Yale Psychiatry Grand Rounds: "Chair's State of the Department Address"

April 26, 2024

"Chair's State of the Department Address"

John H. Krystal, MD, Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Professor of Translational Research and Professor of Psychiatry, of Neuroscience, and of Psychology; Chair, Yale Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine

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00:00Good morning and welcome to the 2024
00:03State of the Department address.
00:05Before we get started,
00:06I just wanted to to let you know of some
00:09upcoming activities and things like
00:12that at 1:00 today in Brady Auditorium,
00:16which is that way, Steve *****
00:21is talking about the genetics of
00:25psychiatric and and neurologic disorders.
00:30Steve, as many of you know,
00:31is the director of the Stanley
00:33Center at the Broad Institute.
00:35He is before that was Provost,
00:39the Provost of Harvard University
00:41and before that the director of the
00:43National Institute of Mental Health.
00:47I'm, I'm getting.
00:49So I wish I should people. OK.
00:54I think it'll be great talk.
00:55And it's 1:00 in Brady Auditorium Next
01:00week virtually is the wonderful Yale
01:05Women's Mental Health Conference.
01:08This has been, this is now I
01:11think it's 4th or 5th year.
01:13It's coordinated organized
01:14by Yale medical students.
01:16It's been a great conference and this
01:19conference will be no exception.
01:21I just want to remind folks that on May 6th,
01:24the Monday of the APA meeting,
01:27the Yale reception will be taking place
01:31at the at the Yale Club in New York.
01:35It's right across the street
01:37from Grand Central Station.
01:38It will start at 6:00 PM.
01:40We're going to give alumni distinguished
01:43alumni awards to three people.
01:46Dennis Charney,
01:47that now the Dean at Icahn School
01:50of Medicine, Robert J Lifton,
01:53who has really been a major figure
01:56in psychiatry dealing with the
01:58horrors of that humanity has wrought
02:02over the last 60708090 years.
02:05He's written about the aftermath of
02:08the atomic bomb, the Nazi doctors,
02:10the doctors who were in the in
02:12the concentration camps and many,
02:14many other issues.
02:16And then Beverly Stout who's had an
02:20enormous impact on psychoanalysis
02:23through her work on race and racism
02:25and her Co leadership of the of the
02:28homes committee and their report
02:30which is is rippling through the field.
02:33So three wonderful people to honor
02:35at that time.
02:36I also just wanted to remind
02:38people about the FDAQ,
02:42the Faculty Development Annual Questionnaire.
02:46Thank you.
02:48And so,
02:51so I often hear from people that they feel,
02:55particularly junior faculty,
02:56that they feel a little bit
02:59disconnected from the department.
03:00They don't really sort of know
03:01where they stand in the overall
03:03mission of the department.
03:04And they're looking for ways
03:06to get career feedback.
03:08And the FDAQ is designed exactly to
03:11respond to those kinds of needs,
03:14not just for junior faculty,
03:15but throughout throughout one's
03:17career here in the department.
03:19It's a great way to get a fact,
03:21a feedback from the leadership
03:24of the department about about
03:26your career development,
03:27about what you're happy about,
03:28what you're concerned about,
03:30what your,
03:31what your aspirations are here at Yale.
03:34And so I really want to
03:38encourage everybody to take part in that.
03:41And I can tell you the everyone's
03:44doing it up to the executive
03:45committee of the department.
03:46So I hope you take advantage
03:51of that opportunity. All right.
03:53So as I've done for the last number of years,
03:57I've asked a number of people to reflect
04:00on what the last year has meant to them
04:03and they have reported some brief comments
04:06and and and we'll we'll hear from them.
04:10So this is always a special part
04:13of the presentation.
04:14So I'm going to begin the presentation,
04:23and now it's a silent movie.
04:25Now I should turn up
04:26transition from Yale to Los Angeles
04:29this summer to take a new position.
04:31In light of that, Doctor Crystal asked
04:34me to reflect on my time here at Yale.
04:37I came to the department in 1999 as
04:40a fellow in the doctoral internship
04:42in Clinical and community psychology,
04:45and I can't believe that 25 years has passed.
04:49I thought I'd be here for one year.
04:51My career goal at the time was to work
04:54on Capitol Hill to address social
04:57determinants of health upstream.
04:59You know, those macro level factors,
05:01such as structures and laws that
05:04impact health and well-being.
05:06But within six months,
05:08I knew that this is the place
05:10where I wanted to spend my career.
05:13I want to share something with you
05:15that I have taped to my computer
05:18monitor for probably 2 decades.
05:20It's a quote from Zora Neale Hurston,
05:23and it comes from her autobiography,
05:25Dust Tracks on a Road and it goes like this.
05:29Mama exhorted her children at every
05:32opportunity to jump at the sun.
05:35We might not land on the sun,
05:37but at least we would get off the ground.
05:40Obviously,
05:40the quote has historical meaning in
05:43the context of racial segregation
05:45and gender oppression in our country
05:48during Zora's time.
05:50But Zora's mother was not only
05:52talking to her,
05:52but really anyone on the margins
05:55of our society.
05:56Her mother was speaking to me.
05:59The message is not unlike the
06:01messages my own mother gave to me.
06:04Namely,
06:04you have to try to accomplish your
06:07goals and go places that were
06:10not necessarily designed for you,
06:12even if you haven't seen the place before,
06:14and even if there aren't models
06:17when you get there.
06:19Zora's quote has inspired me as I
06:21have shaped a career that I could
06:23only dream of with the help of
06:26many people in the department and
06:28the School of Medicine.
06:30I've not only gotten off the ground,
06:32I landed on the sun.
06:35There isn't any way I could have landed on
06:38the sun without people who are in my corner.
06:42There are people like Joy Kaufman.
06:44Hopefully you're out there,
06:46and Nadia Ward,
06:47who made space for me,
06:49who spoke up on my behalf when I wasn't
06:52in the room and even when they were
06:55junior and could have had something to lose.
06:58There was Jack Teebs who
07:00gave me two pieces of advice,
07:03one when I was up for, I don't know,
07:06one promotion associate or full.
07:07And he said there will always
07:09be someone with more pubs,
07:11more books,
07:12more whatever than you just
07:14be the best you can be.
07:17And the other piece of advice was
07:19when my daughter was born and he said
07:21everyone will give you parenting advice,
07:24but no one knows your child better than you.
07:27And boy, was that so spot on.
07:29And helpful.
07:30There was this mini Petrarchus who
07:32recommended me for my first DEI role
07:35in the department eight years ago.
07:38And there's John Crystal,
07:39who's taught me so much about
07:41leadership. And his best piece of
07:43advice to me when I haven't quite
07:45hit the mark in Something is the
07:48merry go round always comes back
07:50around and you have another chance.
07:54We know that this sponsorship,
07:56mentorship and advocacy that I
07:59received is essential to anyone's
08:01progression in this system,
08:03and particularly for underrepresented groups.
08:07Now that we know what it takes,
08:09we have to do better to support others.
08:13I couldn't have landed on the Sun
08:15without my peer colleagues who have
08:18been nothing short of amazing and
08:21completely collegial for over 20 years,
08:23and as the young people say,
08:25100% Derek Gordon,
08:28Christian Connell, Tammy Sullivan,
08:30Nate Hansen and so many others.
08:33My colleagues at the minority organization
08:37for retention and expansion have
08:40also been nothing short of amazing.
08:43I've had many first here,
08:45and the opportunity to start a
08:47faculty group for racial ethnic
08:49minority faculty alongside them,
08:52certainly a highlight.
08:53I got to deliver a commencement speech
08:56in the psychology training program,
08:58and that was a defining moment for me,
09:01as it's always been something I wanted to do.
09:04Certainly there's the Anti Racism Task Force,
09:08and I was the first black woman in our
09:11department to come become full professor
09:16in closing the department.
09:18And the School of Madison has been
09:21so much more than a workplace to me.
09:23With the help of everyone I
09:25mentioned and so many more,
09:27I somehow created a space where I felt
09:30belonging and where I had a voice.
09:35I can only hope that the work we've
09:38done together makes a difference in
09:40someone else's experience. Here.
09:43Steve Gentile, this tie and
09:45this jacket are for you.
09:47I knew that if I didn't
09:49wear a tie and jacket,
09:50I'd never hear the end of it.
09:52So I hope you're happy with this.
09:55When John approached me and
09:58asked if I would share some of
10:01my reflections about retirement,
10:06I gently reminded him that I've decided to,
10:11to borrow Mike Cernak's words, unretire,
10:13at least for the for the time being,
10:17and stay stay the course with my
10:21position at the Connecticut Mental
10:23Health Center in Yale Psychiatry.
10:26So John's response was, well, OK,
10:29why don't you talk about turning 70?
10:32And I thought,
10:33I don't really feel like talking about
10:36that big fuss surprise party for for me,
10:42where I found out that my dear colleagues
10:45and friends at work are a lot sneakier
10:48and more devious than I ever thought.
10:51But in any event,
10:53notwithstanding all that,
10:54I don't really feel like talking about
10:57or reflecting on turning 70 other than
10:59to say that it doesn't feel a whole
11:02lot different than 65 or 68 or 69.
11:06I feel fine,
11:07thank you very much.
11:08So that leaves me with maybe
11:11not talking about retirement,
11:13but but perhaps reflecting on my 36
11:18years so far working for Yale psychiatry
11:22at the Connecticut Mental Health Center.
11:25And I'm reminded that when I was
11:28approached in the fall of 1987 by
11:33colleagues who at at the time were
11:37in the substance abuse section
11:39of psychiatry and CMHC to ask
11:41me if I was going to, quote,
11:44come down here to New Haven,
11:46I was living in the Hartford area,
11:49to quote, take this job, UN quote.
11:54My response.
11:55First was what job?
11:57Because I had no idea that there
11:59was a search going on for what was
12:02then called Administrator of CMHC.
12:04So I had to learn about that.
12:06And the secondly,
12:07my response after learning what job it was,
12:11was no thank you.
12:13That's about the last place
12:15I would ever want to work.
12:18I was in the market for a different
12:22kind of a job after I'd been
12:24working for 10 years for the
12:26state in a reasonably high
12:28level administrative capacity.
12:30But my answer to the question are
12:33you coming down here to New Haven,
12:35to quote take this job,
12:37was predicated on a set of
12:40assumptions that that I held,
12:42which were not unusual for for someone in
12:46a administrative role in state government.
12:49And that was this.
12:50That the Connecticut Mental Health
12:53Center is a spider web of intrigue was
12:57far too complicated and was probably
13:00a good place to stay away from.
13:03And so that was my initial answer.
13:06After I reflected on it for a few weeks,
13:10I thought,
13:11why did I say that?
13:13I actually am quite attracted
13:16to organizational complexity and
13:18I always found the Connecticut
13:20Mental Health Center particularly
13:23fascinating because of the unique
13:26partnership between the university
13:28and the and the state and because
13:31of its tripartite mission of
13:33research, training and and patient care.
13:36And so I thought, Bob, why did you say that?
13:39You'd actually probably
13:41be very interested in it.
13:43So Long story short, I wound up applying
13:47for the job and lo and behold, got it.
13:50And when I walked in the door
13:53in February of 88, I was about 5
13:57weeks away from my 34th birthday.
13:59And here I am now, 36 years later,
14:02at the ripe old age of 70.
14:05And when I run into George Henniger,
14:07he's he always asks me the same
14:11question which is are you still here?
14:14And my answer is yes George,
14:16I'm I'm still here and.
14:18And why is that?
14:21I I think the short answer is because I find
14:26the work to be rewarding and gratifying,
14:30if not always glamorous.
14:34Even though I have a pretty fancy
14:38job title Chief Operating Officer,
14:40which used to be administrator
14:43and it sounds glamorous.
14:45There are many aspects of the
14:47job that are kind of gritty and
14:52required is really get into the
14:56get into the part of things,
15:01and dig in areas that
15:03are less than glamorous.
15:05But I find the work fascinating not only
15:08because of the organizational complexity,
15:11but also because of the mission,
15:14which is something that I believe
15:16strongly and with all of my heart,
15:19and because it's such an honor
15:21and a privilege to work with truly
15:23amazing people every, every day.
15:27They're people who I admire
15:31and respect greatly,
15:33and my admiration and respect has
15:37been returned many fold over all the
15:39years that I've had the privilege of
15:42of working at the mental Health Center.
15:44When people ask me as I was about to
15:48begin my career at psychiatry at CMHC,
15:51how did I feel about it?
15:53I my answer was that I was
15:56mostly looking forward to it,
15:58but was a little bit apprehensive
16:01that the highfalutin Yale faculty
16:04might not treat me with respect
16:08because I was a veteran after 10
16:12years state bureaucrat and they
16:15probably wouldn't have a whole lot
16:18of time for me or respect for me.
16:21I was quickly disabused of that and
16:23I have found practically without
16:26exception that people have treated me
16:29with the utmost kindness and and respect.
16:32So the good doctor Crystal admonished
16:36all of us who are recording these
16:38videos to please keep it brief.
16:41So I would end with this that it's
16:48still a privilege to to do what I
16:51do and and work with the amazing
16:54people I I I work with.
16:56And also add that the necktie I'm
17:02wearing is part of a an extensive
17:05collection of neck ties that have
17:07been purchased by my other half.
17:10Who despite the fact that I tell
17:12him constantly that I have way too
17:14many ties and I could probably
17:16open a store and sell them.
17:18And despite the fact that I'm
17:20getting closer to the end of my
17:22career than the beginning and so
17:24I don't really need more ties,
17:26he none the less at every possible
17:29occasion buys me more and more neck ties.
17:32Which is a not so subtle way of
17:35his telling me Bob keep working.
17:37And I'm not sure if that's because
17:39he knows how much I enjoy what I
17:41do and how much it means to me and
17:44how much of it is that he's afraid
17:46that when I retire that I'll just be
17:49under foot a little too much at home.
17:51So in any event, thank you for this
17:54opportunity and I wish you all well.
17:58Good day my fellow colleagues in the
18:00Department of Psychiatry at Yale.
18:02I am Derek Gordon,
18:03an associate professor of Psychiatry
18:05in the psychology section.
18:07As I reflect on this year,
18:09I projected an experience that has had
18:12significant highs and significant lows.
18:14Nowhere is this more evident than in the
18:17communities and population that we serve.
18:20We at Yale, known for being on the
18:22forefront of research and clinical care,
18:25have a responsibility to leverage
18:27that important and forward thinking
18:29science for the benefit of the
18:31communities that are the subject of
18:33that inquiry and our academic success.
18:36We acknowledge the fact that our science
18:39is supported by faces known and unknown,
18:43and we are called to leverage our science
18:47thinking technologies developed in time
18:49to promote the well-being of others.
18:52I have always said that my most impactful
18:55teachers are those whose hearts and
18:57minds call me to consider what I can do
19:00for the least of us and make it happen.
19:03As I reflect on this fact,
19:06I revisit last year's reflections.
19:10I hear Doctor Crouch's reminder that the
19:13land we occupy is out of Native peoples
19:16whose voices continue to echo Doctor
19:19Alsop's reflections on the challenges
19:21that have and continue to impact us,
19:24our families and our communities.
19:26Dr.
19:27Rogois's summary of his research
19:29on molecular factors associated
19:32with neuropsychiatric diseases.
19:34Dr.
19:34Maltalvos or thesis reminder that
19:37we are returning to normal even with
19:41challenges as she studies genomics and
19:44epigenomics or psychiatric disorders,
19:46psychiatric disorders,
19:46with collaborators and partners
19:48from across the world.
19:49And finally,
19:50Doctor Singhal's reflections on
19:52the exciting things happening
19:54in the psychology sections.
19:56These reflections demonstrated Yale
19:58University and the Department's
20:00ongoing commitment to finding,
20:02valuing, supporting,
20:05working and inspiring community,
20:09and mentoring the next generation
20:11of scientists.
20:11All with careful consideration
20:13for representation and the ways
20:16that it strengthens our science.
20:18As an associate professor whose
20:20research has and continues to center
20:23community and community voices,
20:25I'm inspired by all of our
20:27collectively great work.
20:29I want us to be challenged.
20:32To continue to use our science to
20:35lift the voices of the voiceless
20:38through advocacy and add to the Canon
20:41of scientific inquiry by including
20:43those voices in our research.
20:45And make our observation relevant
20:47by finding ways to leverage our
20:49discoveries to better the lives of all,
20:52especially those outside of the
20:54academic community or deemed
20:56less valuable in other contexts.
20:59We are uniquely perched amongst
21:01the academic elite.
21:03Let us not forget that this privilege
21:05comes with significant responsibility to
21:08use a position to make meaningful change,
21:11change,
21:11something that is that time
21:14scary but necessary.
21:16I end with the immortal words
21:18of Robert Nestor Marley.
21:20Open your eyes and look within.
21:22Are you satisfied with the
21:24life you are living?
21:25And I would add,
21:27are you satisfied with your contribution
21:29to the lives of those around you,
21:31especially those who do not
21:33have the access that you do?
21:35Thank you
21:36a day. Hello, my name is Maria
21:39Crouch and my deck name is Togo.
21:41I'm from the Decaton and Quali Tekken
21:44nations, originally from Alaska,
21:45and I'm currently a third year
21:47postdoctoral fellow in the department.
21:49I journeyed to Yell in 2020,
21:51right in the middle of the pandemic,
21:53with my partner, my then two year old son,
21:55and several animals in tow.
21:57I felt both wildly unwieldy
22:01and unrestrainedly optimistic.
22:03And so much has happened
22:04over these past years,
22:06and when I reflect on my time at Yale,
22:08I feel very emotional and deeply moved.
22:12My mother died the first year I was here,
22:14among the loss of other family
22:16members over the following years,
22:18and so many of you did like the
22:21Musk ox and encircled about me,
22:24protecting and attending to
22:25me as a fellow human being.
22:28I've had the privilege of
22:29making lasting friendships,
22:31to conduct research that's an
22:32extension of my heart and passion
22:34and in service to Native peoples,
22:37to contribute to the department
22:39in wholly indigenous ways,
22:40to be mentored by people who
22:43are equally as brilliant as
22:44they are compassionate and real,
22:46and to learn from and serve
22:49the local community.
22:50Neither of my parents graduated
22:52from high school,
22:53and I'm the first person in the history of
22:55my family to receive a doctoral degree.
22:57And out of all the Alaska Native people
22:59that have ever received a PhD or an Ed D,
23:03I'm #117.
23:04To say that I feel fortunate
23:06is an understatement.
23:08And something else that cannot be
23:10understated is the knowledge that
23:12every place and every space I go,
23:14I carry my ancestors with me.
23:16In fact,
23:17ancestral mathematics dictates that to
23:20Incarnate we must have two parents,
23:224 grandparents,
23:238 great grandparents and so on.
23:26There are 4096 ancestors and 12
23:29generations in the last 400 years
23:32alone that brought us into this world,
23:34thousands upon thousands who have survived,
23:38persevered,
23:38and hoped and dreamed us into being.
23:40And the love,
23:42the incredible and fierce love
23:45that transcends space and time,
23:47echoes among and across all the
23:49numbers that make us who we are.
23:52By no mistake,
23:53rather by sheer force of will
23:55and determination,
23:56we be because as the elders teach,
23:59there are no mistakes in the great mystery.
24:03Education, university life,
24:04and my experiences at Yale have
24:07all been a means to engage in the
24:10world in the way I was meant to,
24:12born to in the good way.
24:15I've developed kinships, connections,
24:17and knowledge from everyone I've encountered,
24:20whether negative or positive.
24:21All have been teachers to me.
24:24Each one of you brings with you your
24:27ancestors, thousands upon thousands,
24:29your stories and your abilities.
24:32I hope that you, too,
24:33can find yourself in an embrace here,
24:37or at least embrace yourselves
24:39while you're here.
24:40In fact,
24:41the first exercise I did at Yale
24:43was when Doctor Amber Charles asked
24:45us to write out some permission
24:47slips for ourselves.
24:48Mine were one, it's OK to be Alaska Native,
24:52and two, it's OK to speak
24:54what's on your heart?
24:56Don't worry about being too much of anything,
24:59because those who mind don't matter,
25:01and those who matter don't mind.
25:03So even in the wildly unwieldy
25:07and the captivatingly beautiful,
25:09I have found a stability,
25:11consistency, and support that
25:13is beyond words of gratitude,
25:15A support that is solely composed of
25:18people who make up this department.
25:21In Degnak,
25:23we say with Schlig Akhachleishmann,
25:27look for an anchor dogadin.
25:30Thank you for the many who have anchored me.
25:33Good morning.
25:34My name is Steve Gentile.
25:36I am the Deputy Chair of Finance
25:39Administration for the Department of
25:40Psychiatry and the Senior Director
25:42of Finance and Administration for
25:44the integrated business operation.
25:47I have been with Yale University
25:49for almost 32 years and have worked
25:51in similar positions in various
25:53departments throughout the Med school.
25:55It was seven years ago in 2017,
25:57when I interviewed with Doctor Crystal
25:59and 12 faculty leaders of the Executive
26:02Committee to consider working in psychiatry.
26:05Once I finished meeting with everyone
26:07I knew the Department of Psychiatry
26:09was the right department for me.
26:11I could tell there was something
26:12special about this department.
26:14The Department of Psychiatry's Mission,
26:17Vision and Value Statement focuses
26:19on the dedication of the faculty,
26:21staff and trainees to enhance the well-being,
26:24facilitate recovery and reduce
26:26the oppression and suffering
26:28associated with mental illness.
26:30In my role,
26:31I have witnessed and experienced
26:32this dedication and commitment
26:34first hand every day.
26:35Psychiatry is at the top of the national
26:38rankings in all key areas of clinical
26:41research and education missions.
26:42The Department's operating budget
26:44has grown from almost 125 million
26:47in 2017 to 170 million today.
26:51All of this, of course,
26:53is due to the amazing talent of psychiatry,
26:55faculty, staff and trainees.
26:58However,
26:58this amazing work would not be possible
27:01without the dedication and talent
27:03of all the staff in the integrated
27:05business operations and administrative
27:07support that I have had the privilege
27:09of leading over these past seven years.
27:12These support areas include faculty affairs,
27:15administration, staffing,
27:16administration,
27:17research administration,
27:19clinical administration,
27:21medical education administration,
27:23communication support,
27:24human resources support,
27:26information technology support,
27:28and overall general administrative support.
27:31The staff that work in each one
27:33of these areas are the unsung
27:34heroes of the department.
27:36They are some of the most devoted,
27:38honest and hard working individuals.
27:40I have had the pleasure
27:42of working with a Yale
27:43and they are the backbone of the department
27:46that keep it running optimally every day.
27:49In addition to supporting the
27:50academic and mission work,
27:51psychiatry takes very seriously the
27:53culture and climate of the department.
27:56I have been fortunate to sponsor a department
27:59wide initiative called Project Synapse.
28:01Project Synapse is a committee led
28:03and organized by staff whose mission
28:05is to seek ways for all members
28:07of the Department of Psychiatry
28:09to be connected with information,
28:11innovation and recognition.
28:13The Project Synapse team has continued
28:15to find ways to address staff morale,
28:18teamwork, and
28:19stress, just to name a few.
28:21Project Synapse has also made tremendous
28:23success in connecting staff to the
28:26department and they have ensured that
28:28staff voices are heard and included
28:30in all department endeavors.
28:32Ernest Hemingway once said When you
28:34love you wish to do things for you wish
28:37to sacrifice for you wish to serve.
28:41One of the most rewarding
28:42aspects of my career has
28:43been serving faculty, staff,
28:45and trainees to help meet their
28:47programmatic needs and career goals.
28:49I have always tried to utilize my
28:52department finance administration
28:53leadership role to help address issues,
28:55find solutions to problems,
28:56and hopefully make everyone's experience
28:58in the department a little better.
29:00I believe our purpose is trying to find
29:02a way every day to make the department a
29:05little better place than when we found it.
29:07In June, I will be leaving the
29:09Department of I to take out a
29:11position at Yale University,
29:13Co leading the One Finance
29:15strategic initiative.
29:16One Finance is a university wide
29:18initiative where part of its mission
29:20is to simplify and standardize
29:22financial services to make life
29:24easier for everyone at the university.
29:26I'm looking forward to bringing
29:27all the lessons I've learned
29:28from the Department of Psychiatry
29:30into this new position. Thank you.
29:33In reflecting on the past year,
29:36I was struck by how many people I know who
29:40have undergone a major life transition.
29:44Some had an addition or a loss of
29:47a loved one, or a career pivot,
29:52or many other changes.
29:55Some of these changes were the direct
29:57result of reshuffling priorities during
30:00the pandemic or becoming more aware of
30:03inequities or problems in our society.
30:08And through it all,
30:09I felt very grateful to be part of
30:12this Yale psychiatry community.
30:14There were many opportunities to find
30:18support in virtual or in person groups,
30:21or informal gatherings,
30:25or finding examples of individuals
30:27in our department who had persevered
30:30through just about any kind of
30:33personal or professional challenge
30:35that someone might face in their life.
30:40I also viewed the past year through the
30:43lens of connection and collaboration.
30:46People seem very eager coming out of
30:48the pandemic to share what they had
30:51learned about themselves and the world,
30:53and I especially enjoyed unexpected moments
30:55in which I got to meet someone in person who
30:59I had previously only met on a Zoom meeting.
31:02I would turn around and see someone
31:05in a hospital cafeteria line,
31:07or recognize someone in an elevator, or in
31:10a grocery store or restaurant or bookstore,
31:13because I still like to read paper books.
31:17And it made me realize that Yale
31:20psychiatry is a large department and
31:23we have a large residency program.
31:26But it still feels like a tightly knit
31:29community because we all live or work
31:32or dine or shop in close proximity
31:35to each other here in Connecticut.
31:38People are accessible and there are
31:41a lot of opportunities to connect and
31:44collaborate and run into each other.
31:47I was very grateful for faculty
31:50colleagues who generously volunteered
31:53to mentor and teach resident physicians,
31:57no matter how busy they were.
31:59I was also impressed by our resident
32:02physicians who are innovative problem
32:04solvers and who came up with fun
32:07and unique ways of creating a sense
32:10of community here.
32:12And I was acutely aware of how hard
32:15our program office works to resolve
32:18any administrative complexities in
32:20order to support the training and
32:23education of our resident physicians.
32:26All of this has made me feel very
32:29optimistic about the future of our
32:32residency program and our departments.
32:35And on a personal note,
32:37this was the year that I finally
32:40accepted that I'm middle-aged and
32:42it's been a fun year.
32:43I've learned a lot,
32:45met a lot of new people and
32:47strengthened bonds that I already had.
32:50So thank you for letting me share
32:53my reflections on this year and I am
32:55looking forward to talking and meeting
32:57with many of you in the year to come.
33:00We are YJ and Jeremy,
33:02this year's Psychiatry Resident
33:04Association's Co Presidents.
33:06It has remained a difficult time for
33:09our program as we continue to feel
33:11the weight of the loss of core
33:12parts of our community and the
33:14ongoing transition and leadership.
33:17We want to express how
33:18grateful we are to everyone.
33:20Administrators, building service workers
33:22who are always much more than that.
33:24Occupational and recreational therapists,
33:26chaplains, nursing milieu,
33:28counsellors, psychologists,
33:30APRNS, social workers,
33:32faculty members, site directors,
33:34program directors,
33:35all who have contributed so
33:36much to our education and also
33:38to sustaining and building our
33:40broader Yale psychiatry community.
33:42We are especially proud of
33:43all who have made exciting
33:45new Community events
33:45happen this year, such as our
33:47first annual Rices of the World,
33:49a decolonizing Thanksgiving event,
33:51and our faculty resident
33:52celebration of the Lunar New Year.
33:55We have loved the opportunity to be curious
33:57about and celebrate our differences,
33:59and the food has been amazing to be
34:01on the lookout for more to come.
34:03In that regard,
34:04we do want to name folks who have taken
34:06on new responsibilities, including
34:08members of the Residency Recruitment team,
34:11our Program Director, search Committee,
34:13our Chiefs for all they're doing
34:15behind the scenes,
34:16all of those putting in efforts to bring
34:19new educational programming and all
34:20of our program administrative staff.
34:22We also want to share our gratitude for our
34:25outstanding and inspiring resident peers. We
34:28are so appreciative of our peers,
34:31faculty mentors and program directors
34:33who have foregrounded kindness,
34:35generosity, curiosity,
34:37openness and humility in the
34:40service of our patients and in
34:41the service of mutual support,
34:43healing and justice.
34:44Thank you. Thank you,
35:05Set.
35:08How about a round of applause for those,
35:17you know, one thing that that
35:19these videos I I find first,
35:21I find them extraordinary and they're
35:25educational and they're inspiring,
35:28but they're also a reminder that the
35:31person sitting next to you today,
35:33if you're here in person and perhaps
35:36sitting next to you wherever you
35:38are participating in this event,
35:40are extraordinary.
35:43And they have so much to offer you.
35:46And so that the more that we reach
35:48out and connect to each other,
35:50the more that we're going to reap
35:53the benefits of being part of
35:55this special community every year.
35:58Hopefully we'll continue to do this so
36:01that you hear more perspectives and
36:04reflections on on our community because
36:08it's we're an amazing group of people.
36:11You're fantastic in prep,
36:14in preparing the talk today,
36:16of course.
36:16I want to thank our speakers,
36:18Cindy Crusto, Bob Cole,
36:20Derek Gordon, Maria Crouch,
36:22Steve Gentile and then our
36:24PAPRA Co Co Presidents.
36:26Why YJ and Jeremy again thanks
36:29so much for doing that and Chris
36:31Gardner for helping to coordinate
36:33this and Noah Golden for creating
36:35that video that you saw
36:39this year. We face globally continue
36:42to face global turmoil and national
36:45turmoil and and it it flows through our
36:50community and I it particularly in light
36:53of the of the videos that we just heard.
36:57I'm reminded of lessons that we
36:59have gleaned from our town halls.
37:02First, that no matter what's going
37:04on outside of the department,
37:06within the department,
37:07we are linked by more than what divides us.
37:11Our common humanity, our mission,
37:14our commitment to each other and
37:16colleagues and the work that we do.
37:18And we build our community when we listen,
37:21when we check in with those who
37:24we suspect might be affected
37:26by what's going on around,
37:28and when we offer support,
37:31and we when we learn from those who
37:34have different perspectives than we have
37:37about how they're viewing what's going on.
37:41This has been a remarkable
37:43year in so many ways.
37:46One inspiring moment was when
37:48our own Carolyn, Missouri,
37:50long standing faculty
37:51member in our department,
37:56took a role in the Biden White
37:59House as a leader of Jill Biden's
38:03Women's Health Initiative,
38:04which culminated not very long
38:07ago in an executive order signed
38:09by President Biden committing $12
38:12billion to Women's Health research.
38:14It's a remarkable step,
38:16the first time an initiative like
38:18this ever came out of the White House.
38:20And we're so proud that Carolyn
38:23played such a central role
38:25in this important initiative.
38:29As others in the video mentioned,
38:32we're grounded by our mission,
38:35vision and values.
38:36And I want to again thanks so much
38:40the group of people that contributed
38:43to this mission vision and value
38:46statement and and they're listed
38:48at the at the bottom of the slide,
38:50but it's worthwhile reading
38:52it as a grounding point for
38:55the rest of the presentation.
38:57Today, the Yale Department of Psychiatry is
39:01dedicated to enhancing holistic well-being,
39:04facilitating recovery,
39:05and reducing the suffering oppression
39:08associated with mental illness.
39:11We do this through the education
39:13of transformative leaders,
39:15excellence in research practice and policy,
39:18and restorative and reciprocal
39:21community engagement.
39:22We embrace multiple approaches to learning,
39:25levels of analysis,
39:26and ways of knowing.
39:28Throughout this work,
39:29we strive to nurture a diverse
39:32community of trainees, staff,
39:34faculty and partnerships
39:36characterized by compassion,
39:38inclusivity,
39:39humility,
39:40dignity and justice.
39:46There's so much to
39:48celebrate in our department.
39:50This year, we were rated the number one
39:54medical school for psychiatry training.
39:57You're rated the number one Citation
40:00Impact Department of Psychiatry.
40:02You're #2 in NIH funding.
40:05Number two to three depending
40:07on how you look at it.
40:09In the terms of the rating ranking
40:12of our psychiatry residents,
40:13we had about 1400 applicants
40:16and very extraordinary group of
40:18people who matched to Yale and
40:21psychiatry and 13 Yale medical
40:24students who went into psychiatry,
40:26making it second only to internal medicine.
40:30Together the psychiatry and psychology
40:33programs at Yale are rated #4 in the
40:36world with number six ranking for
40:39our Psychiat psychology program,
40:42which is rated in jointly with
40:45the Department of Psychology.
40:47And we're the number 8 psych psychiatric
40:50hospital in terms of our ranking
40:54and the top 30 psychology internships.
40:57So in the day-to-day gritty,
41:00to borrow from Bob Cole,
41:02gritty world that we live in,
41:05it can be so hard to lose
41:07sight of how good we are,
41:11how what a remarkable
41:13impact that we have on our patients,
41:15on our community, on our country,
41:18on the problems of mental health globally.
41:20It's worthwhile to to remember we
41:25had some nice moments this year.
41:28A donor wanted to celebrate
41:31the legacy of Steve Southwick,
41:34a long standing faculty member
41:37in our department, and created an
41:40endowed professorship in his memory.
41:43And Mark Betenza,
41:44who collaborated with Doctor Southwick is
41:47the inaugural Steve Southwick Professor,
41:50which is a wonderful thing
41:54yesterday. Or maybe it's no, no,
41:58two days ago. I'm losing track of time
42:02we got. We received notice that
42:06Vikram Sodhi who's a an alumnus of
42:09Yale and who has been an advocate
42:14for the research on cannabis and
42:18cannabinoids conducted by Cyril
42:20D'souza endowed a professorship for
42:23Doctor D'souza which he received
42:26notice of yesterday or the day before.
42:31One other new endowed professorship
42:34was which was approved again yesterday
42:37or the day before is Chris Van ****.
42:41So Chris Van **** has LED our our
42:47Alzheimer's desert created really
42:50the the clinical research program in
42:53Alzheimer's disease research and has LED
42:57Co led the Alzheimer's Desert Disease
43:00Research Center and established the
43:04Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit and
43:06built it into a remarkable initiative.
43:11You probably know that last
43:13year Doctor Van **** led the
43:18definitive trial on Lecanimab,
43:20which is an antibody that binds
43:26amyloid protein in the brain.
43:29And this medication,
43:31which his study led to the FDA approval,
43:35is the first treatment that we have
43:37for Alzheimer's disease that slows
43:39the progression of the illness.
43:41So in recognition of this remarkable
43:46legacy 30 years or more leading
43:50Alzheimer's disease research and this
43:53capstone accomplishment to his career,
43:56he is now not the Elizabeth but the
44:00Elizabeth Mirrors in house Jameson Professor.
44:04So that's a wonderful honor for him.
44:09I'm, I'm not going to acknowledge all
44:11the new grants in the department.
44:13I just want to touch on a few.
44:14And so if I don't mention your grant,
44:16please do not feel that
44:18it's not equally important,
44:21but want to celebrate the renewal of the
44:24tobacco Center of Regulatory science,
44:26which is an enormous impact on
44:30issues from flavored tobacco,
44:32which you know, let the FDA has
44:38made illegal, to vaping and
44:42other aspects of tobacco use.
44:45Suchitra Krishman Sarin and
44:47Stephanie O'Malley here.
44:49Congratulations to you.
44:52A new program from the Milken
44:55Foundation which is a a whole large
44:58team of research led by Hilary
45:02Blumberg and which should help
45:05us to understand the metabolic,
45:09cellular metabolic abnormalities
45:11underlying bipolar disorder and
45:13may lead to new biomarkers that
45:17help to speed diagnosis and
45:20enhance effective treatment.
45:24This year a a major grant was awarded to
45:28Sam Wilkinson and Jerry Sanacora which
45:32is comparing ketamine and S ketamine.
45:35Ketamine is not approved by the
45:37FDA for the treatment of treatment
45:40resistant depression. S ketamine is,
45:42and this study may help to move,
45:45make ketamine more available
45:47for the treatment of treatment
45:49resistant of depression.
45:53Tammy Sullivan was awarded a major
45:57grant studying intimate partner
45:59violence and such an important problem
46:02in our society, so understudied.
46:04We're really thrilled to to
46:07see this project move forward.
46:11John Pachenkos, who has a secondary
46:14appointment in psychiatry and who spoke
46:17at our community conference this year,
46:20received a large grant advancing gender
46:23affirming cognitive behavioral therapy
46:26of such an important topic at this time.
46:29And then while we don't have the money yet
46:31and we haven't gotten the notice of word,
46:33I usually don't go out on a limb like this.
46:35But I figure what the hell.
46:40Scott Woods, who has been
46:44leading the pro Net initiative,
46:46which up to this time was the largest
46:49grant we'd ever received in the department,
46:52which has been characterizing
46:54the at risk period as people
46:57evolve into schizophrenia,
47:00sometimes called the prodromal period.
47:02He's now been awarded or it will
47:05probably highly might be awarded
47:11this grant, the propane grant,
47:13which certainly will be the largest
47:15grant that we've ever seen.
47:17So it appears to be about a
47:19$70 million grant, which will
47:21start to study interventions,
47:24which is extremely important.
47:27As I mentioned, we have 3 distinguished
47:29alumni of the department who
47:31we're going to honor in New York.
47:33You don't have to go to the APA
47:35meeting to go to the party,
47:36but you certainly can.
47:40And this year, we gave the Yale
47:43Mental Health Research Advocacy
47:45Award to Lawrence Hartman,
47:47who's a very important psychiatrist
47:50from Boston, the Boston area.
47:52But he received this award in recognition
47:56of his leadership in the early 70s.
47:59He was president of the APA
48:01and he removed homosexuality
48:03as a psychiatric diagnosis,
48:06depathologizing choices that
48:08people made in their lives which
48:12are so critically important.
48:16Thought I would give you some
48:18deep data about the department.
48:21We remain the second largest
48:23department in the in the university,
48:25not just in the medical school
48:28with 275 ladder faculty.
48:32We are 65.8% Caucasian,
48:3754.55. That rounds up to 55% female.
48:43We are about half MD or MDPHD and half PhD.
48:50In this way we are a very atypical,
48:55large clinical department.
48:56We're very much in some ways like a
48:59small department like genetics which
49:02is so highly just interdisciplinary.
49:06Our tracks, our largest tracks
49:07are the academic clinician
49:09and the clinician educator.
49:11Scholars track which account for about
49:1460 / a little over 60% and the research
49:17track account for the remainder.
49:23As you can see we have we are at at
49:29the junior ranks we have a predominance
49:33of female faculty members over male.
49:36It's somewhat balanced at the
49:39Associate professor level,
49:41although what's happening is
49:44in 2022 we were 50502023 as you
49:49can see we became slightly more
49:52female Associate Professor 2024.
49:55That progression continues,
49:58and gradually the professorial
50:01ranks are becoming balanced.
50:04Not quite there yet.
50:07We have a long way to go with regard
50:09to the racial and ethnic diversity
50:12of our department of Faculty.
50:14We recognize that we are making small gains,
50:19but we're also experiencing some losses
50:21as well as some of the most accomplished
50:27black faculty members of our department
50:30have become targets for recruitment.
50:32And and I'll talk about that in a little bit
50:37as a department, this is our department
50:40budget and what it's made of.
50:42Steve Gentile told you the the bottom
50:45line which is that the excluding the
50:49CMHC budget and excluding the VA dollars,
50:52our department budget's about 170,
50:56few $1,000,000.
50:57So that's a fair amount of
50:59money in some in a strange way,
51:02one way of thinking about our department
51:04is that we're a business because
51:07we have to be responsible stewards
51:09of the resources of the department
51:12in in supporting our missions.
51:14We're about 50 per 7% of the money that
51:18we spend is derived from research grants,
51:22about 38% from clinical sources and
51:27our education budgets about 10% and
51:33administration a very small part.
51:36This is a time of change in our community.
51:39We have new leaders of Yale
51:42New Haven Hospital Health,
51:44Yale New Haven Hospital and
51:46Yale New Haven Health System.
51:47So I hope some of these faces are
51:53familiar to you, but I doubt that all
51:55of these faces are familiar to you.
51:57So Chris O'Connor is the person who
52:00succeeded Marna Borgstrom as the head
52:02of the Yale New Haven Health System.
52:07Kate Heilpern, who just is transitioning into
52:10a role as chief of Yale New Haven Hospital,
52:15is the person who succeeded Keith Churchwell.
52:18Pam Sutton Wallace, who has been the
52:22interim leader of Yale New Haven Hospital,
52:24is now the chief operating officer
52:26for the whole health system.
52:28And in a really, really, really,
52:32really important move, Peg McGovern,
52:36who's been the deputy Dean for clinical
52:40affairs for the medical school is
52:43now also executive vice president and
52:46chief physician for the hospital.
52:49This is the first time in the 400.
52:53No, I don't know, it's Yale,
52:56Yale Hospital.
52:56I think it was started at Yale
52:59New Haven Hospital in 18 O four.
53:01And this is the first time in all
53:04that history that a medical school
53:07faculty member has been leading the
53:10clinical enterprise in the hospital.
53:12So that is a remarkable remarkable
53:15step and speaking what it speaks
53:17to is this effort that both the
53:21hospital and the medical school feel
53:23that the survival of each depends
53:26on the health of the partner.
53:29And this unity is is really a new a
53:36new culture for the hospital in the
53:39medical school and it's it has many
53:42consequences that are complicated but
53:44but in the end I think everybody feels
53:48that this is a critical step for the
53:51vitality if not survival of our enterprise.
53:54One of the complicated steps
53:56has to do with funds flow,
53:58which is how does the department
54:00get money from the hospital.
54:02And this is a complicated process
54:04in evolving.
54:05One,
54:05we've been reassured,
54:07reassured many times that it's
54:09going to be OK and we certainly
54:12hope that that is the case.
54:16It it it's really important to
54:20understand that this how critical this
54:23is because the revenue that we get
54:26from the hospital is used to support
54:29our administrative infrastructure.
54:31It supports our educational mission.
54:34It supports our our ability
54:36to recruit people and support
54:38research activities and support our
54:41climate initiatives in the ARTF.
54:43So it's really, this is really critical,
54:47but but it's important.
54:51As we talk about administration,
54:53it's important to acknowledge Steve Gentile,
54:56who's just been a remarkable
54:58leader of our department staff.
55:01He's leaving to lead a central campus
55:05initiative that will have benefits for
55:08us in the department called 1 Yale.
55:10He's leaving behind an amazing team that
55:13he has built and nurtured over the year.
55:16He we are now as you know our there's
55:20something called an IBO inter department
55:24business operation and so we are
55:27combined with the child study center
55:30and Pediatrics and we're the largest
55:33business enterprise in the medical school.
55:35So he has ably made all of us feel
55:39personally supported by the administrative
55:42infrastructure of our department and
55:46he is also transformed the culture.
55:49You notice that staff are now so visibly
55:53a part of everything that we do and
55:56Project Synapse has been a wonderful
56:00initiative that emerged under his leadership.
56:04We are pleased to welcome
56:07in June Melissa Dettmer.
56:09Melissa is currently Associate Vice
56:12Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives
56:14at the University of Pittsburgh and
56:17she has had a variety of other high
56:19level administrative responsibilities
56:20in the Office of Budget and Management
56:23in the State Department,
56:25Homeland Security etcetera.
56:26So she is a a very thoughtful,
56:30capable person and we look forward
56:34to her stepping into this role,
56:38leadership, IBO,
56:39leadership role.
56:42How are we doing grant wise,
56:47we are holding our own,
56:49we are holding our own.
56:50It's a very competitive environment.
56:52We've had a number of departures we've had,
56:56we've lost through untimely death
56:59the number of our some of our
57:02most heavily funded faculty.
57:05So in some ways we are rebuilding
57:10and yet we are able to retain a
57:14very strong research portfolio
57:17and we we will, we will pass
57:25not maybe not next year,
57:27their line continues to go up,
57:29but but we'll get there,
57:31we'll get there. Again,
57:34I just want to acknowledge
57:36our incredible leadership
57:40when when Bob Roebrau stepped
57:44down as Residency Director,
57:46Richard agreed to cover that brief
57:49period before the next residency
57:52Director stepped in and it's turned
57:55out to be a longer longer haul 3
57:59hour tour if you know the reference
58:03and and and the residency associate
58:06program Director team has been fabulous
58:10in in stepping up and sustaining
58:13the community over this time.
58:15The program director search is
58:18underway and progressing and this
58:21team is not sitting on its hands,
58:24but rather working actively to
58:27continue to address the issues that
58:30we know are relevant to the program.
58:37ARTFARTF continues to be a a a remarkable
58:40journey for our department is the
58:43largest and most sustained initiative
58:45in the history of our department.
58:47It was started with over 90 people.
58:49I have no idea what the actual number is now.
58:52Probably well over 100.
58:55We received the reports from each
58:58subcommittees and the recommendations
59:01from the subcommittees were consolidated.
59:04And we have now transitions to
59:07implementation and we have 5
59:09implementation teams and I don't have.
59:12I'm not going to go through all the
59:14people on all the implementation teams,
59:16but I will introduce you to the leaders
59:18of the five implementation teams.
59:20Domain one is DEI and Anti Racism
59:23Professional Development which is a focus
59:26on training and career development.
59:28Matt Goldenberg, Angela Haney,
59:29Britt Lewis and Kirsten Wilkins are
59:32leading this with Marina Pichardo serving
59:35as the Executive Committee liaison.
59:37Domain two is Engagement,
59:39Continuous Improvement and
59:40accountability which is about assessing,
59:43assessing and monitoring our progress
59:45as a department towards our anti
59:48racism goals and that a committee
59:50is led by Maria Crouch,
59:52Ronnie Hoff and Sandy Resnick and Stephanie
59:56O'Malley is the Executive committee liaison.
01:00:00The third committee,
01:00:01the third domain,
01:00:02excuse me, is retention,
01:00:04recruitment and career advancement of staff,
01:00:07faculty and learner learner trainees
01:00:10of color and Eudelin Carmio and
01:00:13Manny Paris and Mohini Ranga Nathan.
01:00:16Are leading that committee,
01:00:18and Sambal is the executive
01:00:21Committee liaison.
01:00:23Domain 4 is about inclusive,
01:00:26equitable, welcoming environment,
01:00:28addressing harmful behaviors,
01:00:30welcoming,
01:00:31creating a welcoming environment and
01:00:34creating of new positions and work groups.
01:00:38And Yung San Cho,
01:00:39Suchitra,
01:00:40Krishnan Sarin and Kyle Peterson
01:00:43are leading this and liaison is
01:00:46exactly as an is meaning is,
01:00:49meaning Petracus Domain 5 Racial
01:00:52Equity Mission Integration is
01:00:54applying an equity or racial justice
01:00:57lens to the mission and processes
01:01:00in our clinical community education
01:01:02and research missions.
01:01:04Madeline Baranowski, Sherelle Bellamy,
01:01:07Ashley Clayton and Robin Masheb are leading
01:01:11that and Mike Serniak is the exec liaison.
01:01:14As you see this,
01:01:16one of the things that probably has
01:01:19struck you is that each of these
01:01:23missions is led by faculty and staff
01:01:27and sometimes trainees and and and
01:01:33this is how we are going to move
01:01:36forward together as as a whole department.
01:01:44Hard to say goodbye very, very hard.
01:01:47Cindy has been the heart and
01:01:50soul of our of our ARTF effort.
01:01:54But really, in so many ways that
01:01:58many of you will will not have seen,
01:02:02has stepped in and been a resource
01:02:07in to every part of the department.
01:02:12It's been just an absolute pleasure to
01:02:15watch her emerge as a a leader first
01:02:21in the from the DI committee then
01:02:25as assistant chair then deputy chair
01:02:31and to watch her emerge as the first
01:02:36tenured black female professor and
01:02:41and now she's moving on and we know
01:02:45it's good for you and we know it's
01:02:48good for your family and we know a
01:02:50a new challenge always stimulates
01:02:52further growth and development.
01:02:55But we will miss you and we wish you all
01:03:00the best at in your new role as senior
01:03:03Associate Dean for program development
01:03:05effectiveness and evaluation at USC.
01:03:08So congratulations.
01:03:20We are fortunate that Ruby Lucua is
01:03:24going to step in and help us in the
01:03:28transition until we recruit a new
01:03:32Deputy chair for DEI and and help
01:03:37us to maintain continuity there.
01:03:39Ruby, thank you so much for doing that.
01:03:43Some transitions, two notable departures.
01:03:46Carmen Black, who's been a very
01:03:50active member of our department
01:03:52and in terms of anti racism
01:03:54and social justice activities,
01:03:56leader of the social justice curriculum
01:03:59of the residency has been recruited
01:04:01to be now Vice Chief of Psychiatry for
01:04:05Education in IOL and Hartford Hospital.
01:04:07It's a wonderful opportunity for her.
01:04:10Hedy Kober, faculty member in
01:04:12our department recruited,
01:04:14I mean here we go,
01:04:18recruited recruited to University
01:04:20of California, Berkeley
01:04:25with with a wonderful
01:04:26opportunity there as well.
01:04:27These are very talented people
01:04:29and we're sad to see them and go.
01:04:32Alec Buchanan, Hard to believe.
01:04:34Alec, you're retiring.
01:04:38It's been Alec is one of the most
01:04:41scholarly people that you'll ever meet.
01:04:43A true academic who's brought so much
01:04:46to our department in so many ways,
01:04:48both the division of law
01:04:49and psychiatry in the VA.
01:04:51You'll be absolutely very missed.
01:04:52We hope you'll stay connected.
01:04:55A person who's not retiring
01:05:09is is Howard's and Anna
01:05:14my my goal is that we have a non retirement
01:05:17for party for Howard every six months.
01:05:21Just to update, just to
01:05:22update us on the process.
01:05:24Howard Howard, you have created forensic
01:05:28psychiatry Law and psychiatry Academic.
01:05:31Forensic Psychiatry have been one
01:05:33of the cornerstones in the field,
01:05:36leading our professional organizations,
01:05:39informing our governments,
01:05:41writing the legislation,
01:05:43training the leaders.
01:05:45We can't say enough about your contribution
01:05:47to the department into the field,
01:05:50and we are eternally in your debt.
01:05:52Thank you so much.
01:05:55Georgia Gajanian passed away this year.
01:05:58George was the foundation's fund
01:06:01professor emeritus of psychiatry,
01:06:03and I could spend the whole
01:06:06hour talking about what he did,
01:06:08but I'm just going to touch on something.
01:06:11He was maybe one of the two or three
01:06:14most important scientists discovering how
01:06:17psychedelic drugs worked in the brain.
01:06:20He was the scientific leader of the
01:06:25discovery of the first medication
01:06:27through translational neuroscience.
01:06:29In other words, the first time
01:06:30that the biology was worked out,
01:06:32a drug affected the biology in in
01:06:34animals and then that translated to
01:06:36a treatment in people and that was
01:06:39Clonidine for opiate withdrawal.
01:06:44And when I think about that,
01:06:46I think of also Herb Kleiber,
01:06:47who was passed away a number of years ago,
01:06:50who really created the substance abuse
01:06:53research mission of our department.
01:06:57He, with Steve Bunny, his trainee,
01:07:03recorded from dopamine neurons and taught
01:07:06us about antipsychotics in his lab.
01:07:09He focused on antidepressants
01:07:11and later with Ron Duman,
01:07:13about how ketamine produced its
01:07:16distinctive rapid antidepressant effects.
01:07:18He was forever young, forever fit.
01:07:22It's amazing to me to to think of him being
01:07:27gone, such a mentor and teacher and leader,
01:07:31so someone we miss.
01:07:33Another person we miss is Maria Oliva,
01:07:37who's been the head of social work at CMHC,
01:07:39who died, who is so important to the work
01:07:43at the Connecticut Mental Health Center,
01:07:45and whose loss is felt very strongly.
01:07:49Yerji Hennish was really one of the leaders
01:07:54of inpatient psychiatry at CMHC for many,
01:07:57many years, mentor to many, many
01:08:00generations of Yale psychiatry residents.
01:08:04Patrick Skosnick,
01:08:06a young man who was in the full bloom
01:08:12of his life and career and who,
01:08:15as a result of a freak accident,
01:08:18died suddenly and unexpectedly.
01:08:21Very sad.
01:08:23And then Mirage Desai,
01:08:25who also died suddenly and unexpectedly.
01:08:29Sadly,
01:08:30Mirage was a really creative thinker
01:08:35about the problems of structural racism,
01:08:37racism more broadly,
01:08:39and was fully engaged in everything
01:08:42that we did in our department,
01:08:45in that domain,
01:08:46in the Anti Racism Task Force
01:08:48and in the drafting of the
01:08:51Mission Vision Value statement.
01:08:53We are very sad for this loss.
01:08:58So in concluding,
01:09:02we this is a this is a complicated world.
01:09:06It's a complicated context,
01:09:08a complicated and challenging
01:09:11time to be a community.
01:09:14And yet, there's so much to celebrate,
01:09:17so much to learn from each other,
01:09:20so many ways we can support and
01:09:23be supported by our colleagues.
01:09:26And I hope we take that opportunity
01:09:29because this is a very special place.
01:09:33You're all very special people,
01:09:35and it is an honor and pleasure
01:09:38to work with you every day.
01:09:40Thank you.