Marce of North America Newsletter

Discuss the past, present, and future of Perinatal mental health with MONA Founder Katherine Wisner, MD, MS, bring a glass of wine or your favorite cocktail! Submit any burning questions here for Dr. Wiser to discuss at the virtual cocktail hour !

WHEN: 6:30pm Central Time on Thursday, October 21st

Submit your questions: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WBD3QM5

Website: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WBD3QM5

We are expanding our monthly newsletter to feature our members. This month we are learning about MONA Member Alison Reminick, MD

If you would like to nominate yourself or a fellow member for the Member of the Month, contact Deepika.goyal@sjsu.edu for more information!

We also would enjoy hearing your ideas for the newsletter or any other aspect of our Marcé of North America organization! Please send your ideas to Deepika.goyal@sjsu.edu

MEMBER OF THE MONTH QUESTIONS

1. What is your current professional role?

I am currently associate professor and Medical Director of the Women’s Reproductive Mental Health Program at University of California, San Diego.

2. What drew you to the field of Perinatal Mental Health

In 2001, after finishing my BS at Tufts University, I applied to the Massachusetts General Hospital Perinatal Research Program for the position of clinical research coordinator and luckily, landed the job. I was the lead of our depression and bipolar illness in pregnancy studies and was fortunate enough to I interact with patients monthly across pregnancy and through postpartum. I just fell in love with the field – everything about it—the patient population, the providers, and the clinical and research questions that would come out when we would all gather to discuss cases. I probably was one of the few medical students who knew exactly which field I wanted when I entered. I got sidetracked with neurosurgery, OB/GYN and family medicine, but I always came back to reproductive and perinatal psychiatry.

3. What is your current research involvement?

Mostly, I work as a clinician-educator and have only had time for side research projects. It is unfortunate because it always feels like we are sitting on so much rich clinical data. Currently, we are analyzing the data that has come out of our maternal mental health intensive outpatient program. We are also working on a study on perceived facilitators and barriers to treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in military spouses.

4. What does a typical workday look like for you - including before and after work?

My day typically starts around 6:30am. I also have to get my three daughters up and get them some breakfast. My daughters are 3, 6 and 8 years old. I typically start seeing patients at 8am and will see around 8 patients by 12pm. I do a combination of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology during my thirty-minute windows with patients. Occasionally, I will meet with my patient’s support person to review their postpartum plan to insure they have strategies to prevent worsening of mood or anxiety and know how to identify signs and symptoms of illness. I take 12-1pm for lunch and to catch up on documentation, calling pharmacies/therapists. In the afternoons, I either see more patients or I am supervising psychiatry residents while they see patients and I get to teach from the bedside. With our resident clinic we also have formal didactics and case conference for the last hour of the day. At the end of the day, I try to be religious about getting in some physical activity. I am usually getting on the Peloton but also have gone for a run or have done some pilates or yoga. Then I either watch the kids and my husband gets dinner on the table or vice versa. After dinner, we fall into bedtime routines of reading books, washing up, brushing teeth and getting the kids to bed. I like to end my night either reading a book or watching a short something on the television.

5. What are you most excited about in your current work?

I really enjoy our collaborative care model at UCSD which has been an excellent model for patients to be able to access mental health care. We have marriage and family therapists and reproductive psychiatrists in the OB/GYN clinics including at REI and at high-risk. Now, with telehealth, there has been even greater access to care. Patients who could not otherwise come in due to transportation or child-care issues are easily able to reach us over a device from their home. It is also been interesting and helpful to see patients in their home settings. I am also excited that my co-director, Amber Rukaj, LMFT has been working on developing a paternal mental health program also embedded within the OB/GYN clinics.

Every day, I get excited about our line of work and how pregnancy and having a baby is such a good motivation for change and inner exploration. It is also such an exciting time to be a part of our patients’ lives; at the inception of the mother-baby attachment. It always feels like such a privilege to be able to strengthen that bond while working within the family system. I also get excited teaching and graduating psychiatrists with knowledge of perinatal psychiatry knowing they will spread and seed this knowledge.

6. What’s one of the most important things you’ve learned from a mentor or role model?

My mentors in this field have been everything to me --- Lee Cohen, MD at MGH and Adele Viguera, MD at Cleveland clinic, Vivien Burt, MD at UCLA. They have all taught me how to be a clinical curious, kind, and caring doctor and teacher. One of the things I have learned is, when teaching, to always identify where the student’s strength lies and to fortify their strengths and concentrate efforts there instead of focusing on the weakness. I have learned that there are so many pathways to becoming a parent. It helps to let patients know this if they are having a difficult time getting pregnant. As it relates to medications in pregnancy, I love Lee Cohen’s line of go with a “known known versus an unknown unknown”

7. What are your favorite things to do outside of work?

I love hanging out with my daughters. This summer, I hope to enjoy going to our local pool and the beach. I enjoy reading for pleasure. I also enjoy exercising: peloton, running, yoga. I am trying to learn how to play the guitar. I am also a huge fan of watching true crime docu-series.

8. What is the most interesting book, podcast, TV series, or movie you’ve encountered in the past year?

I read “Where the Crawdads Sing” and “Educated” this past year and both were excellent. I enjoy watching the “Handmaid’s Tale” and “This is Us”. In line with my love of true crime, Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer on Netflix was harrowing.

A book within our field that I love recommending to patients to help sort through breastfeeding data and help relieve guilt if they just need permission to let go of breastfeeding is Cribsheet by Emily Oster. I also really love The Postpartum Depression Workbook that Abigail Burd, LCSW recently published.

We are thrilled to announce the publication of Women's Mood Disorders: A Clinician's Guide to Perinatal Psychiatry this month published through Springer. This has been a labor of love by our colleagues in Women's Mood Disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and we are so pleased with the final result. The handbook was modeled after the MGH handbook for C/L psychiatry and the Harriet Lane handbook for Peds. The handbook provides background on the history of perinatal psychiatry, as well as discusses future directions in the field. Gold standard recommendations for the treatment of PMADs are outlined, including evidence-based psychotherapies, as well as risk-benefit analysis of psychotropic medication use in pregnancy and lactation. Common presentations of PMADs are reviewed and special considerations in pregnancy, including teenage pregnancies, hyperemesis gravidum, eating disorders, substance abuse disorders, as well as infertility, miscarriage and loss are all highlighted. Finally, we will outline the importance of collaborative care in providing gold standard treatment of perinatal women and review documentation and legal considerations. This handbook will help educate and train future psychiatrists and OBGYNs in feeling confident and comfortable assessing and treating pregnant women who suffer from PMADs. Copies can be ordered through Springer's website at https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030714963.

The NCRP and the Education Committee of Marcé of North America are thrilled to introduce the inaugural NCRP Trainee Fellows. We would like to welcome and congratulate the newest fellow Juan Aparicio, MD, MA.

The National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry is the joint work of dozens of volunteer clinician-educators from across the country. It was conceived in 2013 at the Biennial Perinatal Mental Health meeting, when a group of academic psychiatrists came together to present a symposium on the current state of education in reproductive psychiatry. In the wake of that symposium, the presenters formed the National Task Force on Women’s Reproductive Mental Health, with an agenda to research the current state of education in reproductive psychiatry and move toward national standards.

READ MORE HERE: https://ncrptraining.org/about/

I am delighted to share the attached job description for a psychiatrist at UMass Medical School / Lifeline for Moms (https://www.umassmed.edu/lifeline4moms/). We are seeking a psychiatrist with interest and experience in Women’s Mental Health. This position will provide opportunities for integrating mental health care into obstetric settings through education, consultation, and telepsychiatry. The position also includes the opportunity for protected research time, other activities to support the candidate in developing their own independent research program as well as working on existing federally funded studies.

Please see the attached document for more details. Feel forward to other listservs or colleagues who might be interested.

Best,

Nancy

Nancy Byatt, DO, MS, MBA, FACLP (she, her, hers)

Executive Director, Lifeline for Families Center & Lifeline for Moms Program

Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Population & Quantitative Health Sciences

Medical Director, MCPAP for Moms

Lifeline for Families Center

Department of Psychiatry

UMass Medical School / UMass Memorial Health Care

222 Maple Ave – Chang Building
Shrewsbury, MA 01545

ph: (508) 856-5812
fax: (508) 856-6805

email: nancy.byatt@umassmemorial.org

faculty page: https://profiles.umassmed.edu/display/133369/

twitter: @nancybyatt

Visit Lifeline for Moms on the web at www.umassmed.edu/lifeline4moms/

Visit MCPAP for Moms on the web at www.mcpapformoms.org

Perinatal and Women’s Mental Health Fellowship We are pleased to announce that we are recruiting two psychiatrists seeking advanced training in women's mental health with a focus on perinatal mental health & reproductive psychiatry for a one year clinical fellowship beginning July/August 2022 with an optional second year for those interested in research.

Fellows will receive in-depth exposure to and training in:

• Menstrual-related mood or anxiety symptoms

• Preconception medication counseling

• Management of psychotropic medications during infertility treatments

• Treating Depression, Bipolar Disorder, and Anxiety in Pregnancy, Postpartum and Perimenopause

• Medication Management During Breastfeeding

• Traumatic birth • Trauma-based disorders

• Mother and Infant Attachment

• Behavioral Activation Psychotherapy

• Light/therapy Circadian Rhythms Intervention

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Men and Fathers Clinic

Fellows also have the option to see patients in the comprehensive care clinic for men and fathers with mood and anxiety disorders related to the birth of a child or trauma related to childbirth of a partner. Clinical Training Sites - Fellows train in a women’s outpatient clinic in the Asher Center for the Study and Treatment of Depressive Disorders as well as a collaborative care obstetrical clinic which has an integrated outpatient psychiatry clinic in Prentice Hospital. Based at the Asher Center for the Study of Depressive Disorders and Northwestern Medicine The fellowship is housed within the Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Psychiatrists in the Asher Center work closely with Prentice Hospital –premier women’s hospital in the Midwest; the largest birthing center in Illinois; offering an extensive range of medical services and specialized care for women.

Application Eligibility & Requirements:

• Complete an ACGME-accredited psychiatry residency program prior to the anticipated start date of the fellowship program

• Candidate must be board-certified or board eligible in general psychiatry

• Candidate should have strong clinical background with experience in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic mental disorders.

Please send a Personal Statement – (one page maximum) describing your interests in perinatal and women’s mental health, achievements, and career goals (optional – include interests/goals in research), curriculum vitae and two (2) letters of recommendation including (to be emailed directly by the writer). Admissions are rolling until the fellowship spots are filled.

Please send documents by email to: Barbara Sutcliffe, Program Assistant b-sutcliffe@northwestern.edu

Our Women’s Behavioral Health (WBH) Division is now accepting applications for the following positions:

• NEW perinatal psychiatry postdoctoral research fellowship (12-24mo)
• ACGME-accredited WBH track in Consultation Liaison Psychiatry fellowship (12mo)
• NEW Full-time perinatal psychologist, ½ time in our ambulatory Perinatal Psychiatry Center and ½ time working with inpatient CL Psychiatry/OBGYN
• Full-time ambulatory physician-in-charge of our ambulatory Perinatal Psychiatry Center

Our WBH Division includes our NIH-supported Women’s Behavioral Health Research Program and the Perinatal Psychiatry Center, a growing ambulatory specialty Center which articulates closely with our 22-bed inpatient psychiatry Women’s Unit with perinatal focus. The division closely collaborates with the Department of OB-GYN which delivers nearly 38,000 babies annually (1% of all national births), with Northwell’s Katz Institute for Women’s Health and with the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer (with 76,000 employees, 23 hospitals and nearly 800 outpatient facilities). It is the 5th largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and ranked 19th on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list.

Please see attached PDFs for details and don’t hesitate to contact me with inquiries.

Sincerely,

Kristina

Kristina M. Deligiannidis, M.D.

Director, Women’s Behavioral Health, Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health

Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics & Gynecology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Associate Professor, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research

Steering Committee, Katz Institute for Women’s Health

Glen Oaks, NY 11004

(office) 718-470-8184

https://feinstein.northwell.edu/institutes-researchers/our-researchers/kristina-m-deligiannidis-md

PSI-CA's mission is to promote equity and inclusion in awareness, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues related to pregnancy, childbearing, and parenting in California. Pursuant to that mission, we encourage everyone supporting people in this season of life to continue their education to better support expecting and birthing families.

We especially appreciate people addressing community-specific needs of diverse and underserved populations, and invite those of you who represent and serve these communities to apply for scholarships for PSI training.

Applications for training scholarships are evaluated quarterly and the deadline for applications for the fourth quarter of 2021 is September 15. We prioritize BIPOC providers as well as providers who represent and/or serve underserved communities, including LGBTQ+, rural, disabled, and military. PSI members are excluded from consideration for scholarships, so if you are a member, please consider forwarding this email to a colleague who might benefit.

See this list of evidence based perinatal mental health trainings

To be considered for a scholarship, complete this application by September 15, 2021. Please forward this email to providers who might benefit from our scholarship program.

We appreciate your work supporting California families!

In service together,

Board of Directors,

PSI-CA Chapter

NIH Funding Opportunity Seeks Proposals to Optimize Perinatal Depression Prevention Methods

NIH recently released two funding opportunity announcements, RFA-MH-21-240 and RFA-MH-21-241, soliciting applications to refine and examine preliminary effectiveness of perinatal depression preventive interventions in settings where women receive perinatal care.

Perinatal depression is one of the most common complications of pregnancy and the postpartum period. It affects as many as 1 in 7 pregnant women and can result in negative short- and long-term consequences for mother and baby. Hybrid effectiveness-intervention trials are needed to understand better how these and other research-supported interventions may be implemented at scale in diverse health care and community settings by local providers who are trained to deliver interventions with fidelity.

The research scope of the funding opportunities includes:

• Refining and pilot testing strategies for identifying women at risk for perinatal depression
• Developing and testing tools for selecting those most likely to benefit from preventive interventions
• Refining and testing service-ready efficacious preventive interventions that are of appropriate intensity/dose and are scalable, such that they can be delivered with fidelity by setting providers
• Optimizing and testing strategies that can be used to train providers and to support delivery of evidence-based approaches with fidelity across diverse health care and community settings

Visit the respective funding opportunity announcement webpages for RFA-MH-21-240 or RFA-MH-21-241 to submit applications. All applications are due by October 9, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. local time.

Facebook: /NIHORWH Twitter: @NIH_ORWH Website: nih.gov/women E-Mail: orwhinfo@mail.nih.gov

I was invited by the Archives of Women's Mental Health (AWMH) to be a guest editor to create a special issue on fathers. The special issue calls for research that highlights the father’s impact on maternal mental health and the father’s role in her support system to promote mental wellness. Below is the description of the call for papers and this is the AWMH link: https://www.springer.com/journal/737/updates/19225032. The deadline for submissions is November 1st, 2021.

Title: Fathers as Assets to Support Maternal Mental Health and Family Wellbeing

Scope: Women are at risk for new onset or worsening mental illness during the perinatal period. Research on the risks for perinatal mental illness has largely focused on the mother’s experiences and interventions to support maternal mental health have primarily focused on the mother’s role to improve her own health. However, the burden of ensuring mother’s wellness should be shared with their partner and other members of her social support system. Fathers can be potentially an asset to support maternal mental health. In addition, fathers’ mental health and behaviors can have an additive impact on maternal mental health and family health. Reconceptualizing maternal perinatal mental illness as a family event that the family system is responsible to support places less pressure on the mother who is already functionally impaired.

In this special issue, researchers in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, obstetrics and gynecology, social work, and pediatrics who include fathers in their perinatal research are invited to submit manuscripts that address the following topics:

• Fathers’ utility in supporting maternal mental health by reducing family and environmental stress
• Fathers’ role in supporting maternal mental health treatment
• Fathers’ unique contribution to the health of the perinatal interparental relationship
• Contribution of fathers’ experiences and behaviors to the risk of maternal mental illness
• Fathers’ engagement in egalitarian roles in the family that positively impact family health
  

Submissions of original research, clinical trials, systematic reviews, and brief reports are welcome.

Best,

Sheehan

Sheehan D. Fisher, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Asher Center, 676 N. St. Clair, Suite 1000

sheehan.fisher@northwestern.edu

Liu, C. H., Goyal, D., Mittal, L., & Erdei, C. (2021).

Patient Satisfaction with Virtual‑Based Prenatal Care: Implications

after the COVID‑19 Pandemic , Maternal and Child Health Journal

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-021-03211-6

Deepika Goyal, PhD, MS, FNP-C

San Jose State University

Professor, The Valley Foundation School of Nursing

Co-Coordinator, Family Nurse Practitioner Program
Coordinator, Graduate Program

The Marcé Society of North America is committed to the advancement of Clinical Care, Research, Advocacy, and Education.

Email: marce@meetingachievements.com
Website: www.marcenortham.com
Phone: 219.465.1115
Twitter: @Marcenortham