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MUSC Psychiatry Chair Update
Thomas W. Uhde, M.D.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Institute of Psychiatry |
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ONGOING STUDIES & PUBLICATIONS |
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Isolation, Job Loss Taking Big Toll |
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The coronavirus pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, strained the nation’s health care system and routed the economy.
But some of its effects are less obvious.
The isolation, the extra workloads - or the job loss - and the demands of parenting under these circumstances have given rise to extraordinary stress that has pushed some people to the limit.
Mental health experts say that levels of anxiety and depression are at an all-time high, and the number of Americans considering suicide is growing.
Indeed, Mental Health America reports that from January to September, anxiety screenings on its online tool were up 634 percent while depression screenings were up 873 percent.
Meanwhile, nearly half a million more people have seriously considered suicide than last year, the group reports.
“This is a troubling trend being fueled by loneliness and isolation,” said MHA CEO Paul Gionfriddo. “We are also seeing alarming numbers of children reporting thoughts of suicide and self-harm.”
The ER at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in Charleston has seen the percentage of children with mental health issues jump from 2.5 percent in November 2019 to 12 percent in November 2020.
“They’ve been quarantined and had their lives upended,” said Dr. Kelsey Allen, a pediatric emergency medicine fellow at MUSC and instructor in the College of Medicine. “It’s been hard to see because you want to do everything you can to help children cope.”
Dr. Ryan Byrne, a psychiatrist and assistant professor at MUSC, says the increase is largely related to the pandemic, either directly because of the stress or because they lost access to therapists and other providers they’d been seeing at school or other psychiatric visits prior to the virus. And telehealth visits aren’t available to those who don’t have technology, he said.
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SPRING CYCLE FOR PROMOTION & TENURE |
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For anyone who is requesting promotion or tenure effective January 1, 2022, all promotion and tenure requests must be received in the Chair’s office no later than February 4, 2021, in the form of complete packets accompanied by a letter of recommendation from your Division Director. Packets with checklists, requests for materials, and forms specific for regular and modified faculty have been developed to make the submission process more straightforward. Packets are available on the College of Medicine’s website. Follow this link: https://horseshoe.musc.edu/university/colleges/com/faculty/appointments-promotion-and-tenure.
Promotion to Associate Professor or Professor requires a minimum of four letters of recommendation, addressed to the Departmental Chair. Individuals selected to write the minimum four letters should be non-MUSC faculty in the candidate’s field at the academic rank of professor or its equivalent stature. At least two of these individuals should not be associated with the candidate by having been past mentors/teachers/students/trainees. We ask that you provide 4-6 names of individuals that we can contact to solicit letters of recommendation.
The letter of recommendation from your Division Director must follow appendix 2 in the COM APT guidelines. Division Director letters should include the following paragraphs: introductory, education, research if applicable, scholarly publications, clinical practice if applicable, administration, and other activities and accomplishments.
If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Mulholland at mulhollk@musc.edu. |
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Psychiatry Administration
ICCE Chief (UNIV, Full-Time): The Chief of the Mental Health Integrated Center for Clinical Excellence reports to the Chief Physician Executive of MUSC Health and works in close collaboration with other MUSC Health leaders including the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer. As Vice Chair, this position also reports to the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The ICCE Chief is expected to provide at least 75 percent administrative time in the role devoted to strategic leadership and administrative activities.
Addiction Sciences Division
Assistant Professor/Psychologist (UNIV, Full-Time): This position is for a clinical psychologist who will be working as a faculty member at the Medical University of South Carolina in the Outpatient Clinic of the Addiction Sciences Division of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, providing individual and group therapy to individuals with addiction-related and other psychiatric illnesses and their families.
Open Rank/Assistant Professor (UNIV, Full-Time): The successful applicant for this position will have either an MD or a PhD degree and will be expected to have an established and independent research program that will interface with the multidisciplinary NIAAA P50 Charleston Alcohol Research Center at MUSC.
Open Rank/Professor (UNIV, Full-Time): The successful applicant for this position will have either an MD or a PhD degree and will be expected to have an established and independent research program that will interface with the multidisciplinary NIAAA P50 Charleston Alcohol Research Center at MUSC.
Psychiatry Hospitalist Division
Open Rank - Psychiatry (UNIV, Full-Time): Candidate must be a psychiatrist with the ability to hold an unrestricted license to practice in South Carolina. The candidate must be board-eligible or board-certified if having completed residency training greater than five years ago. Candidate will be a member of the Psychiatry Hospitalist Division and provide inpatient care on a general adult psychiatry unit and provide coverage across other inpatient areas as needed. Candidate will provide care as a Consult Liaison, and have research coverage.
*Note: This position is coded under an ECT identifier through Human Resources; however, it is not ECT for doctors. This position is for the Psychiatry Hospitalist Division.
Women's Reproductive and Behavioral Health Division
Social Worker LISW-CP (MUSCP, Full-Time): The Department of Psychiatry is seeking a candidate to fill their Social Worker position within their Mental Health Division. The candidate will work collaboratively within an integrated behavioral health program and provide evidence-based psychotherapies to pregnant and postpartum women with mental health and substance use disorders.
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The long-awaited COVID-19 vaccines have started arriving at MUSC Health. The vaccine is not mandatory, but it is highly encouraged. The COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force will be posting updates on the COVID-19 Vaccine intranet site, including information about the vaccine safety and efficacy, so our care team members can make an informed decision.
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LAB & TESTING OPTIONS
The following resource provides MUSC Health lab and testing options pertaining to COVID-19. Included on this page is information regarding drive-thru and “pop-up” mobile COVID testing locations, antibody or serology tests, drive-in lab and nurse visits, and original/classic lab testing.
MUSC Health Lab & Testing Options
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MANDATORY SELF-MONITORING
Due to the activity of COVID-19 within the hospital and community, all employees, residents, fellows and students within all MUSC entities are directed to begin daily self-monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms. This applies regardless of whether you have been working remotely on a full-time or intermittent basis.
You need to continue daily self-monitoring, even if symptoms are not present.
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UPDATES VIA THE HORSESHOE
In addition to updates provided by MUSC Enterprise, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences will also provide updates through our employee intranet, The Horseshoe. Updates will be provided regularly as new information becomes available. For your convenience, direct links are provided below.
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VOLUNTEER BAN
Given the COVID-19 pandemic and until further notice, all volunteers and observers are barred from participation in departmental and MH-ICCE based activities. If there are circumstances wherein this policy causes a significant and critical issue, it should be brought to my attention for consideration of a written waiver (on an individual basis) of this policy. Thank you.
Thomas W. Uhde, M.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences |
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FACULTY RESEARCH GRANT
SUPPORT SURVEY |
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The Executive Committee for Research and Research Administration is interested in better understanding grant administrative support within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in order to identify any areas for improvement in our current research infrastructure. We want to identify what is working well, challenges, and recommendations for improvements/changes that could be made to support our Department’s research mission. Of note, we are interested in feedback related to overall assistance and infrastructure support, not specific personnel issues. This survey should take approximately 10-15minutes to complete.
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TriNetX RESEARCH PLATFORM |
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TriNetX is a user-friendly platform that researchers can utilize to query de-identified data from MUSC’s Electronic Health Records (EHR). The TriNetX platform is available to MUSC research teams to support enhanced research feasibility assessments, create a cohort of patients for research data sets, protocol development, and the creation of participant lists for recruitment. More information can be found on SCTR’s website at https://research.musc.edu/resources/sctr/spotlight/2020/06/trinetx. You can also download a PDF copy of MUSC TriNetX Basic Guide by clicking here and the Data Guide by clicking here.
Faculty members have access to this platform; however staff members must be sponsored by a faculty member. The i2b2 Sponsorship Form can be found on the Biomedical Informatics Center (BMIC) website at https://medicine.musc.edu/departments/centers/bmic/data-request.
Register for an upcoming TriNetX training:
Basic Functionality Training
Tuesday, January 26, 2021 | 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. | Register
Data Analytics Training
Tuesday, January 26, 2021 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. | Register
Thursday, January 28, 2021 | 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. | Register
Individuals may contact Elizabeth Szwast or Amanda Cameron to request access to the July TriNetX recorded training session.
Should you have any questions, please contact Romeka Washington at washiros@musc.edu. |
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LOWCOUNTRY MENTAL HEALTH CONFERENCE: SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT |
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A Free Virtual Event with James Hollis Ph.D.
The Charleston area non-profit, Mental Health Heroes, and The Lowcountry Mental Health Conference would like to invite you to join Dr. James Hollis for a one-hour virtual conversation. Dr. Hollis will share his thoughts on psychotherapy, discuss the challenges we all face during these challenging times, and he will talk about his new and upcoming books! You will also have an opportunity to ask Dr. Hollis questions.
The session is FREE, you may earn 1 continuing education credit
(LPC, LMFT, LCSW through SC-DMH & SC-LLR), and it will begin at 12 noon EST on January 15, 2021. Register today at https://www.lowcountrymhconference.com/spotlight. Email info@mhheroes.com if you have questions.
(Note: A recorded session will be available but not for CE credit)
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HOLLINGS CANCER CENTER
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM |
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The Hollings Cancer Center (HCC) Fellowship Program is currently accepting applications for its Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellowship and Graduate Fellowship Programs. Applications for both fellowship levels are due by midnight, Friday, January 15, 2021. Awardees will begin their fellowships July 1, 2021. This program focuses on training the next generation of exceptional cancer scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina.
HCC Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellowship awards provide up to two years of stipend support for postdoctoral fellows and one year of support for clinical fellows.
HCC Graduate Fellowship awards will provide up to two years of stipend and tuition assistance.
For more information or to apply:
https://www.hollingscancercenter.org/research/fellowship/
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2021 DART SUMMER RESEARCH |
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NEUROCOVID RECOVERY & REHAB RESEARCH STUDY RECRUITMENT |
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Testing a Wearable Telemedicine-controllable
taVNS Device for NeuroCovid Recovery and Rehab
Researcher: Mark George, M.D.
PRO Number: pro00101270
The purpose of the research is to test out a new form of treatment where we stimulate a nerve in your ear. This is called transcutaneous (through the skin) auricular (ear) vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) which means that you will receive stimulation through the ear. The taVNS device looks like an ear bud you would use with your smart phone or computer. We are investigating whether or not taVNS can treat neurologic symptoms of COVID-19 which are termed NEUROCOVID. Some symptoms you may experience are new onset anxiety, depression, vertigo, loss of smell, headaches, fatigue, irritability, etc. This study is entirely online and all assessments will be completed virtually.
Recruitment Contact
Sarah Huffman
843-876-5141
huffmans@musc.edu
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WOMEN'S HEALTH INTEREST GROUP |
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ENTERPRISE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION TRAINING SESSIONS - VIRTUAL |
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Please see the calendar below for a list of diversity & inclusion offerings from the Office of Training and Intercultural Education.
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INCORPORATING SEX AS A BIOLOGICAL VARIABLE (SABV) WORKSHOPS |
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UNDERSTANDING LEGAL ISSUES CONFERENCE |
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COVID-19 RESILIENCY CLINIC |
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NAMI CONNECTION & NAMI FAMILY SUPPORT |
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NAMI Connection and NAMI Family Support Offered Online
Social distancing does not mean that you have to go through difficult times alone. NAMI is here to help! We are offering NAMI Family Support and NAMI Connection online.
NAMI Connection Support is offered every Monday at 6PM until further notice.
NAMI Family Support Group is offered the 2nd and 4th Thursdays
of the month at 6PM until further notice.
By clicking HERE you can sign up to receive the meeting login information or you can email us at info@namicharlestonarea.org or call/text 843-284-3091. |
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UPDATED MOONLIGHTING POLICY |
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COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHIATRIC
CARE SPECIALISTS (CPCS) |
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THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS |
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If you would like to submit content to include in next week's Chair Update, please submit to Dr. Jamie Fisher by 12:00 pm on Monday. Thank you. |
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