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: An Vu

As a Patient Services Coordinator at Emory Addiction Center, An Vu is the primary point of contact for patients and families. An helps manage appointment scheduling, verify insurance and support communication between providers and clinical teams to keep things running smoothly. An also assists with day-to-day front office operations to ensure patients have a positive and organized experience throughout their visit.

Outside of work, An is proud to have recently completed a master’s degree in healthcare administration. Balancing coursework alongside a full-time job was a challenge. Still, it gave An valuable insights into healthcare systems and leadership skills, which An is excited to put to use as while continuing career growth.

What An enjoys professionally is being able to support patients during what can often be a stressful time. Building trust and connecting with them as a reliable, friendly presence is very rewarding. An also appreciates being part of a supportive and collaborative team, surrounded by people who genuinely care about one another and patients.

One highlight has been An’s growth within the role. An was able to learn to handle more complex scheduling scenarios, improve clinic workflows and become a trusted mentor for newer team members. An really values the relationships built with both patients and staff. Another highlight for An was receiving high marks and recognition from the patient experience team.

Looking ahead, An hopes to continue growing in my healthcare career, ideally moving into a leadership or administrative role to help improve day-to-day operations, support positive changes and be a resource for others on the team.

Outside of work, An enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants and spending quality time with family, friends and dogs. An also likes getting creative with arts and crafts, including DIY projects and making personalized gifts.

TRAINEE SPOTLIGHT: Timothy McDermott, PhD

At Emory, Timothy McDermott is currently serving as a second-year NIH F32 postdoctoral fellow in Negar Fani’s affective neuroscience laboratory. In this role, he is primarily assisting with electroencephalography data collection and analysis as a part of Negar’s Mechanistic Interventions and Neuroscience of Dissociation Study and also helping initiate studies as part of her new Temporal Interference Neuromodulation Program. Further, he is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Georgia and serves as a clinical supervisor of diagnostic assessments for research participants at the Grady Trauma Project (with additional oversight and supervision from Negar and Abigail Powers Lott). Lastly, he is a member of the Postdoc Steering Committee and Men in Psych Affinity Group.

Outside of Emory, Timothy is an active member in several scientific societies relevant to his research, including the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) and the Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP). He has previously received competitive travel awards from both ADAA and SOBP and volunteered as a mentor to new recipients of these awards at recent meetings. He was also recently selected as a member of the SOBP Travel Award Committee and will serve a three-year term.

The most enjoyable part of Timothy’s work is observing research participants who are struggling with psychiatric difficulties experience improvement with the team’s novel treatment approaches. Regardless of the specific approach, he finds it incredibly rewarding to witness people’s recovery process, especially if they have never received treatment previously or have not benefitted from previous treatments. Separately, he has greatly enjoyed the opportunity to provide mentorship to undergraduate research assistants in Negar’s lab who are pursuing admission to PhD programs.

In Timothy’s career thus far, he has been incredibly lucky to have been mentored by several phenomenal scientists who lead motivated and productive teams conducting neuroscience research applied to psychiatric populations. These mentors’ support has allowed him to receive both NIMH F31 (Robin Aupperle and Martin Paulus) and NIMH F32 (Negar Fani and Greg Siegle) awards, which have provided invaluable training experiences and positioned him well for his future career goals. Another highlight was completing his clinical psychology internship at McLean Hospital as the first intern on the PTSD Track, which was overseen by Antonia Seligowski and Kerry Ressler.

Upon finishing Timothy’s second year of postdoc at Emory in August, he will be starting a new position as the Assistant Director of Research at the Anxiety and Behavioral Health Clinic in the Florida State University Department of Psychology. He is primarily making this move to continue living with his long-term partner who is transferring to FSU’s clinical psychology PhD program with her faculty mentor Richard Macatee, who is moving his lab to FSU. He is excited for the opportunity to be mentored by Brad Schmidt and Justin Riddle over the next few years until he eventually applies for faculty positions and starts his own research laboratory focused on developing and honing novel neuroscience-based treatments for trauma-related disorders. He will always be incredibly grateful for the two years spent at Emory working within the Fani Lab and Grady Trauma Project. 

In the past year, Timothy and his long-term partner moved in together with their dog and two cats. As his partner is currently pursuing her clinical psychology PhD and often works evening hours at her program’s clinic, he has had the opportunity to learn much more about cooking and diversified the types of meals he can prepare. More specifically, he has been learning to make Mediterranean-inspired dishes that are both healthy and delicious. Timothy also enjoys spending time walking in nature, whether it be taking a longer hike or a shorter walk with his dog.

MENTOR SPOTLIGHT: Andy Miller, MD (Written by Wendy Baer, MD, Jessica Cooper, PhD, Jennifer Felger, PhD, Rickey Gillespie, MD, PhD, David Goldsmith, MD, Ebrahim Haroon, MD, Weibo Niu, PhD and Zhexing Wen, PhD)

Andy’s mentorship is characterized by thoughtfulness, strategic guidance and a deep commitment to the professional development of early-career investigators. He sets a clear, supportive framework that emphasizes long-term career goals while addressing immediate needs. 

Andy’s mentorship has been instrumental to the development and success of our research careers. He takes mentorship extremely seriously, having been the primary mentor for 11 NIH K Awardees and having served as the PI on a T32 postdoctoral training grant for 10 years, the PI on a NIH R13 grant for a mentoring program, and the PI on the NIH R25 that funds the residency research track for the past 10 years. As a thought-leader in the field of immune-brain interactions, Andy has promoted awareness of the role of the immune system in behavioral health in disciplines spanning from psychiatry to oncology, and mentored over 50 faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students during his career. Most of his trainees have gone on to have successful careers in science and medicine, and he has touched so many of our lives and careers.  

We have been those mentees who have had the good fortune to be mentored by Andy. Alongside his many accomplishments as a scientist, the personal attention and frequency of meetings is what has contributed to our own successes. Andy sets aside at least an hour per week for individual meetings with all mentees, and he will devote almost unlimited time to help with grant submissions and publications, often providing the key advice or input to get something across the line. He is a constant source of motivation and commitment to bringing up the next generation of scientists in psychiatry and specifically psychoneuroimmunology. His guidance is invaluable and his desire to find novel approaches to help patients suffering from psychiatric illness is what motivates his desire to advance our own careers. His intellect and curiosity are infectious, and he cares immensely about our successes. It is this legacy of an environment of enthusiastic support that we strive to replicate with our own mentees. We can say without reservation that we would not be where we are today without Andy’s mentorship and are grateful for his lasting collaboration and friendship.

Andy has played a pivotal role in Weibo’s career development. He supported Weibo’s application for the TSC Alliance Postdoctoral Fellowship Award – providing a strong recommendation letter – and his guidance was instrumental in helping him secure the funding. Moreover, he encouraged Weibo to apply for the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Grant, with the strategic aim of positioning myself competitively for a transition to an assistant professor role. His mentorship has helped grow not only in grant writing and research planning but also navigating the broader academic landscape.

Setting up a set time monthly to meet was very helpful for Wendy. Andy was always willing to talk if a difficult issue arose, but having the set monthly time reminded her to think about her professional development on a regular basis and also feel support from leadership was available on a regular basis.  

Andy is always interested in hearing about complex patient cases and his questions help to think more deeply and creatively about how to help a patient. Andy is very thoughtful about professional relationships both within the department and with professionals outside of the department. He is willing to speak up for mentees with regards to professional development activities and support involvement in activities beyond clinical work in the department.  

Wendy was trained in pain medicine in Boston because Andy knew it would be valuable working with medically ill patients. A specialty position was available in another department, and he collaborated with that chairman to get her the position. Because of Andy's faith in her clinical skills, she has the chance to be involved in clinical research (patient exams) for projects that she would not otherwise be able to participate in. 

One piece of advice received from Andy that is important to pass on: “There is always more to the story.” 

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: VA Primary Care Mental Health Integration Program (written by Kia Brinson, PhD)

The Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) is a behavioral health service provided to any veteran connected with a primary care team who may present with common concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, irritability, sleep disturbance or chronic disease management.

Implementation of PCMHI within the VA started around 2007 with the hope of improving identification of behavioral health issues within in a primary care setting, increasing treatment rates, reducing wait time for mental health services and reducing no-show rates.

Unlike most traditional mental health treatment models, PCMHI consists of conducting 30-minute functional assessments followed by 2-6, 30-minute psychotherapy sessions targeting specific symptoms that can be addressed within a primary care setting.

The team that works with the program’s patients and behind the scenes to make the program run includes: 

• Co-located Collaborative Care (CCC’s) – Mental health clinicians embedded with the primary care team who provide consultative advice, brief assessment and bring interventions for uncomplicated mental health issues, substance use disorders and other conditions (i.e. insomnia, stress, chronic pain etc…).
• Collaborative Care Management (CoCM’s) – Mental health providers who provide algorithm and guideline-based treatment support, patient activation and education for self-management, structured assessment, monitoring treatment adherence with self-report instruments and referral management when indicated. 
• Providers with prescription privileges – Mental health providers available for consultation to the primary care team as it relates to prescribing psychotropic medication. These providers also assist with medication management for patients prescribed psychotropic medications where the goal is stabilization so overall management can continue within the primary care setting.  

All PCMHI providers regularly collaborate with a patient’s primary care team as it relates to receiving warm handoffs for same day behavioral healthcare, initiation of psychotropic medication to address symptoms, as well as discussion of treatment goals as clinically indicated. PCMHI providers are an integral part of the primary care team which includes attending primary care huddles, participating in shared medical appointments and providing in service education. 

All providers working within PCMHI are expected to complete a competency training program within their first year of employment. This training is meant to provide skills in working in a fast-paced, team-based setting.

Helpful information concerning the program is available on the VA website. You can also email Atlanta VAHCS PCMHI Director Kia Brinson with questions.

NEW FACULTY

Adrian Kunemund, PhD – Adrian Kunemund is a licensed psychologist with a PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Georgia and an MS in Psychology from Eastern Washington University. Her early clinical work included roles at both Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia, where she also taught in the undergraduate and graduate programs. Since 2019, she has been in private practice in Decatur, GA.

A generalist with a wide-ranging clinical background, Kunemund specializes in supporting clients navigating anxiety, grief, chronic health conditions, relationship and career stress, major life transitions, infertility and family building and LGBTQIA+ identity. 

Adriana Miu, PhD, ABPP – Adriana Miu has been a Staff Psychologist on the PTSD Clinical Team at the Atlanta VA since 2023 and recently joined as an assistant professor. She provides PTSD assessments and evidence-based treatments, supervises trainees and serves as a study therapist for a PTSD clinical research program. Over the past few years, she has contributed nationally to the APA Task Force for Serious Mental Illness/Severe Emotional Disturbance. She also represents Early Career Psychologists on the Board of Trustees with American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). She loves meeting psychologists from different specializations and serves on the ABPP Artificial Intelligence Task Force that will release a podcast on AI in psychology soon.

Outside of work, Adriana enjoys all the random things her toddler son does, whether it is getting into a splash pad or visiting the aquarium. When he gets older, she looks forward to more family travel trips. Hopefully one day he will survive a long plane ride to Hong Kong, where Adriana was born.

DISC Committee

See attached materials for Pride Month from DISC. 

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

Major Leadership Appointments, Activities and Achievements

Marianne Celano has been appointed Professor Emeritus. 

Negar Fani was appointed tenure and Associate Vice Chair for Translational Research. 

Michael Owens has been appointed Professor Emeritus. 

Samantha Patton was elected to serve as the GPA Secretary with her term starting in July.

Jeff Rakofsky was elected President of the Association of Directors for Medical Student Education in Psychiatry for this upcoming academic year. 

Research 

Dieujuste N, Petri JM, Mekawi Y, Lathan EC, Carter S, Bradley B, Fani N, Powers A. Investigating associations between emotion dysregulation and DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using network analysis. J Affect Disord. 2025 May 15;377:106-115. 

Fannon J, & Goodman G. (in press). Constructing spiritual attachment: A grounded theory analysis of overeaters’ use of spiritual beliefs for recovery. Pastoral Psychology.

Gariup M, Bergström T, Saliger K, Palanci JM, Cotes RO, Stoklosa JB, Seikkula J. Enhancing social cognition in psychosis - the potential role of open dialogue. Schizophrenia. 2025 Jun 5;11(1):84. 

Giordano NA, Getz T, Gottschalk M, Miller AH, Dupree Jones K, Park J, Zhu Y, Gong A, Hudson J, Selimovic S, Taub SM, Klosky AK, Wagner ER. Sleep hygiene linked to patient-reported outcomes & objective sleep measures prior to upper extremity orthopaedic surgery. Frontiers in Pain Research. 2025; Volume 6 - 2025.

Goodman G. (in press). Individual adolescent psychotherapy:  Concepts and processes. In M. Botbol, F. Guenole, & L. Ouss (Eds.), Psychodynamic treatments in child and adolescent psychiatry: A comprehensive guide. New York: Springer Nature. 

Grebla R, Kauf TL, Lax A, Cook EE, Lin Y, Liu J, Liu S, O'Sullivan AK, Shi L, Shi S, Sullivan MA, Swallow E, Witkiewitz K, Drexler K.  Treatment patterns and healthcare resource use among veterans initiating medication for incident moderate-to-severe alcohol use disorder. Am J Addict. 2025 May 12. Online ahead of print.

Haroon E, Miller AH. The new normal: neural network adaptations in late-life depression. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2025. 

Hunnicutt-Ferguson K, Stoner SA, Kable JA, Grant TM, Coles CD. Substance use and mental health symptoms in adults with prenatal alcohol exposure. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2025 May-Jun;109:107436.  

Jha MK, Leboyer M, Pariante CM, Miller AH. Should Inflammation Be a Specifier for Major Depression in the DSM-6? JAMA Psychiatry. 2025;82(6):549–550. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.0206 

Lathan EC, Davydenko I, Hosking CR, Rodriguez DC, Haynes T and Powers A. BMC Health Services Research. (2025) 25:545  

Miller AH. Advancing an Inflammatory Subtype of Major Depression. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2025; 182 (6). 

Miller AH, Felger JC, Haroon E. Designing Clinical Trials for an Inflammatory Subtype of Major Depressive Disorder. Biological Psychiatry, in press.

Rakofsky JJ, Lucido MJ, Dunlop BW. A Systematic Review to Determine if Family History of Response to Medication Predicts Outcome in Mood Disorders. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2025 May 9. 

Rauch SAM, Kim HM, Acierno R, Tuerk PW, Rothbaum BO. Problems With Noninferiority Designs in PTSD Treatment Research: Losing Signal to Noise. Am J Psychiatry. 2025 May 1;182(5):421-423. 

Rothbaum BO, Watkins LE. 40308104 An Update on Psychotherapy for the Treatment of PTSD. Am J Psychiatry. 2025 May 1;182(5):424-437. 

Suhas BN, Andrew M. Sherrill, Jyoti Alaparthi, Dominik Mattioli, Rosa I. Arriaga, Chris W. Wiese, Saeed Abdullah. Fine-Tuning Large Audio-Language Models with LoRA for Precise Temporal Localization of Prolonged Exposure Therapy Elements. arXiv:2506.09707v1 [eess.AS] 11 Jun 2025.

Terranella A, Jiang X, Bly C, Guy G Jr, Welsh JW. Gabapentinoid Dispensing to Children and Adolescents in the U.S. Am J Prev Med. 2025 May;68(5):1022-1027. 10.1016/j.amepre.2025.01.026

Zhang S, Grant J, Malhotra A, Oh J, Akuoko N, Rowland D, Wootten J, Dunn SE, Kaslow NJ. Drug misuse, self-esteem, and intimate partner violence among low-income African American women. Psychol Trauma. 2025 May;17(4):857-865. 

Honors, Awards, Rankings

Jordan Cattie received the Emory Healthcare Award for Excellence in Psychology Teaching and Supervision.  

Andrea Crowell received the Dr. Miles K. Crowder Excellence in Teaching Award. 

Boadie Dunlop received the 2025 Torch and Trumpet Award at the Science of Spiritual Health Symposium. 

Sarah Dunn received the Dr. Carol L Webb Award for Excellence in Psychology Teaching and Supervision at Grady Health System

Andrew Furman received the Clinical Faculty Supervisor Award.

Kevin Gleason received the Medical Student Faculty Teaching Award. 

Belinda McIntosh received the PGY-3 Teaching Award.

Hamid Mirsalimi received the Clinical Faculty Supervisor Award.

Nathan Scheiner received the PGY-1 Teaching Award.

Marsha Stern received the PGY-4 Teaching Award. 

Nick Thompson received the PGY-2 Teaching Award. 

Media

Karen Drexler (1) Medscape | APA Unveils Early Plans for the Next DSM

Andrew Miller (1) Medical Xpress | Researchers call for an inflammatory subtype of major depression, paving the way for precision psychiatry

Patricio Riva Posse (1) IEEE Spectrum | Next-Gen Brain Implants Offer New Hope for Depression

Barbara Rothbaum (1) The Atlantic | A PTSD Therapy ‘Seemed too Good to be True’

Justine Welsh (1) Atlanta Business Chronicle | Millions in opioid settlement funds awarded to two health systems in Atlanta

Education

Jeff Rakofsky led the following workshops (1) "Developing a Powerful Research Question" and (2) "A Primer for New(ish) Psychiatry Clerkship Directors and Coordinators."

Presentations

Christina Clarke presented a Master Class Monday for Department of Defense staff titled “Coping with Uncertainty.”

Clarke D, Oquendo M, Wainberg M, Drexler K: Future of the DSM: Revisiting Functioning and Social Determinants of Mental Health. American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, Monday, May 19, 2025.  Los Angeles Convention Center, Room 501ABC.

Aparna Das presented a poster titled "A National Analysis of Facility-Level Clozapine Availability in US Mental Health Services" at the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology conference.

Goldsmith DR. Immunometabolic Contributions to Deficits in Motivation and Pleasure in

Patients with Schizophrenia. Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society. Bordeaux, France. June 2025

Dorian Lamis spoke on an Emory SOM panel titled “You're Promoted, Now What? Tips to Stay Engaged and Productive Throughout Your Career.”

Erica Marshall-Lee, Desiree Frain and Sheethal Reddy presented a virtual CE workshop sponsored by the Georgia Psychological Association entitled “So you think I am fat? Is something wrong with that?” 

Miller AH. Presidential Symposium: Back to the Future: PNI and Mental Health. Advancing an Inflammatory Subtype of Major Depression, Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society. Bordeaux, France. June 2025

ADJUNCT FACULTY KUDOS

Jane Yates has been promoted to Adjunct Professor.

Zhang S, Tang Y-I, Nehl E, Oh J, Bai J, Liu DY, Fu J-C, Jiang F, Liu H, Liu Y, Zhang C, & Kaslow NJ. (2025). Wellness program preferences and associated factors among Chinese Health Care Professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Services. Advance online publication. 

TRAINEE KUDOS

Demy Alfonso received the Keith A. Wood, PhD, ABPP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award in Psychology.  

Tahj Blow (1) received a Medical Student Teaching Award and a Resident Recognition Award (2) awarded a Professionalism Excellence (HOPE) Award for 2024-25.

Elizabeth Chang, Med-Psych Co-Chief Resident, will be an Attending Psychiatrist at the University of Washington in Seattle. 

Jennifer Cortes received a Resident Recognition Award.

Eric Galante, Grady Co-Chief Resident, will be a Clinical Instructor and Attending Psychiatrist at NYU/Bellevue Hospital in New York City. The first recipient of the Dr. Bradley Rosenkrantz Excellence in Teaching Award, he also received a Resident Recognition Award.

Maria Alejandra Grullón, Atlanta VA Medical Center Co-Chief Resident, will be in Private Practice in Atlanta. She graduated with a Psychotherapy Distinction. 

Cristopher Hanacek will continue in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Emory School of Medicine.

Mackenzie Jones, Grady Co-Chief Resident, will be an Attending Psychiatrist at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez. She received both the Resident Research Award and a Resident Recognition Award.

Katz JL, Losken A, & Kaslow NJ. (2025). Addressing personality in the practice of cosmetic plastic surgery: An overview of borderline, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive, and histrionic personality disorders. Clinics in Plastic Surgery,52(3), 325-331. doi: 10.1016/j.cps.2025.02.005 

Scott Koller will continue in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Emory School of Medicine.

Mary Margaret LaVigne, Atlanta VAMC Co-Chief Resident, will be at attending psychiatrist in Grady’s PES, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta. 

Lindsey Limbaugh, Emory Ambulatory Co-Chief Resident, who graduated with a Psychotherapy Distinction, will be entering private practice in Bethesda.

Kathleen Loughran will continue in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Northwestern University in Chicago. 

Michael McGrath, Emory Ambulatory Services Co-Chief Resident, will complete a Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Emory School of Medicine.

Jan Mooney received the Richard Morrell Community Service Award. 

Patrick O’Connell, Emory Decatur Hospital Co-Chief Resident, will be an Attending Psychiatrist, Unity Hospital, in Portland.

Najeah Okashah received a Resident Recognition Award. 

Punita Peketi will be a Wellborn Fellowship Scholar and will focus on therapies for psychosis. 

Jack Perna will be a Wellborn Fellowship Scholar and will focus on Ketamine-assisted therapies.

Pinto L, Danko D, Katz JL, Kaslow NJ, & Losken A. (2025). The psychological benefits of plastic surgery. Clinics in Plastic Surgery, 52(3), 355-362. 

Danielle Quinn will be a Wellborn Fellowship Scholar and will focus on therapies for psychosis. 

Kate Rubin received a Medical Student Teaching Award.  

Sumeet Sharma will continue in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Emory School of Medicine.

Katerina Saker, Med-Psych Co-Chief Resident, will be an Attending Psychiatrist, Med-Psych Unit and Primary Care, Grady Health System in Atlanta.  

Caitlin Smith, Emory Decatur Hospital Co-Chief Resident, received the PRITE Award and will be an Attending Psychiatrist at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez.