<![CDATA[Laureate Institute for Brain Research

<![CDATA[Laureate Institute for Brain Research - CURRENT EVENTS]]>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:45:32 -0500EditMySite<![CDATA[2027 American College of Psychiatrists' Mood Disorders Award]]>Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:43:52 GMThttps://www.laureateinstitute.org/news/2027-american-college-of-psychiatrists-mood-disorders-awardCongratulations to Dr. Paulus for being named the recipient of The American College of Psychiatrists' 2027 Mood Disorders Award, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the understanding and treatment of mood disorders!

]]><![CDATA[Advancing Hope: NEU-Hope Project Awarded Funding]]>Wed, 20 May 2026 19:25:09 GMThttps://www.laureateinstitute.org/news/advancing-hope-neu-hope-project-awarded-fundingCongratulations to Dr. Aupperle (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Misaki (Co-Investigator) on the funding of the innovative project, Neuromodulatory Enhancement of Hope in the Treatment of Suicide (NEU-Hope).

The study will evaluate whether a targeted neurofeedback intervention focused on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) can help reduce the risk of suicide attempt recurrence in individuals with major depressive disorder. The project involves collaboration with MPI Dr. Christine Cha at Yale School of Medicine. The long-term goal is to develop more effective neuromodulation-based treatments that could serve as either an alternative or an addition to existing acute interventions for patients at high suicide risk.

We look forward to the important contributions this work will make to advancing suicide prevention research and treatment!

]]><![CDATA[July WKW Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture Series: Dr. Boris Birmaher]]>Wed, 20 May 2026 19:21:27 GMThttps://www.laureateinstitute.org/news/july-wkw-frontiers-in-neuroscience-lecture-series-dr-boris-birmaherDr. Boris Birmaher - July 28, 2026

"Diagnostic Challenges in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: Clinical Assessment, Research Insights, and Differential Diagnosis"

William K. Warren, Jr. Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Program in the LPCH auditorium

Dr. Birmaher is the Endowed Chair in Early Onset Bipolar Disease and Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, and the Co-Director of the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services. He received his medical degree from Valle University in Cali, Columbia; completed training in general psychiatry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, and child psychiatry at Columbia University, New York.
Dr. Birmaher is a leading expert in the study and treatment of pediatric mood and anxiety disorders. His research has focused extensively on predictors, risk factors, longitudinal course, and treatment of childhood-onset bipolar disorder.
Through his extensive research, clinical leadership, and mentorship, Dr. Birmaher has significantly advanced our understanding of risk factors for mood and anxiety disorders, contributed to the development of innovative treatments, and trained the next generation of clinicians, educators, and researchers dedicated to improving the lives of children, adolescents, and young adults with psychiatric disorders.

Learning objectives:

Review the diagnostic challenges and differential diagnoses of bipolar disorder in youths.
Discuss the initial and early-emerging symptoms of pediatric bipolar disorder.
Examine the longitudinal course and functional consequences of bipolar disorder from adolescence into young adulthood.

]]><![CDATA[New Approaches to Modeling Longitudinal Neuroimaging Data]]>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 20:43:09 GMThttps://www.laureateinstitute.org/news/new-approaches-to-modeling-longitudinal-neuroimaging-dataJoin us on May 5th for the next William K. Warren, Jr. Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture!🧠

LIBR is pleased to welcome Dr. Thomas E. Nichols, Professor of Neuroimaging Statistics at the University of Oxford Big Data Institute, who will present "New Approaches to Modeling Longitudinal Neuroimaging data." The lecture runs from 12:00–1:00 PM in the LPCH auditorium and is approved for 1 CE credit hour across multiple disciplines, including physicians, psychologists, social workers, CADCs/LADCs, and LPCs/LMFTs. Visit the link for more details!

https://www.laureateinstitute.org/news/may-wkw-frontiers-in-neuroscience-lecture-series-dr-thomas-e-nichols

]]><![CDATA[2025 LIBR Annual Report]]>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 19:24:08 GMThttps://www.laureateinstitute.org/news/2025-libr-annual-reportThe 2025 Laureate Institute for Brain Research (LIBR) Annual Report is now available to download via the link below. The report highlights the past year at LIBR, including a message from President and Scientific Director, Dr. Martin Paulus, updates on current research areas, and an overview of key initiatives and accomplishments.

This year’s report also features progress in areas such as treatment-resistant depression, neuromodulation, and large-scale population studies, as well as continued efforts to integrate neuroscience, data science, and clinical research. Readers will also find information on collaboration, training programs, select publications, and opportunities to participate in research.

We hope you enjoy this year’s publication and appreciate your continued interest in LIBR’s work to advance mental health through science in 2026 and beyond.

Download the 2025 LIBR Annual Report

]]><![CDATA[Tulsa Researchers Shed New Light on the Biological Toll of Burnout in Healthcare Workers]]>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:15:52 GMThttps://www.laureateinstitute.org/news/tulsa-researchers-shed-new-light-on-the-biological-toll-of-burnout-in-healthcare-workersFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2026

LIBR Researcher Dr. Adrienne Taren Unveils First Neuroscience-Based Model Linking Cumulative Occupational Trauma to Brain Changes in Frontline Workers.

Tulsa, OK — Researchers at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research (LIBR) in Tulsa have published new findings that reframe how burnout in healthcare workers is understood—highlighting its roots not just in emotional strain, but in measurable changes across the brain and body.

The study, published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, synthesizes a growing body of research on post-traumatic stress syndromes (PTSS) among frontline healthcare workers. It points to repeated, chronic exposure to high-stress environments—combined with disrupted sleep from shift work—as key drivers of cumulative physiological strain.

Estimates suggest that between 15% and 74% of healthcare workers experience trauma-related symptoms, underscoring the urgency of understanding how occupational stress impacts long-term mental and physical health.

Rather than viewing burnout as a temporary or purely psychological condition, the research outlines how ongoing stress exposure may disrupt brain circuits involved in emotion regulation, as well as broader systems tied to sleep, cardiovascular function, and inflammation. This cumulative burden—sometimes referred to as “allostatic overload”—may increase vulnerability to post-traumatic stress syndromes and related conditions.

“Healthcare workers are repeatedly exposed to high-stakes, unpredictable stressors in environments that often disrupt sleep and recovery,” said Dr. Adrienne Taren, lead author of the study and a researcher at LIBR. “Our work brings together evidence suggesting that these experiences can have measurable effects on the brain and body over time. By understanding these patterns, we have an opportunity to move toward earlier identification and more targeted support for those at risk.”

The study also highlights emerging approaches to identifying early signs of risk through multimodal biomarkers, including brain imaging, heart rate variability, sleep patterns, and stress-related biological markers. These tools may help clinicians detect early dysregulation and intervene before symptoms escalate.

As healthcare systems nationwide continue to face workforce shortages and rising burnout, the findings underscore the need for new frameworks that recognize the biological impact of chronic occupational stress—and support more proactive, precision-based approaches to care.

“This is ultimately about supporting the people who care for others,” Taren added. “By better understanding the biological impact of their work, we can begin to design interventions that are both preventative and responsive to their unique experiences.”

The research was conducted in collaboration with LIBR scientists and contributes to a growing global effort to better understand and address the mental health challenges facing healthcare workers and first responders.

Read the full study:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20008066.2026.2636453

]]><![CDATA[May WKW Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture Series: Dr. Thomas E. Nichols]]>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:27:53 GMThttps://www.laureateinstitute.org/news/may-wkw-frontiers-in-neuroscience-lecture-series-dr-thomas-e-nicholsDr. Thomas E. Nichols - May 5, 2026

"New Approaches to Modeling Longitudinal Neuroimaging Data"

William K. Warren, Jr. Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Program in the LPCH auditorium

Thomas Nichols is the Professor of Neuroimaging Statistics at the University of Oxford Big Data Institute. He is a statistician with a solitary focus on modelling and inference methods for brain imaging research. He has both industrial and academic experience and a diverse training including computer science, cognitive neuroscience and statistics. He was the Director Modelling and Genetics at GlaxoSmithKline's Clinical Imaging Centre, London, and has been at Oxford since 2017. The focus of his work is developing modelling and inference methods for brain image data, specifically Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and functional MRI. His current work includes methodology for population scale neuroimaging data, longitudinal studies and neuroimaging genetics.

Learning objectives:

Identify the key differences between longitudinal and cross-sectional models.
Compare the strengths and weakness of the sandwich estimator vs. linear mixed effects model approach.
List two different approaches to modeling binary-valued lesion map data.

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

For Psychologists: The Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists recognizes AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Saint Francis Health System is accredited by the OSMA.

For Social Workers: Saint Francis Health System is an approved CE Provider for the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers. This event if approved for 1 hours, Category 1 Clinical. (CEP Number - 20260007)

For CADCs and LADCs Saint Francis Health System is accredited as a provider of continuing education programs for CADCs and LADCs through the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors.      (1 hour) (Provider Number - 20260008)

The LPC/LMFT Saint Francis Health System is a Board approved CE Provider for the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL). This course is approved for 1 hour of CE.

For questions, email: Ally Deatherage at ardeatherage@saintfrancis.com]]><![CDATA[April WKW Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture Series: Dr. Laurence J. Kirmayer]]>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:59:23 GMThttps://www.laureateinstitute.org/news/april-wkw-frontiers-in-neuroscience-lecture-series-dr-laurence-j-kirmayerDr. Laurence J. Kirmayer - April 7, 2026

"The Situated Brain: A Cultural Ecosocial Approach"

William K. Warren, Jr. Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm   Program VIA ZOOM ONLY (See link below)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://laureateinstitute-org.zoom.us/j/87982248899
Meeting ID: 879 8224 8899
Passcode: 201016

Laurence J. Kirmayer, MD, FRCPC, FCAHS, FRSC is Distinguished James McGill Professor and Director of the Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University. He is a Senior Investigator at the Lady Davis Institute, and Director of the Culture & Mental Health Research Unit at the Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, where he conducts research on culturally responsive mental health services, the mental health of Indigenous peoples, the integration of culture in global mental health, psychiatric anthropology, and the philosophy of psychiatry. He founded and directs the annual McGill Summer Program in Social and Cultural Psychiatry (www.mcgill.ca/tcpsych). In Canada, he founded the national Network for Aboriginal Mental Health Research (www.namhr.ca), the Cultural Consultation Service (www.mcgill.ca/ccs), and the Multicultural Mental Health Resource Centre (www.mmhrc.ca). His publications include: Healing and the Invention of Metaphor: Toward a Poetics of Illness Experience, (Cambridge University Press, 2025); Unraveling the World Knot: Mind-Body Problems in Clinical Practice (Cambridge, 2026) and the co-edited volumes: Understanding Trauma: Integrating Biological, Clinical and Cultural Perspectives (Cambridge University Press, 2007); Healing Traditions: The Mental Health of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada (University of British Columbia Press, 2009); Cultural Consultation: Encountering the Other in Mental Health Care (Springer, 2014); Re-Visioning Psychiatry: Cultural Phenomenology, Critical Neuroscience, and Global Mental Health (Cambridge, 2015); and Culture, Mind and Brain: Emerging Concepts, Models, and Applications (Cambridge, 2020). He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada (Academy of Social Sciences).

  Learning Objectives:

To describe how a cultural-ecosocial framework conceptualizes the brain as situated in social, cultural, and structural contexts, and explain why this challenges reductionistic biomedical models.
Formulate research questions and study designs that operationalize a cultural-ecosocial perspective, including measures of social determinants, cultural meaning-making, and brain-related processes, in order to investigate how context shapes mechanisms and outcomes in mental health.
Apply cultural-ecosocial principles to design or critique psychiatric interventions and services that integrate neurobiological, psychological, social, and cultural levels of care in a coherent clinical or programmatic approach.

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

For Psychologists: The Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists recognizes AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Saint Francis Health System is accredited by the OSMA.

For Social Workers: Saint Francis Health System is an approved CE Provider for the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers. This event if approved for 1 hours, Category 1 Clinical. (CEP Number - 20260007)

For CADCs and LADCs Saint Francis Health System is accredited as a provider of continuing education programs for CADCs and LADCs through the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors. (1 hour) (Provider Number - 20260008)

The LPC/LMFT Saint Francis Health System is a Board approved CE Provider for the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL). This course is approved for 1 hour of CE.

For questions, email: Ally Deatherage at ardeatherage@saintfrancis.com]]><![CDATA[March WKW Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture Series: Dr. Alan F. Schatzberg]]>Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:13:10 GMThttps://www.laureateinstitute.org/news/march-wkw-frontiers-in-neuroscience-lecture-series-dr-alan-f-schatzberg
Dr. Alan F. Schatzberg - March 3, 2026

"Understanding the Opioid Effects of Ketamine"

William K. Warren, Jr. Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Program in the LPCH auditorium

ALAN F. SCHATZBERG, MD, received his MD from NYU in 1968. He completed his psychiatric residency at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center and a clinical fellowship in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. After serving in the United States Air Force, he joined the staff at McLean Hospital and served in several leadership positions there. He became Clinical Director of the Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, while continuing his research program at McLean Hospital on the biology/treatment of depression. In 1991, Dr. Schatzberg became the Kenneth T. Norris, Jr., Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, where he served as chair until 2010. He now directs the Stanford Mood Disorders Center. Dr. Schatzberg has been an active investigator in the biology and psychopharmacology of depressive disorders. He has authored over 700 publications and abstracts. He is the Co-Author of the Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology in its 10th Edition (2024) and has co-edited the Textbook of Psychopharmacology (Sixth Edition, 2024). He has been president of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), and the Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP). He has received numerous awards for excellence and leadership from the APA, ACNP, SOBP, Max Planck Psychiatric Institute, Brain and Behavior Foundation, Anna Monika Foundation, U. Pennsylvania, Weill Cornell Medical College, etc. He has three honorary doctorates. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and is their 2025 Sarnat Prize recipient.

Learning objectives:

Review preclinical data on ketamine mechanisms of action.
Review studies demonstrating opioid properties of ketamine in man.
Discuss significance of mechanisms of action to risk/benefit ratio.