CSC Insider
A quarterly internal newsletter
Chair's Message
Dear Colleagues:
As with every year, it is hard to believe that another September is upon us. I do hope you enjoyed the extended Labor Day weekend along with special time with friends and family over the summer. While COVID remains with us, we have learned to navigate it more fully, along with hybrid ways of gathering together. Indeed, it has been a joy to see so many of you in person more often over this past year. I look forward to seeing all of you at our upcoming events, both in person and via Zoom, including at our opening Grand Rounds next Tuesday, as I reflect with you on staying grounded In the midst of change – for that is and will always be a vital skill – and as we look ahead to the new academic year. Do join me in the Cohen Auditorium on Tuesday at 1 p.m. if you can.
Linda Mayes, MD
Arnold Gesell Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology; Chair
Yale Child Study Center
Did you know?
Along with the new look and feel, the Insider is shifting to quarterly distribution going forward. Look for the next edition in early December, and then March, June, and September 2024. The department's external newsletter, YCSC Connections, will continue its approximately monthly distribution schedule. Please be sure to check and follow the YCSC Internal Announcements SharePoint site to stay up to date on center announcements, especially those that are time sensitive.
YCSC News & Recognition
Yale Child Study Center Staff Spotlight August 2023
In the latest edition of a spotlight series featuring integrated business operations (IBO) and administration staff at the Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) and Department of Psychiatry, meet Associate Director of Research & Financial Administration Zsofia Leranth-Nagy.
14 Aug 2023On Daring Leadership and a New Yale Lecture Series
In the latest edition of the “On Leadership” blog post and newsletter column, YCSC Assistant Professor Daryn David reflects on “A Conversation on Daring Leadership” held virtually by Tara Davila, LCSW with Brené Brown, PhD in July -- and announces a new leadership lecture series being launched this Fall.
17 Aug 2023Distinguished speakers announced: Yale Child Study Center Grand Rounds Fall 2023
The YCSC Grand Rounds Committee is pleased to announce some of the distinguished speakers planned for the departmental lecture series on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. in the upcoming Fall semester.
17 Aug 2023Welcoming new YCSC community members: August 2023
A warm welcome to a few of the newest YCSC community members!
16 Aug 2023New fellowship focuses on social justice & health equity
A new fellowship has been developed at the Yale Child Study Center for existing clinical fellows in the department’s psychiatry, psychology, and social work training programs. Meet the three inaugural Viola W. Bernard Fellows announced in July: Saja Almusawi, Amanda Calhoun, and Christian Edwards.
15 Aug 2023McMahon Elected to Fellow Status by American Psychological Association
Thomas J. McMahon, PhD, professor emeritus of psychiatry and in the Child Study Center, was one of the 132 fellows elected by the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Board of Directors and Council of Representatives.
30 Aug 2023Someone Cares Closet: Offering free personal care products for families
Launched in 2022, the “Someone Cares Closet” (SCC) is a collaboration between Claire’s Corner Copia and the Yale Child Study Center to provide personal care and household cleaning products for children and families served by YCSC clinicians.
2 Aug 2023Mount Trashmore to Mount Growmore
Senior Research Scientist Suzi Ruhl addresses the evolution of Bridgeport, Connecticut's once-neglected Mount Trashmore into the thriving Mount Growmore in this blog post co-written with Environmental Law Institute Intern Alex Alvarez.
Source: Vibrant Environment Blog30 Aug 2023Yale Psychiatry Residents' Association Elects New Leadership for 2023-24 Year
The Yale Psychiatry Residents' Association (PRA) has elected new officers and committee representatives for the 2023-24 academic year.
22 Aug 20232023 Residents, Fellows Honored at Annual Commencement Ceremonies
The Yale Department of Psychiatry honored its 2023 class of residents and fellows, as well as faculty and staff, at its annual commencement ceremonies last month. The Residency Commencement Ceremony was held on June 15 at the New Haven Lawn Club. The Fellowship Commencement Ceremony was held virtually over Zoom on June 16. The events marked the graduation of 23 residents and 22 fellows.
19 Jul 2023YCSC Connections E-newsletter: August 2023
The latest edition of YCSC Connections is now available on-line. Review updates, events, and news you can use from the Yale Child Study Center, also available monthly via e-mail subscription.
18 Aug 2023
More Good News
Associate Professor in the Child Study Center
Congratulations to Helena Rutherford, who was awarded the 2023 Yale Postdoctoral Mentoring Prize for faculty, an annual award presented by the Office for Postdoctoral Affairs in conjunction with the Yale Postdoctoral Association to recognize a faculty member who exemplifies the role of a mentor to their postdoc. The winner of the prize is chosen based on recommendations from mentees. This year the review resulted in a tie and so there are joint awardees: Helena Rutherford and Eugene Higgins Professor of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology John Carlson.
Assistant Professor in the Child Study Center
Congratulations to Craig Bailey for his new grant!
Project title: The School Climate Walkthrough: A Student-Led Digital Tool to Improve School Experiences for All
Funder: Digital Promise
Project period: 08/01/23 - 10/31/23
Professor in the Child Study Center
Congratulations to Carla Stover on her new RO1 award!
Project title: Examining Therapeutic Change Mechanisms in an Affect Regulation, Father-Focused Intervention for Reducing Family Violence and Associated Symptoms in Children
Funder: NIH
Project period: 09/01/23 - 05/31/28
Profile Spotlight
Each month, randomly selected YCSC profiles will be shared here -- be sure to keep yours updated to be eligible for the spotlight! TIP: set a reminder to review and update profiles regularly, as they can provide important opportunities to enhance work and reach key audiences. Learn more on the YCSC intranet, under General Operations.
RULER Program Manager, Content
Tangular Irby, M.A.T., 6th Year Educational Leadership, currently serves as the program manager of content for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. She is also a trainer and coach. With a career spanning over 25 years in education within the State of Connecticut, Tangular has held diverse roles, including teacher, building administrator, and curriculum supervisor, catering to students of all ages from Pre-K to adults.
Most recently, she has added author to her title. She has penned two children’s books, Pearl and her Gee's Bend Quilt and Charles and his Gee’s Bend Quilt, along with two coloring books and three journals, including Preserving the Legacy: A Black Woman's Journal to Faithfully Guide the Next Generation. She enjoys spending time with her family, especially her nieces, and reading.
Clinical Fellow
Dr. Sondalle is a Solnit Integrated Fellow in Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine. He grew up in rural Wisconsin. As a first-generation college graduate, he majored in both Biology and Chemistry at Ripon College in Wisconsin. He participated in summer research as an undergraduate in the Chemistry department at UW-Madison and at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Dr. Sondalle completed his M.D. and Ph.D. training in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Yale University School of Medicine. His Ph.D. research in Genetics investigated the biological process of making ribosomes, the cellular machines responsible for protein production, and how defects in this process cause human disease. As a resident and fellow, Dr. Sondalle has diverse interests, including psychoanalysis, the treatment of trauma, and the interplay between inflammation and psychiatric illness.
Clinical Fellow in the Child Study Center
Dr. Tara Thompson-Felix received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ and her MD from Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Prior to medical school, she worked as a postgraduate research associate in the Yale Child Study Center focusing on investigating the genetic basis of developmental language and behavioral disorders. After earning her M.D., she trained in adult psychiatry at the Lewis Katz Temple University medical school. At Temple, she served as a chief resident and completed the child and research track. Her research involved collaborations with the Temple OB/GYN and neuroscience department to investigate the epigenetic landscape of fetal neural exosomes associated with in utero exposure to opiates. Based on this work, Dr. Thompson-Felix was selected as an APA research colloquium awardee in 2018. Dr. Thompson-Felix is also a National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative (NNCI) scholar and continues to work on developing new teaching materials, including a “this stuff is really cool” talk on extracellular vesicles and clinical commentary published in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry (2019). She was awarded the 2020 George Ginsberg Fellowship award from the American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training (AADPRT), acknowledging her commitment to teaching and education. Dr. Thompson-Felix is interested in improving child development starting from the in-utero experience and maternal health. At this time, she an attending psychiatrist on the consult liaison service and a PhD candidate in the Yale Investigative Medicine Program through the Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of maternal obesity on child neurodevelopment through the characterization of and fetal neuron derived extracellular vesicles. This work is supported by various awards including the Patterson Mentored Trust Award, NRSA TL1 training program, NIH Loan Repayment Program, and 2022 YCSC trainee pilot award. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing with her kids, spending time with family and cooking cultural dishes.
Associate Professor of Child Psychology
Dr. Julie Wolf is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Yale Child Study Center in New Haven, CT. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2005, where she studied facial recognition in autism under the mentorship of Dr. Deborah Fein. She completed her clinical internship, including a rotation in autism spectrum disorders, at the University of Chicago, and her post-doctoral fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Schultz. Presently, she serves as the Associate Director of the Developmental Disabilities Clinic at the Yale Child Study Center, conducting clinical evaluations, social skills groups, and sibling support groups. She also provides clinical characterization for a number of federally-funded studies of autism.
Announcement Highlights
Dates & deadlines of note
- Continuation of Session with Deborah Stanley-McAulay on Mutual Respect (Sept 6 or 8)
- SKY Meditation Training (Sept 8-10)
- Volunteers Needed at Closer to Free Ride (Sept 9)
- Fall 2023 OAPD Faculty Workshop Series (Sept 13 –Dec 13)
- YCSC In-House Open House (9/21): RSVP to help plan for refreshments & raffles (Sept 21)
- Next Award Nomination Deadline (Oct 2)
- Routine Traffic Stop Practice for Individuals with ASD (Oct 2)
- Q&A Sessions on New Clinical Funds Flow Model (Oct 3-16)
- Cohen Auditorium AV upgrades (Oct 9-20)
- Research Community Meetings Resuming in October (Oct 12)
- Faculty Development Fund Applications (due Oct 15)
- Notice of Construction at SHM IG 57 (through Nov 10)
- Call for papers: Special issue of Neurotoxicology and Teratology (due Jan 31)
General announcements & reminders
- Upcoming Holidays
- Opportunities to Present to YCSC Associates
- Fatigue Mitigation Training for Program Faculty
- YCSC committees & groups
- Urgent Crisis Center Update
- Summer Internship & Poster Session Photos
- Upcoming Woof Woof the Shadow Pup Performances
- Yale Psychology Colloquium 2023-2024
- Fall 2023 Interdisciplinary Stress Seminar Series
- Center for Medical Education: Yale Medical Educator Series
Upcoming YSM Events & YCSC Grand Rounds
YES!: “Reversing the Tyranny of PowerPoint”
Speaker: Andrés S Martin, MD, PhD
REDCap: All Purpose Data Tool
Speaker: Mary Geda, BSN, MSN, RN
Staying Grounded In the Midst of Change: Looking Ahead to the New Academic Year
Yale Child Study Center Grand Rounds
Speaker: Linda Mayes, MD
Rethinking Diagnostic Constructs in ASD
Yale Child Study Center Grand Rounds
Speaker: Evdokia Anagnostou, MD
Program for Biomedical Ethics and Yale Pediatric Ethics Program: Supporting the Mental Health of Transgender & Gender Diverse Youth
Speaker: Jack L. Turban, MD, MHS
REDCap 101
Speaker: Baylah Tessier-Sherman
Yale Child Study Center Gesell Lecture: "Health Disparities: A Psychosocial Perspective"
Speaker: Edith Chen, PhD
Neuroscience Seminar Series: "Primary Cilia: A Novel Signaling Gateway To Cortical Neural Circuits"
Speaker: E. S. Anton, PhD
3rd Town Hall Meeting for Associate Research Scientists at Yale School of Medicine
Speakers: Linda Bockenstedt, MD, Arnim Dontes, MBA
Regular Updates & Reminders
Clinical services
Refer to the last clinical updates and resources sent out from the CSC Clinical Practice in May for clinical announcements and helpful resources.
Communications
Visit the YCSC intranet (Yale netID login required) for a variety of communications resources and guidance on a number of topics, including:
- Sharing announcements and good news
- Accessing and adding events to shared calendars
- Support with event promotion and study recruitment
- Guidance around media requests and outreach
- Web content editing
- Downloading logo files and templates
Diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging
Review the latest edition of YCSC DEIB News & Events that went out in June, look for a new edition later this month, and follow the YCSC DEIB Events & Announcements SharePoint site for on-going timely news and updates from Vice Chair for DEI Tara Davila.
Research
Refer to the YCSC Research Updates SharePoint site for the latest related announcements, including training and funding opportunities. Follow the site to stay up to date on time-sensitive announcements and resources from Vice Chair for Research Tom Fernandez.
Upcoming meetings & internal events
Check your inbox for the weekly departmental calendar and upcoming events messages that go out on Mondays at 8 a.m. Plus, view the YCSC Outlook calendar at any time. This can also be added to your desktop or web-based view.