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Paula Zimbrean

MD, FAPA, FACLP
Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Director, Transplant Psychiatry Services at Yale New Haven Hospital; Associate Director, Psychosomatic Medicine Fellowship, Yale New Haven Hospital

Contact Information

Paula Zimbrean, MD, FAPA, FACLP

Mailing Address

  • 20 York St

    New Haven, CT 06504

    United States

Related Links

Yale Medicine

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Extensive Research Description

My main area of research is that of psychiatric disease and organ transplantation. My publication on patients with psychotic disorder and organ transplantations has significantly influenced the discussion about the candidacy of this group towards not excluding patients with severe mental illness from transplantation listing. The description of eating behaviors in transplant patients is important given the obesity epidemics and the increased prevalence of non-alcoholic-steatosis-hepatitis (NASH), one of the main indications for liver transplantation. There is a significant need for a better understanding of eating habits, beliefs and behavioral strategies to address obesity in these patients. Understanding body image concerns is becoming relevant in the transplantation world as more non-urgent transplantation are becoming available (face and hand transplantation). I was recently interviewed for the European journal Science et vie about the impact of regenerative medicine upon body image concerns . In addition to studying psychiatric aspects of organ recipients, I am also PI for a study that evaluates prospectively the psychological status of liver donor candidates at Yale Transplantation Center. The study is performing psychiatric assessments of living donor candidates at their initial visits and follow up assessments including in candidates do not donate.

I am also evaluating the impact of the Transplant psychiatry rotation upon the trainees’ knowledge level and communication skills.

My work with Wilson Disease patients is a unique opportunity to study the psychiatric aspects of a rare genetic disease and to further inquire about mechanism of psychiatric symptoms. Being theat the underlying physiology of WD revolves around the role of copper in the organism, understanding the psychiatric presentations in WD can lead to a better appreciation of the role of microelements in the human brain.

Wilson Disease Registry is a longitudinal multidisciplinary evaluation study that follows patients with this rare disease with hepatology, neurological and psychiatric assessments. In addition to providing information on the psychiatric aspects of Wilson disease, the project can also serve as an inspiration for multidisciplinary registries for other rare diseases in which psychiatry can play a role. Overseeing the longitudinal psychiatric monitoring of these patients at 5 research centers in the US and Europe has allowed me to focus on shared and accepted views of psychiatric evaluation and care.

Coauthors

Research Interests

Mental Health Services

Public Health Interests

Mental Health; Substance Use, Addiction

Selected Publications

  • Recommendations for training psychiatry residents in psychosomatic medicine.Heinrich TW, Schwartz AC, Zimbrean PC, Lolak S, Wright MT, Brooks KB, Ernst CL, Gitlin DF. Recommendations for training psychiatry residents in psychosomatic medicine. Psychosomatics 2014, 55: 438-49. PMID: 25016348, DOI: 10.1016/j.psym.2013.12.016.
  • Psychiatric aspects of Wilson disease: a review.Zimbrean PC, Schilsky ML. Psychiatric aspects of Wilson disease: a review. General Hospital Psychiatry 2014, 36: 53-62. PMID: 24120023, DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2013.08.007.
  • Transplant Psychiatry: Psychiatric care of organ donors and recipientshttp://www.psychiatrictimes.com/comorbidity-psychiatry/transplant-psychiatry-psychiatric-care-organ-donors-and-recipients
  • Cognitive and psychiatric symptoms in Wilson disease.Zimbrean P, Seniów J. Cognitive and psychiatric symptoms in Wilson disease. Handbook Of Clinical Neurology 2017, 142: 121-140. PMID: 28433097, DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-444-63625-6.00011-2.
  • Patients with psychotic disorders in solid-organ transplant.Zimbrean P, Emre S. Patients with psychotic disorders in solid-organ transplant. Progress In Transplantation (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) 2015, 25: 289-96. PMID: 26645920, DOI: 10.7182/pit2015296.
  • The spectrum of psychiatric symptoms in Wilson's disease: treatment and prognostic considerations.Zimbrean PC, Schilsky ML. The spectrum of psychiatric symptoms in Wilson's disease: treatment and prognostic considerations. The American Journal Of Psychiatry 2015, 172: 1068-72. PMID: 26575449, DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.15030371.
  • Mental health assessment of altruistic non-directed kidney donors: An EAPM consensus statement.Potts S, Vitinius F, Erim Y, Gazdag G, Gribble R, Ismail SYS, Massey EK, Maldonado J, Mucsi I, Novak M, Niazi SK, Schneekloth TD, Syngelakis M, Zimbrean P. Mental health assessment of altruistic non-directed kidney donors: An EAPM consensus statement. Journal Of Psychosomatic Research 2018, 107: 26-32. PMID: 29502760, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.12.001.
  • Text Messaging to Reduce Alcohol Relapse in Prelisting Liver Transplant Candidates: A Pilot Feasibility Study.DeMartini KS, Schilsky ML, Palmer A, Fehon DC, Zimbrean P, O'Malley SS, Lee HB, Toll BA. Text Messaging to Reduce Alcohol Relapse in Prelisting Liver Transplant Candidates: A Pilot Feasibility Study. Alcoholism, Clinical And Experimental Research 2018, 42: 761-769. PMID: 29498753, PMCID: PMC6438371, DOI: 10.1111/acer.13603.
  • Proactive psychiatric consultation services reduce length of stay for admissions to an inpatient medical team.Desan PH, Zimbrean PC, Weinstein AJ, Bozzo JE, Sledge WH. Proactive psychiatric consultation services reduce length of stay for admissions to an inpatient medical team. Psychosomatics 2011, 52: 513-20. PMID: 22054620, DOI: 10.1016/j.psym.2011.06.002.
  • The Effect of Mental Health, Neurological Disease, and Liver Disease on Quality of Life in Patients With Wilson Disease.Camarata MA, Ala A, Coskun AK, Deng Y, Gonzalez-Peralta R, Maciejewski KR, Patel A, Rubman S, To U, Tomlin R, Schilsky ML, Zimbrean PC. The Effect of Mental Health, Neurological Disease, and Liver Disease on Quality of Life in Patients With Wilson Disease. Journal Of The Academy Of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry 2021, 62: 528-537. PMID: 34044196, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaclp.2021.04.004.
  • The Educational Value of Outpatient Consultation-Liaison Rotations: A White Paper From the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Residency Education Subcommittee.Zimbrean PC, Ernst CL, Forray A, Beach SR, Lavakumar M, Siegel AM, Soeprono T, Schwartz AC. The Educational Value of Outpatient Consultation-Liaison Rotations: A White Paper From the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Residency Education Subcommittee. Psychosomatics 2020, 61: 436-449. PMID: 32650995, PMCID: PMC7235569, DOI: 10.1016/j.psym.2020.05.004.
  • Identifying the Most Important Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Publications in 2020 Using a Novel Literature Assessment Instrument.Simpson SA, Bienvenu OJ, Andrews SR, Close JS, Adler Cohen MA, Fernandez-Robles C, Francis BA, Gandhi J, Gangopadhyay M, Gershengoren L, Grimaldi JA, Isenberg-Grzeda E, Key RG, Kiong T, Kontos N, Loh RM, Luchsinger W, Munjal S, Niazi SK, Nichols NA, Pathare A, Pereira LF, Shim JJ, Tobin MB, Zimbrean PC. Identifying the Most Important Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Publications in 2020 Using a Novel Literature Assessment Instrument. Journal Of The Academy Of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry 2021, 62: 493-500. PMID: 34048960, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaclp.2021.03.006.

Clinical Trials

ConditionsStudy Title
Diseases of the Endocrine System; Genetics - AdultA Phase I/II Study of VTX-801 in Adult Patients With Wilson's Disease (GATEWAY)
Diseases of the Digestive System - Liver; Diseases of the Eye; Diseases of the Nervous SystemWilson Disease Registry
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