July 2025 | Emory School of Medicine

SAVE THE DATES

Upcoming Faculty Development Seminars

The next two faculty development seminars will be held on:

Wednesday September 17, 2025 from 9:00-10:30am
Wednesday November 19, 2025 from 9:00-10:30am

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: Jessica Cooper, PhD

Jessica Cooper is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Assistant Director of the Translational Research in Affective Disorders Laboratory and Associate Program Director of the Psychiatry Residency Research Track. She is involved in teaching and instruction, lecturing in neuroscience and psychology courses and providing didactics for psychiatry residents. Within the department, she serves on the Faculty Development Committee and the Collective for Faculty Empowerment.

Outside of Emory, Jessica is an active member of the Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP) and serves on the SOBP Community Engagement Committee, which aims to foster a more diverse and inclusive environment within the organization. She is also a panel reviewer for the National Science Foundation and an ad hoc reviewer for several journals in psychiatry and psychology.

Some of the aspects of Jessica’s work she most enjoys are the opportunities to provide mentorship and contribute to exciting new research directions. She is passionate about mentoring and regularly mentors undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in psychology and medicine. She has especially enjoyed being a member of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences due to the opportunity to learn about exciting ongoing research. This exposure has sparked new ideas in her own work, and the department’s strong culture of teamwork has made it easy to build new collaborations she is excited to continue in the future.

Jessica completed her graduate degree at the University of Texas in psychology, with a focus on cognitive aging and applied statistical modeling. Motivated by the emergence of computational psychiatry, she sought a postdoctoral position with a clinical emphasis and was fortunate to find an excellent fit in Michael Treadway’s lab in the Department of Psychology at Emory University. As a postdoctoral fellow, her research focused on transdiagnostic differences in cost-benefit decision making and the neurobiological mechanisms supporting value-based choice.

Jessica joined the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in 2022. Her research program combines neuroimaging, computational modeling and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to dissect the neurobiological and computational mechanisms underlying motivation and reward-related symptoms. She is currently supported by a career development award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), mentored by Andy Miller and Michael Treadway, to investigate elevated inflammation and altered glutamatergic functioning as transdiagnostic mediators of stress-induced anhedonia.

Jessica’s work has been published in several high-impact journals, including Nature Communications, PNAS, Molecular Psychiatry and Nature Human Behavior. She has received support from NIMH through F32 and K01 awards, as well as pilot grants from the Scientific Research Network on Decision Neuroscience and Aging and the Emory University Center for Translational Social Neuroscience. Most recently, she received a travel award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology to attend the annual meeting.

In the future, Jessica plans to continue an independent research career focused on understanding the neurobiology of motivation by integrating ecological momentary assessment, computational modeling and neuroimaging. She looks forward to dedicating more time to supervising and mentoring trainees. She also aspires to develop new collaborations at Emory and beyond that will elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying reward-related symptoms such as avolition and anhedonia, ultimately identifying new targets for intervention.

Jessica lives in Decatur with her wife, Kate, and their 3-year-old sons, Austin and Casey. They enjoy exploring parks and creeks throughout Atlanta and spending time with family and friends. She also enjoys DIY home renovation projects, reading and watching or attending sporting events.

ADJUNCT FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: Karen Giles, MD, MS

As an interventional psychiatrist, Karen Giles specializes in difficult-to-treat emotional disorders by targeting brain circuitry through neuromodulation and fast-acting alternatives to more traditional mental health pharmacotherapies.

As an adjunct faculty member, Karen has held an interventional psychiatry elective for senior psychiatry residents to learn about TMS, Spravato, IV ketamine, VNS and Prism in the community setting, and about to host a CAP fellow for the first time through a year-long elective. She also participates in the Interventional Psychiatry journal club as much as possible.

Karen has loved teaching residents about how to approach treatment resistant psychiatric conditions. It is a wonderful way to stay connected to Emory and help foster an appreciation for these treatments with the next generation of psychiatrists.

Something you would be surprised to learn about Karen is she went into medicine much later in life than most – it’s never too late to go after your dreams!

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Ivan Warner, MBA

Ivan Warner is a Senior Financial Analyst for the psychiatry and orthopaedics departments. His key monthly priorities are to review/approve all types of approvals such as travel and expense reimbursements, journal entries and payment requests. He also provides account balance management by addressing deficits and funding commitments. What Ivan most enjoys about his work is problem-solving and coming up with different solutions using technology, process improvement, as well as working with and helping his colleagues.

Ivan has been working for the Emory University School of Medicine for nearly 20 years. During that time, he is proud to state he has been involved in almost every area of business and finance in the SOM.

Ivan’s plans for the future include being a valuable team member at the Brain Health Center, learning all he can from his wonderful co-workers and administration! He plans on seeing more of this world and enjoying the time with his wife and two adult children.

Outside of work, Ivan is very active in his church with various roles including member of the board of directors, chief financial officer, men’s ministry and parking lot ministry.

Outside of church, he enjoys traveling internationally, watching good movies and keeping up with the latest technology and gadgets.

TRAINEE SPOTLIGHT: Scott Koller, MD

Scott Koller is a PGY-5 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellow at Emory University, currently working across a variety of clinical settings including EP12, the Marcus and Emory Autism Centers and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Originally from Canton GA, about an hour outside of Atlanta, Scott began his academic journey at The Ohio State University, followed by medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He later returned to Georgia for his general psychiatry residency at Emory and chose to stay on for fellowship, continuing his training in a place that feels like home.

Throughout his time at Emory, Scott has been actively involved in advocacy and community-building efforts within the institution. He serves on the department’s Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice Committee (DISC), and was a founding leadership member of GME Pride, an organization that fosters LGBTQ+ wellness, support and collaboration across Emory’s residency and fellowship programs. His commitment to improving mental health care and representation also extends beyond Emory – he will soon begin serving as the Member in Training representative to the Georgia Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Scott is especially passionate about working closely with patients and their families to find collaborative, meaningful strategies that support day-to-day functioning and long-term well-being. He values the opportunity to build strong therapeutic relationships and help patients feel empowered in their personal journeys. Among the most rewarding aspects of his training has been the chance to learn from a diverse team of faculty, colleagues and patients, and serve the broad and dynamic population of the greater Atlanta area.

Looking ahead, Scott plans to stay in the Atlanta area and pursue a career in outpatient psychiatry with a focus on children and adults with autism spectrum disorder, developmental disabilities and complex behavioral needs. His long-term goal is to provide patient-centered care in a setting that values inclusion, accessibility and thoughtful, collaborative treatment.

Outside of work, Scott enjoys spending quality time with his husband and their two dogs – Bowser and Athena. He is an avid board game enthusiast, rec league volleyball player and dedicated Ohio State Buckeyes fan. He also loves exploring Atlanta’s food scene and attending Broadway productions at the Fox Theater whenever possible.

MENTOR SPOTLIGHT: Erica Marshall-Lee, PhD (Written by Krystal Frieson-Bonaparte, PhD, Donovan Ellis, PhD, Tamara Haynes, MD, PhD, Kallio Hunnicutt-Ferguson, PhD and Kelsey Sprang Jones, PhD)

Please describe Erica’s mentorship style and any frame they set for mentorship that was helpful.

Erica fosters an open and brave space for discussing the impact of minoritized identities on professional development. She promotes a framework focused on how professional growth serves the individual, integrating humor and genuine self-effacement into her approach.

Erica is my favorite type of mentor because she gives me “auntie vibes.” She encourages empowerment, nurtures well-being, and is unapologetic about emboldening people to pursue their passions. There have been lots of moments when Erica’s confidence in my abilities gave me the support I needed to overcome the dreaded anchors of self-doubt.

Erica’s mentorship style is thoughtful, empowering, and grounded in mutual respect. She emphasized the importance of autonomy, allowing me to take initiative while offering support and guidance when needed. Her ability to create a nonjudgmental space helped me feel safe bringing questions, mistakes, or uncertainties to our conversations.

What makes Erica a good mentor?

She offers intentional and concrete support for setting and achieving milestones, actively facilitates community building, and readily connects her mentees with relevant resources even (or perhaps especially) when she doesn't have all the answers.

She’s there when you need her and even when you don’t know that you need her. There have been several moments in our mentoring relationship when she’s sent a text or email that was right on time and gave me the morale boost or caring contact I didn’t even know I needed. She is also down-to-earth, easy to talk to, funny, and candid. I always appreciate that because it puts me at ease and allows me to share my authentic self.

Erica is an exceptional mentor because she leads with authenticity and humility. She has a keen ability to meet people where they are, offering insights and direction without imposing her own agenda. She’s generous with her time and knowledge, and she leads by example with integrity and compassion.

Erica is so attuned to connecting people with opportunities that will help them advance their career goals. To me, this is the epitome of what a good mentor does. Lifting you up and tailoring mentoring to your specific career goals.

Can you please give an example of the impact of Erica’s mentorship?

Multiple opportunities and invitations to collaborate (co-authorship on papers and presentations within my first year on faculty). She keeps an eagle eye out for potentially relevant opportunities that align with interests I have shared.

Erica mentored me before she even became my official mentor. There were several moments early in our initial encounters where she would share, connect, and inspire me before we even knew each other. One of these moments occurred while we were a part of a ABPP accountability group. Upon our first meeting within this group, she treatment me like she knew me and was extremely welcoming and inviting. It made an indelible impression on me and planted to seeds for our future journey together in mentorship.

My relationship with Erica as my mentor began during a period of personal, professional, and political transition that came with significant uncertainty. Erica encouraged and allowed space for me to show up as myself. Her presence, support, and insights gave me courage to think flexibly in integrating my personal values and advocacy into my professional life. Erica’s transparency regarding her own experiences has been invaluable.

Erica really excels at providing mentorship in the area of training and supervision. She has helped me to navigate difficult conversations with trainees, decide when to have those, and process and stay aware of my own reactions, barriers, etc. to having such conversations.

What’s one piece of advice you received from Erica that you would like to pass on to others?

Erica has shared and demonstrated for me that it’s truly “okay to say no.” When you can’t add another thing to you plate and you’re already doing too much as it is, saying no is always an option that we often forget about all too often.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: Treatment Resistant Depression Clinic Program

The Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD) Clinic program provides a consultative service to psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners or other providers working with a depressed patient population. Up to one-third of patients will meet criteria for treatment resistance, after having failed at least two medication trials at adequate dose and duration. The program is available for a consultation, weigh in on the diagnosis and treatment plan. The TRD clinic is also the entry point for patients being referred to Interventional Psychiatry treatments, such as repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), intravenous ketamine infusions, esketamine treatments and surgical neuromodulation options like vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) or deep brain stimulation (DBS). Through the clinic, patients might be able to enter a number of clinical trials for TRD.

This program was developed to meet the specialty care needs for patients with difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders. Since its infancy in 2015, the program has provided services to colleagues in the department, psychiatrists and other mental health providers in the community in the metro Atlanta area, as well as across Georgia and neighboring states. A unified initial comprehensive evaluation/consultation allows for an in-depth assessment of patient’s needs, diagnostic considerations and careful treatment planning that include psychotherapeutic insights, psychopharmacologic recommendations and/or interventional psychiatry treatments.

The assessment includes review of medical records, clinical rating scales, psychological evaluation, psychiatric evaluation and, in many cases, an independent meeting with the family. Once a week, the entire team has a meeting where all cases are discussed, and recommendations are considered. This centralized evaluation, detailed evaluation and gathering of information has allowed for successful recruitment to a variety of clinical studies, many publications in journals, posters in national and international meetings, providing a vast database for medical and psychology students to conduct discovery projects, poster presentations and undergraduate theses. The team brings together the strength of an interdisciplinary team, offering comprehensive case consultations and treatment planning for severe and refractory patients, including patients who are struggling with suicidality.

The TRD Program has a strong interdisciplinary team. The psychiatrists currently conducting consultations include Patricio Riva Posse, Brandon Kitay and the new interventional psychiatry fellow Michael Hale. The psychologist who conducts consultations and mentors the research team is Rachel Hershenberg. Jocelyn Wise, the team social worker, has helped to build the TRD program from its inception, alongside Rachel, Patricio, Andrea Crowell and Bill McDonald, and she contributes informative collateral meetings with the patients’ loved ones. The program has integrated research into the routine clinical care of these patients, and as such, boasts a comprehensive research team including Ally Mandell, Morgan Smith and multiple Emory undergraduates. It has a strong interventional psychiatry team at ECT, TMS and Ketamine service lines, including Adriana Hermida, Tony Chatham, Patricio Riva Posse and Brandon Kitay. There are also fantastic clinical coordinators, Demitria Members, Denita Clark and Daphane Groves. Greg Job helps keep TMS running. Finally, it would not be a functioning program without the hard work and finesse of Michele Miles, the most valued and treasured longstanding program manager.

Within Emory, the program works closely with functional neurosurgery colleagues who oversee the DBS and VNS surgeries. There are active research collaborations with multiple institutions, including Georgia Tech, Yale University, Mt Sinai and University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, among others. The program also actively works with the National Network of Depression Centers, which contributes to a significant data repository to better understand predictors and outcomes of real-world depressive patients.

While most of the consultations are related to depressive disorders (unipolar or bipolar disorders), through the TRD clinic/Interventional Psychiatry Service it also provides comprehensive assessments for patients who are referred for treatment of OCD (with TMS or DBS) or electroconvulsive therapy for cases of catatonia or treatment-resistant schizophrenia, as well as off-label DBS cases for a variety of conditions, like severe self-injurious behavior in patients with developmental delays. Regarding TMS, it offers accelerated iTBS, a new protocol that applies neuronavigation (with the assistance of Sanne van Rooij) and is delivered in multiple sessions in a day, so a complete course can be achieved in five days.

On Monday, July 28, the first surgery in the clinical trial TRANSCEND was done. This clinical trial will evaluate the efficacy of Deep Brain Stimulation in the Subcallosal Cingulate for treatment resistant depression. This nationwide, multicenter, randomized, double blind, sham-controlled study was designed following the long-term successful results at Emory, where in 2007 the first DBS surgery in the subcallosal cingulate was conducted in the US. One hundred patients across 20 different sites in the US will be implanted and randomized to active or sham stimulation for the first 12 months, with subsequent activation in all subjects. More information can be found here.

To learn more about the program, please reach out to Patricio Riva Posse or Rachel Hershenberg. Send a message in Epic for any patient specific questions. In Epic: refer easily internally with a .TRD dot phrase. Patients can start the process for evaluation through the website or they can call 404-712-8732. The TRD team is happy to connect and collaborate.

DISC COMMITTEE – GET TO KNOW YOU

Justin Palanci, MD, Assistant Professor – My family has a complicated relationship with the country of Turkey and so as we prepared to travel there for Spring Break, I was a bit apprehensive. My father was born in Istanbul, spent most of his childhood there, left when he turned 18 and never returned. He was the son of an Armenian Catholic father and Greek Orthodox mother, living in a secular, yet predominantly Muslim country. Over a hundred years ago, in the context of the Armenian genocide, my great grandfather was taken from his home in Ankara, forced to march out of the country and died a few days into the journey. My great grandmother and grandfather were displaced from their home with the intention of sending them out of the country but were intercepted by a Catholic priest, who redirected them to Istanbul, which is how my family came to settle there.

It is with all that history that I traveled to see this place with my own eyes for the first time. We stayed in Taksim, a neighborhood on the European side of the city. The first morning, we walked through town and found the home where my family lived for a decade. We visited the Greek Orthodox Church and Catholic Church where they attended services. As we walked through the neighborhood, my aunt, who is my dad’s oldest sister, told us stories about their childhood. My favorite being the only person on the street with a phone was the butcher on the corner. He would receive calls for the neighborhood and come to the corner to yell out “you have a phone call!” It was an incredible morning, but there was an underlying tone of apprehension. My aunt shared how she felt othered for not being Turkish. How when there was unrest, they would feel targeted or blamed. Throughout the trip, I reflected on the dichotomy of experiencing this amazing place and learning more about my family, while processing the trauma and challenges they faced.

The most poignant moment occurred when we visited the Armenian Catholic cemetery where my great grandmother, great aunt and grandfather are buried. It was a beautiful setting, reminiscent of Oakland Cemetery. We followed the ground keepers, searching for their burial site. When we finally came to it, I was taken aback by what I saw. There was a stone cross with a picture of my great grandmother and great aunt and a stone slab leaning against it with their names and years of birth and death. Next to it, a broken wooden stake, which my aunt said used to be a cross that had a picture of my grandfather on it. There was no other way of identifying him. After speaking with the grounds crew, we came up with a plan to have a marble tombstone built that would properly honor their memories. Ultimately this trip allowed me to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of my family’s story, and our complicated relationship with this beautiful place.

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.

Wellbeing Event at the Carlos Museum | The Wellness Committee had a lovely outing for the department at the Carlos Museum. Katie Ericson is an Emory treasure and led a wonderful program! Cheers to Wellness and Arts in Health!

FACULTY KUDOS

Major Leadership Appointments, Activities and Achievements

Carissa Balderas was selected the incoming president of the Georgia Association of Sleep Professionals for 2025-26.

Kellie Clearo is the Chair of the Association of Medicine and Psychiatry Program Directors Committee.

Vincent Costa was elected as the vice chair for the international Gordon Research Conference on Amygdala in Emotion, Cognition and Disease in 2027 and will chair the 2029 meeting.

John Deppe was selected as the inaugural Director of Neuromodulation at Grady Hospital.

Karen Drexler is the Chair of the Subcommittee on Functioning and Quality of Life for the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM Strategic Planning Committee as well as the Chair of the Conflict of Interest Subcommittee for the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatric Scientific Program Committee.

Rachel Hershenberg was elected Secretary of the American Psychological Association’s Society of Clinical Psychology (Division 12) and selected for the role of Specialty Board Officer, American Board of Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology.

Benson Ku was elected to the Advisory Board of the Social Determinants of Health Network and was elected as a Junior Board Member of the Schizophrenia International Research Society.

Abby Lott became an Associate Editor for the European Journal of Psychotraumatology.

Meghna Patel began her role as president of the Georgia Psychological Association for 2025-26.

Rachel Waford was elected Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for Community Friendship, Inc.

Research

The Costa laboratory had its manuscript, “Transcriptomic diversity of amygdalar subdivisions across humans and nonhuman primates” accepted for publication in Science Advances.

Arora D, Berman M, Snider LA, Segall M, and South M. Educators’ Knowledge About Strategies and Supports for Autistic Students in the Transition from School to Adulthood. SSRN.

Cha J, Raj D, Choi KS, Rajendra JK, Nemeroff CB, Felger JC, Craighead WE, Mayberg HS, Dunlop BW. Impact of inflammation on white matter integrity and functional connectivity in chronic major depressive disorder. Biological Psychiatry. 2025.

Gu J, Xia L, Jiang F, Liu H, Tang YL. Income gap between male and female psychiatric nurses in China: a national survey. International Nursing Review, 2024,

Johnson E, Hagle H, Lamar, C, Eaves, K, Tang YL. Language Matters: A critical discourse analysis of how substance use disorders are portrayed in a primary care journal over the last 20 years. Journal of Addiction Science, 2024, 10(1): 7-10.

Petersen JM, Petersen OF, & Schneider RL. (In press). Flexibility for the next generation: Developmental adaptations and emerging evidence in ACT for youth. In ME Levin & MP Twohig (Eds.), Optimizing ACT: Translating Research into Practice. Springer Nature.

Pompili M, Berardelli I, Sarubbi S, Rogante E, Cifrodelli M, Erbuto D, Lamis DA, and Baldessarini RJ. (2025). New episodes and suicidal risks in bipolar and major depressive disorder patients during versus before long-term treatment with lithium. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.

Powers A, Belton I, Lipschutz R, Lathan EC, Mekawi Y, Wallace S, Narayanan A, and Woods-Jaeger B. (In press). Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills training for African American pregnant women with ACEs: A pilot study of feasibility, acceptability, and mental health barriers and attitudes. European Journal of Psychotraumatology.

Sheila Rauch, Co-Investigator/Site PI, Department of Defense, HT94252510662 (PI: Hernandez-Tejada), Title: Neuromodulation + Prolonged Exposure Therapy: Evaluation of a Technology-Enhanced, Entirely Remote 2-Week Integrated Treatment for Pain & PTSD, 07/01/2025 – 06/30/2029

Rbeiz KS, Badawi JC, Parker CJ, Blanco E, Fielden C, Curland A, Ross-Young H, Hill M, Ward M, Mafarjeh A, Vitro M, Lee E, Davidson CA, & Reznik SJ. (2025). Exploring trainee perspectives on barriers and facilitators in serious mental illness doctoral training. Psychological Services, 22(1), 20–33. The article was featured in the APA Journals Article Spotlight.

Rothbaum BO, Schnurr PP. A New Generation of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: The Example of Combining MDMA With Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. Volume 32, Issue 3, 2025, Pages 393-396, ISSN 1077-7229.

Andrew Sherrill has been appointed to the editorial board of Cognitive and Behavioral Practice.

Sheng L, Wu Z, Li H, Jiang F, Tang YL, Liu H, Liu Y, Liu T, Zhu J. Mental health professionals in China from 2017 to 2019: more educated, better paid, but less satisfied. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 2024, 104015.

Tang YL, Taffone A, Wong SYS. Editorial: Burnout and Stress: New Insights and Interventions. Scientific Reports, 2025, 15: 8335. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-92909-6

Wang LN, Lin S, Lin WQ, Wang W, Ren YP, Ma X, Tang YL. Subregional Thalamic Functional Connectivity Abnormalities and Cognitive Impairments in First-Episode Schizophrenia. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 2024, 104042, doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104042

Welsh JW, Joseph V, McBride AB. Developing a Train-the-Trainer Course for Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Providers in Adolescent Addiction. Academic Psychiatry. 2025 Jul 1. doi: 10.1007/s40596-025-02176-w. PMID: 40593403.

Welsh JW, Masoumirad M, Delisi S, Garcia C; Rivera J; McCord E, Stehli A, Neikrug AB, Maruti S, Marcovitz DE, Salisbury-Afshar E, DeMoss D, Gagliardi JP, McCarron R. Primary Care Training and Education in Addiction Medicine Fellowship: Expanding the Addiction Medicine Workforce. BMC Medical Education. 2025 Jul 1;25(1):992. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07494-z. PMID: 40598125.

Zheng H, Savitz J, Haroon E, Ahern J, Loughnan R, Nabber F, Xu B, Forthman K, Aupperle R, Williams L, Paulus M, Fan CC, Thompson W. Polygenic score for C-reactive protein is associated with accelerated cortical thinning and increased psychopathology in adolescents: a population-based longitudinal cohort study. Res Sq. 2025.

Honors, Awards, Rankings

The following faculty are the recipients of the 2025 Awards from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Distinguished Mentor Award: Research – David Goldsmith
Distinguished Mentor Award: Service and Education – Benson Ku
Distinguished Clinician: Atlanta VA Healthcare System – Yilang Tang
Distinguished Clinician: Emory Healthcare – Carly Yasinski
Distinguished Clinician: Grady Health System – Justin Palanci
Distinguished National/International Service Award – Chanda Graves
Larry Y. Young Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award for a Senior Faculty Member – Dorian Lamis
Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award for a Junior Faculty Member – Mandy Bekhbat
Nadine J. Kaslow Inclusive Excellence Award – Joya Hampton Anderson and Jennifer Holton
Quiet Excellence Award: Atlanta VA Healthcare System – Jocelyn Cox
Quiet Excellence Award: Emory Healthcare – Julie Pace
Quiet Excellence Award: Grady Health System – Marsha Stern

The following members of our department were recognized as Top Docs in Atlanta Magazine

Milena Armani – Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Jennifer Casarella – Addiction Psychiatry
Toby Goldsmith – Adult Psychiatry
Jennifer Holton – Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Joseph Mathias – Addiction Psychiatry
Elizabeth McCord – Addiction Psychiatry
Laura Jane Miller – Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Ann Schwartz – Adult Psychiatry
Meg Weigel – Adult Psychiatry
Justine Welsh – Addiction Psychiatry

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

Kellie Clearo won the volunteer award from Kidz2Leaders for volunteering for 2 weeks at Camp Hope.

Jocelyn Cox received the Teaching Award (clinical) from the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship.

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

Kallio Hunnicutt-Ferguson and Robin Casey have been selected to join the Emory Alliance for Women in Medicine and Science Faculty Resource Group through the School of Medicine.

Nadine Kaslow was honored at the Grady Nurse of the Year Awards Ceremony with a Special Award, named in her honor. The Nadine J. Kaslow Award for Mental Health Advocacy was presented by Grady’s Chief Nursing Officer, Michelle Wallace.

Nori Lim was selected as the recipient for the AAPA Distinguished Contributions Award for Leadership/Service.

Yilang Tang (1) received the Teaching Award (didactic) from the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship (2) served as a panelist at the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry's seminar for Addiction Fellowship application.

Sanne van Rooij, Jennifer Stevens and their colleagues’ paper “Defining the r factor for post-trauma resilience and its neural predictors” (Nature Mental Health, 2024) was selected as the winner of the 2024 paper of the year in the Empirical Human Research Category by the Stress Measurement Network.

Media

Nadine Kaslow (1) AARP | 25 Great Ways Volunteering is Good for Older Adults

Andrew Miller (1) The New Yorker | Mary had schizophrenia—then suddenly she didn’t

Justine Welsh (1) Everyday Health | Can You Drink Alcohol with Heart Disease?

Presentations

Jordan Cattie, Donovan Ellis and Erjing Cui presented “Making ERP culturally responsive together: A demo and invitation for everyone" at the International OCD Foundation 30th Annual OCD Conference.

Goodman G. Our refuge and strength: Transforming attachment to the living God. Webinar sponsored by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), Zoom, July 8, 2025.

Niu W*, Yu S, Chu M, Guo J, Michalski C, Li X, Wang Z, Xie B, Gambello J M, Peng J, Wen Z. “mTOR-LPL-driven dysregulation of lipid metabolism in human microglia of tuberous sclerosis complex leads to aberrant neuronal development and hyperexcitability”. 2025 TSC International Research Conference, Bethesda, Maryland, June 2025 (oral presentation)

Niu W*, Yu S, Li X, Wang Z, Michalski C, Gambello J M, Peng J, Wen Z. “Longitudinal multi-omics reveals pathogenic TSC2 variants disrupt developmental trajectories of human cortical organoids derived from tuberous sclerosis complex”. 2025 TSC International Research Conference, Bethesda, Maryland, June 2025 (oral presentation)

Rebecca Schneider (1) led a support group for misophonia sufferers at the International OCD Foundation conference (2) presented on “Beyond Weekly Sessions: Developing Intensive Outpatient Programs for OCD” at the International OCD Foundation conference along with Jordan Cattie and Katie Cullum (3) was the discussant for the symposium “Understanding Misophonia: Clinical Characteristics, Treatment Outcomes and Symptom Heterogeneity” at the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science conference (4) presented a talk titled “Preliminary outcomes from a telehealth-based intensive outpatient program incorporating ACT and the DNA-V model for pediatric OCD” as part of another symposium at the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science conference.

TRAINEE KUDOS

Acevedo S, Aneja E, Opler DJ, Valera P, & Jarmon E. (2025). Evaluating the efficacy of ChatGPT-3.5 versus human-delivered test-based cognitive-behavioral therapy: A comparative pilot study. American Journal of Psychotherapy. Doi: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240070

ADJUNCT FACULTY

Susan Reviere received the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Member Award.

Ren Massey received the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Member Community Service Award.

STAFF KUDOS

The “Your Fantastic Mind” team of Jaye Watson, Kenny Hamilton, Jennifer Johnson-McEwen and Douglas Blair has been recognized with four Southeast Emmy Awards by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, bringing the show’s total to 15 Emmys since its 2019 debut.

Del Hanson received the inaugural Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Faculty Partnership Award.

Natalie McWhorter will be promoted to Senior Department Administrative and oversee administrative operations for both the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Ivan Warner has joined the Brain Health Center as Senior Financial Analyst for the department. He will support our university financial functions as part of the team led by Dan Mills. You can reach him via email.