Carlos A. Zarate, M.D.

"Deconstructing the Neurobiology of Mood Disorders using Rapid Acting Antidepressant and Antisuicidal Ideation Interventions as a Bridge to Novel Therapeutics"

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture 
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center 
11:00 am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm     Program

Carlos A. Zarate, M.D. is Chief of the Experimental & Therapeutics Branch and of the Section on Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and Senior Tenured Clinical Investigator, Division Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Howard Medical School.
​
Carlos A. Zarate, M.D. is Chief Experimental Therapeutics & Pathophysiology Branch and of the Section on Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Division Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Zarate completed his residency training in psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center/Brockton VAMC division. He later completed a fellowship in Clinical Psychopharmacology at McLean Hospital of the Consolidated Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and remained on staff at McLean Hospital as the Director of the Bipolar and Psychotic Disorders Outpatient Services. From 1998 to 2000 Dr. Zarate was the Chief of the Bipolar and Psychotic Disorders Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In 2001, he joined the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at NIMH. His achievements and awards include the Ethel-DuPont Warren Award and Livingston Awards, Consolidated Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Outstanding Psychiatrist Research Award, Massachusetts Psychiatric Association; Program for Minority Research Training in Psychiatry, APA; the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression Young Investigator Award; National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression Independent Investigator Award; the National Institutes of Health Director’s Award Scientific/Medical, the 2011 Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Award for Bipolar Mood Disorder Research, the 2013 National Institute of Health Director’s Award—Scientific/Medical Achievement and Mogens Schou Research Award: Bipolar Disorder and the Simon-Bolivar Award American Psychiatric Association; 2015 Ruth L. Kirschtein Mentoring Award NIH and the Astute Clinician Lecture Award, NIH. Dr. Zarate is a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and member of the Society of Biological Psychiatry and the Society for Neuroscience. Dr. Zarate’s research focuses on the pathophysiology and development of novel therapeutics for treatment-resistant mood disorders as well as the study of biomarkers and neural correlates of treatment response.

Learning objectives: 

1. Discuss the causes of treatment-resistant depression.
2. Become familiar with research on treatment-resistant depression, particularly with ketamine and other glutamatergic modulators.
3. To understand research on biomarkers of treatment response.

 
For Physicians: CME credit will be given.

For Psychologists: The Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, the American Psychological Association and the Oklahoma Psychological Association recognizes AMA PRA Category 1 credit™.  

For Social Workers: This event has been approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers for 1 hour Category 1Clinical.  (CEP Number - 20150007)

For LPCs and LMFTs: An application has been made to the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) for 1 hour of CE.

For CADCs and LADCs: Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital, Tulsa, Oklahoma, is accredited as a provider of continuing chemical dependency education by the State of Oklahoma - Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors for 1 hour of CE.                                     
REGISTER TO ATTEND!

To register, email:  Lauren Haguewood at lehaguewood@saintfrancis.com

Distinguished Speakers
​
Jason Beaman, D.O. 
Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences OSUCHS

Gerard Clancy, M.D.
President, University of Tulsa

Sarah W. Feldstein Ewing, Ph.D. 
Oregon Health & Science University, Director, Adolescent Behavioral Health Clinic

Francesca Filbey, Ph.D.
University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral and Brain Science

Scott Grantham, M.D. 
Medical Director, Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital

Kent Hutchinson, Ph.D. 
University of Colorado Boulder, The Center for Health and Addiction: Neuroscience, Genes, and Environment

Martin Paulus, M.D.
Scientific Director, Laureate Institute for Brain Research

Susan Tapert, Ph.D.
University of California at San Diego, Department of Psychiatry

Terri White, M.S.W
Commissioner, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Accreditation Statements:
​
CADC’s and LADC’s: Saint Francis Health System is an approved provider of continuing education programs for CADC’s and LADC’s through the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors and has approved this program for (5.5 hours)

LPCS/LMFTs: An approval request has been sent into the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) for 5.5 hours of CE.

Physicians: Saint Francis Health System is accredited by the Oklahoma State Medical Association to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians
Saint Francis Health System designates this live activity for a maximum of 5.5 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Psychologists: The Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, the American Psychological Association and the Oklahoma Psychological Association recognizes this event, Cannabis: What we have Learned through Scientific Research at TU Lorton Center on January 17, 2018 for 5.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. Saint Francis Health System is an Accredited through OSMA.

Social Workers: This event, “Cannabis: What we have Learned through Scientific Research” at TU Lorton Center on January 17, 2018 has been approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers for 5.5 hours Category 1 Clinical. (CEP Number- 20190007)
​

"Is It Psychosis or Schizophrenia?"

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture 
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center 
11:00 am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm     Program
​
Dr. Tamminga holds the Lou and Ellen McGinley Distinguished Chair and the McKenzie Chair in Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School; she is the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and the Chief of the Translational Neuroscience Division in Schizophrenia at UTSW. She received her M.D. degree from Vanderbilt University and completed residency training in psychiatry at the University of Chicago. She served on the University of Chicago faculty from 1975 to 1979 and moved to the NINDS for training in Neurology in 1978. After joining the faculty at the University of Maryland Medical School in 1979, she practiced research, clinical care and teaching there until joining the faculty at UT Southwestern Medical School in 2003.

Dr Tamminga is currently a member of NIMH’s National Advisory Board and has served on the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Drug Abuse, as Council member and President of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, as a Member and Chair of the Psychopharmacological Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA as well as consultant for the Orphan Products Development Review Group, FDA. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Brain and Behavioral Research Foundation (NARSAD). She is currently the Deputy Editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry and on the editorial board of several other journals in the field. Dr Tamminga was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences in 1998 and has served on several IOM committees in that capacity.
​
The goal of Dr. Tamminga’s research is to examine and understand the mechanisms underlying schizophrenia, especially its most prominent symptoms, psychosis and memory dysfunction, in order to build rational treatments for the illness. She evaluates the function of the living human brain in individuals with and without schizophrenia, using brain imaging techniques. Then, building on this knowledge, she uses human postmortem brain tissue to translate the functional alterations from the living human patient into molecular observations of the illness. Her ultimate goal is to base novel pharmacologies for psychosis and memory dysfunction on these observations and to use the altered in vivo imaging and postmortem molecular changes as biomarkers and targets for identifying animal models of disease and novel active pharmaceuticals.
 
Learning objectives: 
1. Review criteria for conventional psychosis diagnosis
2. Review biomarkers for psychosis presentations 
3. Consider relationships between clinical and biomarkers characteristics of psychosis.   
 
For Physicians: CME credit will be given.

For Psychologists: The Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, the American Psychological Association and the Oklahoma Psychological Association recognizes AMA PRA Category 1 credit™.  

For Social Workers: This event has been approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers for 1 hour Category 1Clinical.  (CEP Number - 20150007)

For LPCs and LMFTs: An application has been made to the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) for 1 hour of CE.

For CADCs and LADCs: Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital, Tulsa, Oklahoma, is accredited as a provider of continuing chemical dependency education by the State of Oklahoma - Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors for 1 hour of CE.                                     
REGISTER TO ATTEND!

"Chronobiology of Women's Mood Disorders"

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture 
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center 
11:00 am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm     Program
​
Barbara L. Parry, M.D. is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) where she has served as Director of the Women’s Mood Disorders Clinic of the UCSD Outpatient Psychiatric Services and the La Jolla Psychiatry Specialty Clinics, Director of the Women’s Mental Health Clinic at the San Diego Veterans Administration Healthcare Center and Associate Director of the Consultation-Liaison Service and the Medical Student Clerkship in Psychiatry.  Before joining the faculty at UCSD in 1985, she did a Research Fellowship in Clinical Psychobiology at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland.  She completed a Residency in Psychiatry and an Internship in Internal Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.  Her clinical research focus is the chronobiology of mood disorders specific to women: premenstrual, peripartum and menopausal depression.  She conducts sleep, light, melatonin and other hormonal studies with the aim of developing complementary sleep and light therapy approaches to treatment.  Her work is supported by NIH funding, she has authored or co-authored over 300 publications and served on NIH study sections, Data and Safety Monitoring Boards and the Editorial Boards of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the Journal of Biological Rhythms, the International Journal of Endocrinology and Equilibria, the Journal for Postpartum Psychiatric Illness Research and Menopause, The Journal of the North American Menopause Society.
 
Learning objectives: 
 .

1. Identify sleep and circadian rhythm abnormalities in women's mood disorders.
2. Determine effects of sleep and light treatments.
3. Differentiate pathogenesis and treatment response in premenstrual, peripartum and menopausal depression.

 
For Physicians: CME credit will be given.

For Psychologists: The Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, the American Psychological Association and the Oklahoma Psychological Association recognizes AMA PRA Category 1 credit™.  

For Social Workers: This event has been approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers for 1 hour Category 1Clinical.  (CEP Number - 20150007)

For LPCs and LMFTs: An application has been made to the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) for 1 hour of CE.

For CADCs and LADCs: Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital, Tulsa, Oklahoma, is accredited as a provider of continuing chemical dependency education by the State of Oklahoma - Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors for 1 hour of CE.                                     
REGISTER TO ATTEND!

To register, email:  Lauren Haguewood at lehaguewood@saintfrancis.com

David Barlow, Ph.D.
"Transdiagnostic Approaches to Treating Neuroticism & Somatic Anxiety in Emotional Disorders"

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture 
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center 
11:00 am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm     Program

David H. Barlow is Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, Emeritus and the Founder of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. He has published over 600 articles and chapters and over 80 books and clinical manuals. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including honorary degrees from the University of Vermont and William James College, and the two highest awards in psychology, the Distinguished Scientific Award for Applications of Psychology from the American Psychological Association and James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science honoring individuals for their lifetime of significant intellectual achievements in applied psychological research.
 
Learning objectives: 

1. Anxiety, mood and related disorders can be conceptualized as disorders of emotion.
2. Disorders of emotion have common identifiable underlying mechanisms.
3. Transdiagnostic treatments targeting these mechanisms may be more efficient and effective interventions than treatment programs targeting just a single diagnosis.
   ​

To register, email:  Lauren Haguewood at lehaguewood@saintfrancis.com

Deanna Barch, Ph.D., Oct 30, 2018
"Early Emergence of Depression:  Understanding Risk Factors and Treatment"

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture 
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center 
11:00 am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm     Program

Deanna Barch is currently Chair of the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences and the Gregory Couch Chair of Psychiatry.  She received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, completed her Ph.D. at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.  Dr. Barch is Deputy Editor at Biological Psychiatry and is on the Editorial Boards of Schizophrenia Bulletin, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, and Clinical Psychological Science. Dr. Barch is on the Scientific Board of the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation and the Stanley Foundation and on the Executive Committee of the Association for Psychological Science. Dr. Barch’s research has been funded by the NIMH, NARSAD, NSF, and the McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience. She is one of the Principal Investigators of the Lifespan Human Connectome Project and the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study.  She is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and a member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Her research program is focused on understanding normative patterns of functional brain connectivity across development as well as the mechanisms that give rise to the challenges in behavior and cognition found in illnesses such as schizophrenia and depression, utilizing behavioral, neuroimaging and computational approaches.  
​
Learning objectives: 
 

1. Understand the prevalence of early onset depression.
2. Understand the risk factors for early onset depression.
3. Understand effective treatments for early onset depression.
4. REGISTER TO ATTEND!
   
   To register, email:  Lauren Haguewood at lehaguewood@saintfrancis.com

Kevin LaBar, Ph.D., Sept 26, 2018
"An Information Mapping Approach to Emotion Representation in the Brain”

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture 
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center 
11:00 am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm     Program

Kevin S. LaBar is a Professor in the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University. He earned his Ph.D. at New York University and completed postdoctoral studies at Yale University. He was an Instructor of Neurology at Northwestern University Medical School prior to joining the Duke faculty in 1999. His research seeks to understand how emotions are processed in the brain and how they bias cognitive functions. He addresses these questions using behavioral, psychophysiological, neuroimaging, and patient-based research approaches. Dr. LaBar received Young Investigator awards from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, as well as a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. He was elected Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science in 2010 and received the honorary Frijda Chair in Cognitive Sciences from the University of Amsterdam in 2012. Dr. LaBar serves as Deputy Editor for neuroscience content in Science Advances, the on-line extension of Science magazine. He has published over 150 journal articles and book chapters, and is a senior editor and co-author of the Sinauer textbook Principles of Cognitive Neuroscience. His work is currently funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. 
 
Learning objectives: 

1. To know the conceptual differences among prominent psychological theories of emotion.
2. To learn how machine learning tools can be applied to study the representation of specific emotions in the brain.
3. To understand how advanced neuroimaging tools can decode patterns of spontaneous emotion from resting-state fMRI data.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., August 7, 2018

"The How, What, and Why of Happiness:  The Science of Interventions Aimed at Increasing Well-Being”

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture 
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center 
11:00 am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm     Program

Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., is Professor and Vice Chair of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and author of The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness, translated 28 countries, respectively. She received her B.A. summa cum laude from Harvard University and her Ph.D. in social psychology from Stanford University.  Lyubomirsky’s teaching and mentoring of students have been recognized with the Faculty of the Year (twice) and Faculty Mentor of the Year Awards.  Her research – on the possibility of lastingly increasing happiness — have been the recipients of many honors, including the the Distinguished Research Lecturer Award, a Templeton Positive Psychology Prize, a Psychology & Philosophy grant, a Science of Generosity grant, and several John Templeton Foundation grants.  Lyubomirsky lives in Santa Monica, California, with her husband and four kids, ages 5 to 19.

Learning objectives: 

1. Participants will describe one empirical research example showing how the experience of frequent positive emotions benefits relationships, work, and health.
2. Participants will list three intentional activities that have been shown to increase happiness, and describe at least one study that supports the efficacy of each of these three activities.
3. Participants will list three factors that moderate (or impact) the success of activities aimed at increasing happiness.

For Physicians: CME credit will be given.

For Psychologists: The Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, the American Psychological Association and the Oklahoma Psychological Association recognizes AMA PRA Category 1 credit™.  

For Social Workers: This event has been approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers for 1 hour Category 1Clinical.  (CEP Number - 20150007)

For LPCs and LMFTs: An application has been made to the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) for 1 hour of CE.

For CADCs and LADCs: Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital, Tulsa, Oklahoma, is accredited as a provider of continuing chemical dependency education by the State of Oklahoma - Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors for 1 hour of CE.                                     
REGISTER TO ATTEND!

To register, email:  Lauren Haguewood at lehaguewood@saintfrancis.com
​

In November 2016, LIBR organized the Interoception Summit, a first of its kind gathering of interoception experts from around the world. The primary output of this gathering is the white paper “Interoception and Mental Health: A Roadmap” published yesterday in the attached Interoception special issue of Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging. The special issue highlights several new and exciting ways in which interoceptive science is impacting mental health. The articles (several by LIBR investigators) span a diverse set of approaches including functional neuroimaging, psychophysiology, novel behavioral interventions, and a detailed examination of the link between interoception and inflammation.
 
This special issue is a great representation of LIBR’s impact on the interoception field. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this exciting new publication!

Dr. Charles Raison: April 3rd, 2018
"Evolution Comes to the Clinic: Relevance of Ancient Practices for 21st Century Mental Health"

William K. Warren, Jr. Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center
11:00am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00pm - 1:00pm     Program

Charles Raison, MD, is the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families and Professor, School of Human Ecology, and Professor, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, WI. He also serves in a consultant role as Director of Clinical and Translational Research for Usona Institute, and as Director of Research in Spiritual Health for Emory University Healthcare and as the Founding Director of the Center for Compassion Studies in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arizona Dr. Raison is internationally recognized for his studies examining novel mechanisms involved in the development and treatment of major depression and other stress-related emotional and physical conditions, as well as for his work in identifying and examining novel somatic and behavioral treatments for depression and related conditions associated with reduced well-being. Dr. Raison received the Raymond Pearl Memorial Award from the Human Biology Association “in recognition of his contributions to our understanding of evolutionary biocultural origins of mental health and illness” and has been recognized as a “Faculty of Excellence” at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Raison’s book “The New Mind-Body Science of Depression” was published by W.W. Norton in 2017. 

Three Learning Objectives:

1. Describe evolutionary forces that have maintained genetic risk factors for depression in human populations.
2. Explain how inputs that signaled survival and reproductive success in ancient environments have been repeatedly accessed across human history to induce states of emotional and physical well-being and stress-resiliency.
3. Describe how biological/psychological processes employed by ancient practices are being repurposed as novel treatments for major depression and other stress-related conditions.
   

To register, email:  Lauren Haguewood at lehaguewood@saintfrancis.com

Dr. Joanna Steinglass: March 6th, 2018
"Neurobiology of the Persistence of Anorexia Nervosa: Why So Stuck?"

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center
11:00am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00pm - 1:00pm     Program

Dr. Joanna Steinglass is the Florence Irving Associate Professor in Clinical Psychiatry and the Director of Translational Research in Eating Disorders at the Center for Eating Disorders at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Steinglass graduated from Amherst College and received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She completed her psychiatry training and an NIMH-sponsored research fellowship in eating disorders at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Steinglass has had NIMH and private foundation support since 2006. The focus of her work is both the cognitive neuroscience of anorexia nervosa, and the development of mechanism-based treatments.

Three Learning Objectives:
 

1. To understand the role of dietary restriction in anorexia nervosa
2. To provide information about treatment outcomes
3. To understand neural mechanisms of maladaptive behavior
   ​
   

To register, email:  Lauren Haguewood at lehaguewood@saintfrancis.com

The "Healthy Brains for a Healthy Oklahoma" lectures have been cancelled for the remainder of the Spring 2018 series, with the exception of Dr. Martin Paulus' update on the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study on April 26, 2018 at 6pm. We will send out a reminder prior to the event. 

The following lectures will be cancelled:
February 22, 2018: The Mindful Brain, Dr. Kyle Simmons
March 22, 2018: Training a Resilient Brain: TU Tough, Dr. Robin Aupperle
May 24, 2018: Being in Charge- Regulate Your Brain, Dr. Jerzy Bodurka

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.
If you would like to view past HBHOK lectures, please visit our LIBR YouTube channel.

Thank you for your attendance and support of the Healthy Brains for a Healthy OK lecture series. 

Sincerely, 
The LIBR Staff

The Laureate Institute for Brain Research (LIBR) is excited to announce the PLoS One publication of the 1st float study ever conducted in patients suffering from both anxiety and depression. 

This open-label trial from Dr. Justin Feinstein's Float Clinic and Research Center at LIBR in 50 patients provides an initial proof-of-principle study showing that 1-hour of float therapy can provide significant short-term relief from symptoms of stress and anxiety across a range of different conditions including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.  

More than resolving symptoms of mental illness, the experience greatly enhanced mental wellness, leaving patients in a peaceful serene state afterwards.  This mood-enhancing effect of floatation was especially notable given that most of the patients had comorbid depression. 

It is important to emphasize that this was an open-label study examining the short-term effects of floating.  We are now tracking the time course of these effects as well as studying whether or not there is evidence for long-term benefit following repeated practice.  

Dr. Joshua A. Gordon: February 20, 2018
"Challenges and Opportunities in Mental Health Research"

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center
11:00am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00pm - 1:00pm     Program

Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. pursued a combined MD/PhD degree at the University of
California, San Francisco. Medical school coursework in psychiatry and neuroscience convinced
him that the greatest need, and greatest promise, for biomedical science was in these areas.
During his Ph.D. thesis with Dr. Michael Stryker, Dr. Gordon pioneered the methods necessary
to study brain plasticity in the mouse visual system.

Upon completion of the dual degree program at UCSF, Dr. Gordon went to Columbia University
for his Psychiatry residency and research fellowship because of the breadth and depth of the
research opportunities here. Working with Dr. Rene Hen, Dr. Gordon and colleagues studied the
role of the hippocampus, a brain structure known to be important for memory, in emotional
processes such as anxiety and depression. He joined the Columbia faculty in 2004 as an
Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry.

Dr. Gordon’s research focuses on the analysis of neural activity in mice carrying mutations of
relevance to psychiatric disease. His lab studies genetic models of these diseases from an
integrative neuroscience perspective, focused on understanding how a given disease mutation
leads to a behavioral phenotype across multiple levels of analysis. To this end, he employs a
range of systems neuroscience techniques, including in vivo anesthetized and awake behaving
recordings and optogenetics, which is the use of light to control neural activity. His work has
direct relevance to schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and depression.

Three learning objectives:
 

1. Understand the role of the NIMH in supporting neuroscience and psychiatry research.
2. Understand how neural circuit approaches hold promises for advancing understanding and novel treatments for mental illnesses.
3. Understand how computational approaches hold promises for advancing understanding and novel treatments for mental illnesses.

To register, email:  Lauren Haguewood at lehaguewood@saintfrancis.com

​Mark Hyman Rapaport, M.D.:  February 6, 2018
"The Impact of Peripheral Inflammation on Mood: The Mind and the Body are Connected”

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center
11:00am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00pm - 1:00pm     Program

Mark Hyman Rapaport, MD is the Reunette W. Harris Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.   Before coming to Emory, he was the Polier Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
​
A board-certified psychiatrist, Dr. Rapaport has written over 180 articles for such peer-reviewed publications as American Journal of Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Neuropsychopharmacology. He currently serves as Co-Editor and Chief of FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry, published by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. and the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Rapaport is a member of the American College of Psychiatrists, American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Anxiety Disorders Association of America, the Psychiatric Research Society and the Collegium International Neuropsychopharmacology (CINP). He is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, the CINP, and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.  He is Past-President of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology and the current President of the American Association of Chairs of Departments of Psychiatry. 

Learning objectives:
 

1. Present the rationale for postulation that peripheral inflammation impacts basic function
   
2. Review data about the impact of inflammation on neurotransmission systems
3. Describe the state of current immune modulating therapies as treatments for depression
   
   

To register, email:  Lauren Haguewood at lehaguewood@saintfrancis.com

UPDATE: CANCELLED DUE TO GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

​David Goldman, M.D.:  January 23, 2018
"Genetics of Addiction:  How Many Genes?”

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture
Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital Conference Center
11:00am - 11:45 am    Registration and Lunch, lunch stops being served at 11:45 - no exceptions
12:00pm - 1:00pm     Program

Dr. David Goldman has been Chief of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics since 1991 and is Acting Clinical Director of NIAAA. Dr. Goldman graduated cum laude from Yale University and magna cum laude from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston where he was also a Resident in Psychiatry. He joined NIAAA in 1979, was an NIMH Clinical Associate 1980-1984, and rejoined NIAAA in 1985. He is a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. He has won the NIH Director’s Award twice, and the James Isaacson Research Award of the International Society for Biological Research on Alcoholism.  Dr. Goldman is author of “Our Genes, Our Choices,” which won The British Medical Association top prize. Throughout his career, Dr. Goldman has focused on identifying genes that influence vulnerability to alcoholism, other addictions and other psychiatric diseases. He has authored over 400 papers, including several of the first “imaging genetics” studies in which genes were shown to alter brain function.  He and his group use genomic methods, including sequencing, genome wide association, epigenetic studies and gene-based measurement of ancestry. He has discovered inherited variants that alter molecular function and traced the effects of these variants through to complex behaviors in both humans and animal models. Several, for example a variant of catechol-O-methyltransferase, which he has named a “warrior/worrier gene” alters stress response and emotion but also cognition, and the gene effects are context-dependent and stronger on molecules and intermediate brain functions. Several of Dr. Goldman’s studies involve the use of well-defined founder populations, including Finland and Native American Indian communities. He discovered an HTR2B “to be or not to be” stop codon that can lead to severe impulsivity. This strongly functional variant of a neurotransmitter receptor is population specific, being common in Finns, and absent in others. Dr. Goldman’s studies have also taken advantage of the ability to control genetic and environmental factors in animal models, both for gene discovery and for validation of gene effects.

Learning objectives:
 

1. Understand heritability of addiction.                    
2. Define environmentality of addiction.
3. Know some genes influencing addictions.
   
   

To register, email:  Lauren Haguewood at lehaguewood@saintfrancis.com