Psychiatrist Who's Treated Actors, Athletes for Social Anxiety and Depression Glad Tennis Star Spoke Out
PsychiatristThomas Uhdehas treated celebrity actors, athletes and business executives for the kind of social anxiety and depression thattennis star Naomi Osakasuffers from.
“As long as they're in their professional role, they're fine. But you take them out of that context, they may have extraordinary difficulty interacting with other people. If they have to give a press conference, it can just be disabling.”
Uhde, chair of theDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciencesat the Medical University of South Carolina, wasn’t surprised that Osaka withdrew from the French Open. “I don't know her, but I’ve had many years of experience investigating and treating people with social anxiety disorder. It’s actually common for them to drop out of situations that are overwhelming for them.”
Those situations may seem harmless to other people. But that doesn’t make them any less stressful for someone suffering from social anxiety.
TheNational Institutes of Healthdefines the problem at the heart of those fears, social anxiety disorder, as persistent worry about being around strangers or being scrutinized, and doing something embarrassing and humiliating. About 12% of adults in the U.S. suffer from social anxiety disorder at some point. It’s worse in women than men, and peaks between the ages of 18 and 29. Osaka is 23.
The NIH definesdepressionas a period of at least two weeks where there’s a negative change in the way a person feels, thinks and handles activities such as sleeping, eating and working. About 7% of all adults in the U.S. have had at least one major depressive episode. Again, it’s worse in women and peaks in young adulthood.
Osaka said she had long periods of depression following the 2018 U.S. Open. She won the tournament but was left in tears after adisputebetween her opponent and an umpire, over a controversial call, caused the crowd to boo and jeer.
The discussion about Osaka’s mental health comes at a time when more and more famous figures are speaking out about their own struggles. Serena Williams said she’s felt the same type of anxiety as Osaka.Prince Harryhas talked about panic attacks, and his wife Meghan has described having suicidal thoughts. Regular people are talking more openly about mental health, too, recognizing it as a legitimate reason fortime off from schoolor work.
Hugh Myrick Stepping Down as Director of Addiction Sciences Division, Assuming New Role as VA Southeast Network (VISN 7) Chief Mental Health Officer
Dr. Hugh Myrick will be stepping down as Director of the Addiction Sciences Division, effective September 1. Dr. Myrick will be assuming a new role as the VA Southeast Network (VISN 7) Chief Mental Health Officer with oversight of all Mental Health and Homeless programs at the eight VA medical centers and associated community-based clinics located in SC, GA and AL.
Hugh Myrick, MD, has been a faculty member within the Department of Psychiatry for 24 years. He has served in numerous roles at both MUSC and at the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC. At MUSC, he has served as the Director of the Addiction Sciences Division, Director of the Military Sciences Division, Vice Chair of Veterans Affairs, as well as Vice Chair for Outreach Operations. During his tenure as the Director of the Addiction Sciences Division, funding increased to over $27 million and the number of K Awardees more than doubled. During his tenure as the Vice Chair for Outreach Operations within the Department, he generated contracted services of over $1.8 million with outside healthcare organizations such as Colleton Medical Center, New Hope Carolinas and Orangeburg Regional Medical Center.
At the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC, Dr. Myrick has served as the Acting Director, Director, and the Associate Chief of Staff for the Mental Health Service Line. Dr. Myrick has made numerous contributions to the care of Veterans. Examples include increasing the number of staff from 47 to over 365, creating a regional telemental health program with over 40,000 patient visits in 2020, successfully writing and implementing proposals to fund a Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team, a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency Program, a Community Referral and Resource Center, and has grown Mental Health research funding from $1 million in 2006 to over $18 million in 2020. The MHSL has excelled in providing quality of care as evidenced mental health metrics and being ranked in the top 10% of SAIL for Mental Health services in the VA for the past four years. He served as the Acting Chief of Staff for the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC for over 2.5 years. More recently, Dr. Myrick served as the VISN 7 Chief Mental Health Officer with oversight over all mental operations in the eight Medical Centers in VISN 7.
Despite his administrative responsibilities, Dr. Myrick has had a productive research career. Specifically, he has completed trials using anticonvulsant agents in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal, alcoholism, and cocaine dependence. In addition, Dr. Myrick has completed studies using neuroimaging to determine the neuronal networks associated with craving and the effects of medications on those circuits. Dr Myrick has authored over 90 manuscripts and book chapters on the pharmacotherapy of substance abuse and dual diagnosis, and made over 100 local, regional, national and international presentations.
Sudie Back Named Director of Addiction Sciences Division
Dr. Sudie Back has accepted the Directorship of the Addiction Sciences Division, effective September 1.
Dr. Back is a Professor and licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She received her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 2004 and completed her clinical internship with a specialization in substance use disorders at Yale University School of Medicine. In 2005, Dr. Back joined the faculty at MUSC in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences to work with Dr. Kathleen Brady. Dr. Back’s research targets the intersection of addiction and traumatic stress and the development of effective treatments to address both substance use disorders and co-occurring post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In collaboration with colleagues in the Addiction Sciences Division, Dr. Back has conducted research on alcohol, opioid, and cocaine use disorders with support from NIDA, NIAAA, NIMH, VA, Department of Defense, and Fulbright. In addition to research, Dr. Back is dedicated to training and mentoring and is Director of the Drug Abuse Research Training (DART) program, which was initiated in 2006 and is housed in the Addiction Sciences Division. DART provides a psychiatry resident research track, summer research fellowship (for medical, graduate, and undergraduate students), and a FLEX phase research track within the MUSC College of Medicine. She actively mentors pre- and post-doctoral fellows as well as junior faculty in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Back also provides clinical care to patients in the Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs (CDAP) clinic. She is honored to transition to the role of Division Director of the Addiction Sciences Division in September to support the advancement of research, teaching/education, and clinical care to reduce suffering from alcohol and drug use disorders.
Ed Kantor named Vice Chair of Education and Education-Training Program
Dr. Edward Kantor has been providing exceptional leadership in the role as Interim Vice Chair for Education and Education-Training Programs. In recognition of his outstanding contributions in this capacity, he will be moving into the Vice Chair position of Education and Education-Training Program.
Dr. Kantor has served as our Residency Program Director at MUSC since 2008 and additionally as Interim Vice Chair for Education and Training over the last two years. He is board certified in Psychiatry and C/L Psychiatry (psychosomatic medicine) and holds inter-professional board certification in Traumatic Stress and Crisis and Emergency Response. Dr. Kantor’s past clinical work has centered around crisis-emergency, consult-liaison, hospital and disaster psychiatry.
Dr. Kantor completed a post-bacc premedical program at the University of Pennsylvania after working for eight years as a Physician Assistant (PA-C) becoming the first Psychiatric Physician Assistant at the Montgomery County Emergency Services (1983), a model crisis psychiatric emergency service program in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and as Course Director for the Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine courses at Hahnemann University’s (now Drexel) PA program in Philadelphia, where he later attended medical school. Dr. Kantor completed a Psychiatry Residency and served as Chief Resident at the University of Virginia where he joined the faculty and ultimately Residency Director. He then headed up the Division of C/L and Emergency Psychiatry at UVA and helped establish the first regional crisis stabilization program in Central Virginia and the regional CIT police training initiative.
Currently Dr. Kantor serves as the Disaster Liaison for the South Carolina Psychiatric Association (SCPA) and is a member of the APA Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster (CPDD). He is a co-author of the texts
Disaster Psychiatry, Readiness, Evaluation and Treatment (APPI 2012) and
Hidden Impact: What you need to know for the next disaster. (2010) from the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP) Disaster Committee where he now a Senior Fellow member. After 9/11, Dr. Kantor became the Disaster Liaison for Psychiatric Society of Virginia (PSV) and was appointed to the Governor’s Terrorism and Disaster Behavioral Health Advisory Council supporting disaster response planning in the Commonwealth of Virginia and initiated the Civilian Medical Reserve Corp serving Central Virginia under a student leadership model.
Among other teaching awards, he was recognized by the Association of Academic Psychiatry (AAP) with their Junior Faculty Award Andean inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Educators at the University of Virginia, School of Medicine in 2006. Dr. Kantor is a veteran and former Medical Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve serving from 1985 to 1997 based in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. He began his career in health care as a volunteer EMT-Paramedic in 1975 teaching extensively as paramedic instructor in Maryland and Pennsylvania Emergency Services, the American Red Cross, the USCG, the Virginia Department of Health and the U.S. Office of the Surgeon General.
Alyssa Rheingold Named Vice Chair for Research and Research Administration
Dr. Alyssa A. Rheingold has been recently appointed to Vice Chair of Research and Research Administration for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She has been serving as interim Vice Chair of Research since July 1, 2019.
In this role, Dr. Rheingold has been a conduit of faculty issues as it relates to research and department administration and has communicated the latest Department research successes and initiatives. Dr. Rheingold is a licensed clinical psychologist and tenured Professor within the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC) Division. She is the Associate Director of Administration and Director of Clinical Operations at the NCVC and Co-Director of the Sleep and Anxiety Treatment and Research Program. Most recently, she started the COVID-19 Resiliency Program for MUSC healthcare providers shortly after the pandemic hit and has been assisting in sustainability of evidence-based efforts for longer term resilience of healthcare providers. Dr. Rheingold completed her undergraduate coursework in 1996 at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating Cum Laude and with Honors in Psychology. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from MCP Hahnemann University (currently known as Drexel University). Dr. Rheingold completed a Pre-Doctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology at the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Program and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the NCVC. She joined the faculty in 2003 and has served in various leadership roles throughout the College of Medicine and University.
Dr. Rheingold’s research interests include examining the impact of victimization and trauma on a range of health outcomes and evaluating prevention and intervention strategies to promote post-trauma resiliency. She is nationally recognized as an expert in traumatic loss, interpersonal violence, and child sexual abuse prevention. Dr. Rheingold has been continuously funded since joining the MUSC faculty from various extramural sources including NIMH, AHRQ, CDC, SAMHSA, USDOJ OVC, OVW, DOD, VOCA, and VAWA. She currently serves as PI/Co-PI an AHRQ R18 evaluating the novel use of the electronic health record in screening and intervening for domestic violence, a VOCA grant for victims of crime, and a SAMHSA grant to provide HIV and substance abuse prevention programming for at risk youth. She serves as Director of Preparedness, Response, & Recovery on the OVC funded Mass Violence and Victimization and Resource Center. Her research and clinical expertise has resulted in numerous distinctions, such as the MUSC Foundation Outstanding Clinician Award, the US Attorney’s Award for Exceptional Assistance on
United States v. Dylann Storm Roof, the Fellow Distinction within the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies,
In Style Magazine’s Badass 50, and elected positions on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer for the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS).
During her time as interim Vice Chair, Dr. Rheingold has spearheaded the development of a quarterly grant proposal and award metrics report as well as an annual department research summary report, initiated the implementation of a PI and parallel grant administrator survey to better understand Department strengths and areas for improvements in pre and post-award grant administration, and continues to develop strategies to highlight the important and innovative research talent within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Please congratulate Dr. Rheingold in her appointment of this important Department leadership position.
Dr. Levy has served as staff psychiatrist at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center since 2007 and as an affiliate associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina since 2012. He previously worked with the South Carolina Department of Mental Health in multiple capacities for more than 20 years. Dr. Levy, who is Board certified for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, received his M.D. from and completed his residency in Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Ms. Ashley Bliss, Social Work Supervisor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, was recognized by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation as an MUSC Champion of Humanistic Care!
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was incredibly difficult to connect patients with resources like stable housing and financial assistance for medications. Ashley worked tirelessly to overcome this decrease in available resources, even when it meant taking phone calls after hours. While working remotely, Ashley did not slow down. She continued to reach out to patients’ families and connect patients with community resources that were necessary for improved long-term patient outcomes. Her continued dedication to providing humanistic patient care even when resources were scarce makes her worthy of this honor! (Ashley's recognition can be found on page 36 of the attached program.)
The Director of the MUSC Weight Management Center, Patrick O’Neil, Ph.D., says they participated in trials for the drug called semaglutide for over a year. He says it’s a medication that has previously been used at a lower dose for the management of type 2 diabetes.
The MUSC Weight Management team conducted primary trials on people in the Charleston area for about 68 weeks.
O’Neil says about 25 people participated in the trials at a time, and there were multiple different rounds.
For anyone who is requesting promotion effective July 1, 2022, all promotion requests must be received in the Chair’s Office no later than August 12, 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/apt-committee/promotion-tenure-forms
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.
VALUE BONUS PROGRAM
MUSC has been working with the South Carolina Hospital Association on a provider wellbeing initiative, Thriving Workforce, to address clinician burnout with funding from the Duke Endowment and partnership with SE Health. Through this collaboration, MUSC is able to offer two free resources as part of a wellbeing initiative. While anyone can take part in these activities, the COM has asked that at least 80% of the Department faculty participate in one of these program by June 30th in order to qualify for the COM value bonus program – a financial incentive program.
You are welcome to use these programs as much as you like, but the ‘participation requirement’ is actually very minimal. The links below provide more information about these programs and how to easily access them.
SE Healthcare’s Enrichment Center: Requires you to create an account, complete a brief (3-4 question survey) watch at least 3 videos (approximately 6-8 min each). The program offers on-demand wellness modules related to physician burnout. While this is meant for all healthcare providers, it is very physician centric. More Information
Kumanu’s Purposeful App: Requires you create an account and complete a brief survey (3-4 questions). The program offers a more general program for anyone and supports daily purposeful positive habits.
We hope you find these resources beneficial and appreciate your time taking part. More Information
GRADUATION & RECOGNITION CEREMONY
CULTURAL COMPETENCY &
CULTURAL HUMILITY TRAINING
The South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute is offering a Cultural Competency and Cultural Humility Training on June 25, from 9-11 am. Facilitated by Dr. Marvella Ford, the purpose of this training is to increase our understanding of how cultural humility can impact recruitment and retention in clinical trials and also impact the workplace environment for study staff/colleagues. The session will be conducted virtually and is limited to 20 attendees. Participants will receive 2.0 DEI credits.
Join the MUSC Psychiatry Team at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Charleston Area Walk! This year’s department goal is 25 participants and $5,000 (that’s $200 fundraising each!).
The CPCS office is currently taking referrals for youth and adults for outpatient therapy and/or medication management. The CPCS office is located at 26 Bee Street and is seeing patients either virtually or in the office. All patients are self-pay at the time of the appointment and will be provided with the necessary paperwork to submit for reimbursement from their insurance companies. All department of psychiatry faculty members are eligible to see private patients in CPCS.
To make a referral or schedule an appointment, call 843-792-9396.
For more information about making a referral or joining the practice, feel free to contact Hilary Bernstein, LISW, DHA at bernsteh@musc.edu
The Medical University of South Carolina's values are the heart of the institution and each day these values are exhibited by employees who help to fulfill MUSC's vision statement, leading Health Innovation for the Lives We Touch.
Each year, the President's Values in Action award recognizes five deserving employees who demonstrate MUSC's five values: compassion, respect, innovation, collaboration, and integrity.
A letter of recommendation from the sponsor, addressed to President Cole, explaining why the nominee is worthy of the award.
The deadline for nominations is October 19, 2021.
Nominees will be notified upon receipt of nomination. Sponsors will be copied on this notification as well. All nominees receive a certificate of nomination; sponsors of the five individuals selected for awards will receive a separate notification and details about award presentations in early November 2021.
Winners will be chosen by President Cole based on the award criteria outlined below:
Nominations are submitted to recognize an individual who has demonstrated one of the five institutional values within the course of the current calendar year between February and September 2021. Only five winners will be chosen during this time; one winner per MUSC value.
Nominees can be submitted from any department across the MUSC enterprise, including the MUSC Regional Health Network.
Nominations for individuals will be accepted. Self-nominations and team nominations will not be accepted.
Diversity, equity and inclusion is a priority for the criteria of the Values in Action award, as the aim is to offer an award and recognition opportunity to all department and team members. This will provide an inclusive opportunity to recognize values that are demonstrated from a variety of backgrounds and skill sets.
Questions
For specific questions regarding the Values in Action award, please contact Heather Woolwine.
MANDATORY MYQUEST MODULES
Beginning February 1, 2021, the annual mandatory online lessons for all employees/care team members in MyQuest were assigned. MyQuest reminder emails and this notification are the only confirmations you will receive pertaining your mandatory assignments.
Starting in 2021, a new Diversity mandatory was added for all MUSC employees.
This is the second year employees/care team members/contractors can provide feedback via a REDcap survey at the end of each mandatory. MUSC subject experts review all feedback to improve each mandatory to ensure an optimal learning experience.
2021 MUSC General Mandatories (Enterprise-wide)
Crime Prevention and Jeanne Clery Act Training
Code of Conduct and HIPAA
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Prohibited Discrimination and Harassment
Information Security
Active Shooter
OSHA Review
Tuberculosis (Charleston only)
Conflict of Interest training (hourly employees only)
2021 MUSC Health Mandatory Training (Charleston, Florence, Lancaster Divisions)
MUSC Health General Compliance (+ Billing)
Culture of Safety
Emergency Management Campus Security
Infection Control for All Employees
Stroke and Heart Early Recognition
Meeting the Unique Needs of Patients
Workplace Violence
MR Safety for Healthcare Workers
Interest training (hourly employees only)
2021 Medical Staff Office - MSO Mandatories
Adult Inpatient Diabetes
Pediatric Inpatient Diabetes
Pediatric Inpatient Anticoagulation Safety
Health Information Services
Transfusion Medicine
Patient Safety Initiative
Sleep and Fatigue/Clinical
Adult Impatient Anticoagulation Safety
NEW Diversity Mandatory
As a part of MUSC's ongoing commitment to leading and learning in the domains of equity and inclusion, you will notice a new 4-hour Diversity Equity and Inclusion DEI mandatory for all MUSC employees. When we join in the learning about one another as we become OneMUSC. Three types of offerings include: virtual curriculum, face to face &/or “professional development option of choice” approved by your leader.
2021 Annual Clinical Education (MUSC Health Clinical Care Teams Only)
Varies depending on your clinical role
2021 Conflict of Interest Training (Hourly Care Team Members only)
Hourly employees are now excluded from the annual COI disclosure process. To ensure they continue to receive conflict of interest policy training, a COI module has been developed.
Salaried employees of the MUSC enterprise receive annual COI training every April, in combination with their annual COI disclosure form; training modules precede the mandatory disclosure.
All of the annual mandatory training modules must be completed no later than June 30, 2021. Employees who fail to complete annual mandatory training requirements will be subject to disciplinary actions. If you have any questions, please email the MyQuest Administrators at myquesthelp@musc.edu.
ENTERPRISE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION TRAINING SESSIONS - VIRTUAL
Please see the calendar below for a list of diversity & inclusion offerings from the Office of Training and Intercultural Education.
A form is now available within MyQuest to request credit for D&I credit that has been received outside of those listed within MyQuest (e.g., D&I training received through a national conference). Please note, credit for outside D&I training is not guaranteed, and requests for credit will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
The webpage for Training and Intercultural Education is updated and link to the Internal DEI Program/Training Credit Consideration form can be found on the webpage for the lecture mentioned below.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Addiction Sciences Division
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.
FENTANYL URINE TEST
CLINICAL NEUROBIOLOGY LAB
FENTANYL URINE TEST NOW OFFERED BY
THE CLINICAL NEUROBIOLOGY LAB (CNL)
The use of the powerful opiate drug, FENTANYL is on the rise, accounting for a large share of overdose deaths in SC, and the greater US.
Previously, urine drug testing at MUSC could not detect Fentanyl use. The Clinical Neurobiology Laboratory has recently completed an extensive validation of a qualitative (positive vs negative) urine test for the presence of Fentanyl which can be used to distinguish this drug from other commonly used/abused opiates such as oxycodone, buprenorphine and morphine. This test should aid clinicians in the evaluation of patients in multiple clinical settings, especially when illicit drug use is suspected.
Simply order: “Fentanyl, Urine, Qual (IOP LAB)” or “LAB9066”
COVID-19 VOUCHER PROGRAM
Program for Researchers Affected by Pandemic
COVID-19 Voucher Program
The College of Medicine, Hollings Cancer Center, and South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute (SCTR) are pleased to offer a new funding opportunity open to all MUSC tenured and tenure track faculty members whose research has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding of up to $2,000 is available to help investigators gather preliminary data for inclusion in a grant proposal by covering the cost of supplies and/or core and laboratory services; pay for publication costs; or develop a translational focus to their research. Vouchers cannot be used to fund computer purchases, PI or staff salary, or travel. These funds will be distributed through SCTR. A total of $200,000 is available to support these awards.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible to receive a voucher an individual must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member and serve as PI on an active research grant. A faculty member can receive only one COVID voucher.
Apply
To apply for a voucher, select the COVID-19 Voucher Program in SPARCRequest. Awards will be made on a rolling basis until all funds are expended.
COVID VACCINE CALL CENTER
Individuals needing to contact the MUSC COVID Vaccine Call Center can utilize the information below:
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.
**Updated University Directives (effective May 20, 2021) can be found here.**
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.
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.
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.
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.
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