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UTHealth Houston

UTHealth Houston Psychiatry consists of the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UTHealth HCPC, the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center, and several clinics in the greater Houston area.

The Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’ mission follows three pillars: education, research, and patient care. Each year, the department trains students, residents, and the fellows of today to become the mental health care leaders of tomorrow – whether in public or private sectors, in solo or group practice, as researchers, educators, or clinicians. Training totals more than 1,650 students and 175,000 hours of education annually, including specialties in psychiatry, psychology, mental health nursing, and social work.

The faculty and staff are at the forefront of the exploration of the causes and treatments of mental illnesses. They generate more than $6 million annually in grant-supported research. Specific areas of research include mood and anxiety disorders, trauma and grief, childhood disorders, and addiction, with new programs in post-traumatic stress, integrated clinical neuroscience and treatment, early diagnosis & intervention, biochemical markers, psychiatric genetics, and geriatric psychiatry. The UTHealth Houston psychiatry department faculty members’ wide variety of expertise covers the full spectrum of behavioral disorders, supporting research they pursue in conjunction with their clinical and educational contributions to the department.

POSTER SESSION

The 15^th Annual NNDC Annual Conference was held from October 12-13, 2023 – and we were excited to see up to 50 posters in Houston, Texas! The Poster Session will took place from 12:45-2:00pm CT on Friday, October 13th with posters on display the entire day and an awards ceremony in the evening.

The Conference Program Committee welcomed all conference attendees to submit a poster related to depression and bipolar illnesses, particularly those that fit the NNDC conference theme – Mood Disorder Challenges: Emerging Systems and Individual Solutions.

Only one poster per individual was accepted. Posters were submitted to one of two categories:

1. Basic Science
   • All areas of research were welcome, but posters dealing with approaches (both biological and psychosocial) to understanding mood disorders, new or repurposed treatments and technologies, monitoring strategies with the potential to improve patient outcomes, or objective measures like biometrics, neuroimaging, bloodwork, or genetics were encouraged.
2. Clinical Programs
   • Unified efforts are the best way to expedite technological innovation, dissemination of new information, and translation of research into clinical practice. Posters in this category showcased multidisciplinary programs, demonstrate the efficacy of collaborations beyond academic boundaries, or deal with clinical assessments like patient questionnaires, clinical diagnoses, or clinical interviews.

There were a total of four poster awards given: Best Overall – Clinical Programs, Best Overall – Basic Science, Best Emerging Scholar – Clinical Programs, and Best Emerging Scholar – Basic Science. “Emerging Scholars” are graduate students, fellows, post-doctoral fellows, residents, or early career faculty within five years of fellowship or post-graduate appointment at a Center of Excellence or an Associate Member institution.

Congratulations to the following poster presenters who received an award:

1. Best Overall – Clinical Programs: Emily Grace Baxi, PhD, Breakthrough Discoveries for Thriving with Bipolar Disorder (BD2)
2. Best Overall – Basic Science: Brian J. Mickey, MD, PhD, University of Utah
3. Best Emerging Scholar – Clinical Programs: Kathleen Watson, PhD, Stanford University
4. Best Emerging Scholar – Basic Science: Bianca Nina De, BSE, University of Florida