Author: Derek Sullivan

Volunteer Committee finds ways for department staff to give back to community

Last month, the Department of Psychiatry’s Volunteer Committee collected more than a dozen bags of clothes for area foster children, one of many projects the committee organizes each year. Since 2019, the committee and department staff have helped several local charities and non-profits by raising money, collecting food, pulling weeds, stuffing backpacks and other activities. […]

Apr 1, 2021

Residency Program adds six trainees

Last month, five first-year residents joined the Department of Psychiatry, along with one second-year transfer as the department’s residency program continues to grow. Thomas Bainter, Logan Ford and Max Lydiatt will stay in Omaha after matching at UNMC while finishing their final year in the UNMC College of Medicine. Bryndis Grissom comes to UNMC after […]

Apr 1, 2021

Spotlight: Ali Krause, RN, BSN

Ali Krause, RN, BSN, joined the Department of Psychiatry in May 2020 after working at Nebraska Medicine in Bellevue for seven years in the Emergency Department and Medical Surgical Floor. This year, she was nominated for Nebraska Medicine’s Spirit of Nursing Award, which goes to one nurse each year, who has been a leader in […]

Apr 1, 2021

Spotlight: Troyia Anderson helps get PES up and running

Before becoming a nurse in the Adult Psychiatric Emergency Services unit, Troyia spent 10 years working in the jail system, and she has a degree in Criminal Justice. Troyia is a three-time graduate from College of Saint Mary, and graduated with a post masters certificate in nursing December 2019 from UNMC, where she is pursuing […]

Mar 12, 2021

Addiction Fellow set to join UNMC faculty

UNMC successfully applied for and received approval for an ACGME accredited Addiction Medicine Fellowship in 2019, and so far, it’s been a major success. Claudia Moore, MD, started her one-year fellowship in July 2020 after working in emergency medicine. She said she has gained a significant amount of knowledge and skill in treating addiction from […]

Mar 12, 2021

Clinical Therapists adjust amid COVID-19 pandemic

One year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot has changed for the clinical therapists in the Department of Psychiatry. In March 2020, when patients were no longer allowed inside Poynter Hall, therapists adjusted and started setting up telehealth appointments. Debi Pittock, LICSW, Lead Social Worker for the department, said telehealth has gone […]

Mar 12, 2021

Dr. Ryan Edwards named Director of Child & Adolescent Division

Dr. Ryan Edwards, MD, has been named Director of the Child & Adolescent Division of the Department of Psychiatry after two years of leading the division on an interim basis. “It has been a great pleasure working with Dr. Edwards as Interim Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division Director, and I look forward to our continued […]

Mar 12, 2021

Long-envisioned psychiatric emergency center now open at Nebraska Medical Center

By Julie AndersonOmaha World-Herald After opening quietly in early October, the new adult psychiatric emergency services unit at the Nebraska Medical Center saw nearly 400 patients during its first three months of operation. The long-envisioned center was intended to address a significant increase in recent years in the number of people coming to the hospital’s […]

Feb 8, 2021

Residency Team prepares for its second match day

The work has been done and the list has been delivered. Now, the UNMC Department of Psychiatry Residency team waits to see who will match with their program. Match Day 2021 takes place on Friday, March 19th. The results will be released at 11AM Central. On that day, the residency program will more than double, […]

Feb 8, 2021

National Medical Association honors UNMC Addiction Psychiatrist

The American Medical Association Foundation (AMAF) has honored Alëna Balasanova, MD, FAPA, with the AMA Foundation Award for Health Education. According to a release announcing the awards, judges said Dr. Balasanova has demonstrated leadership in addiction medicine and psychiatry and has built a legacy at the University of Nebraska. While there, she has developed an […]

Feb 8, 2021