Psychiatry

ACGME approves new psychiatry residency program at UNMC

On February 18, 2019, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved the UNMC Department of Psychiatry’s application to start a psychiatry residency program. The psychiatry residents will join the department in July 2020. A resident is a physician – usually a recent medical school graduate – who spends three to six years gaining […]

Feb 21, 2019

Spotlight: Mark Aksamit

Mark Aksamit joined the Department of Psychiatry last fall, and starting on Feb. 14, he will join the faculty at the College of Allied Health Professions as an assistant professor in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program. Why did you choose psychiatry? My passion for psychiatry started when I was in undergrad and majored […]

Feb 6, 2019

1st Roccaforte Citizenship Awards handed out at holiday party

On Jan. 19, the Department of Psychiatry honored five employees with the William H. Roccaforte Citizenship Award. The award, which was handed out during the department’s holiday party, was named after the longtime UNMC Professor, whom Chair Howard Liu said embodied both humility and daily service. The Citizenship Award goes to a faculty member, staff […]

Feb 6, 2019

New program connects community with behavioral health services

Nebraska Medicine Behavioral Health and the UNMC Department of Psychiatry have started a new program, Behavioral Health Connection. The new program is up and running and is designed to help medical center patients and other members of the Omaha-Council Bluffs community connect with necessary behavioral health and substance use disorder services. Behavioral Health Connection offers […]

Feb 6, 2019

University of Nebraska campuses work together in effort to reduce stress

 A 2017 study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Services has raised alarming concerns about increasing levels of psychological distress among Americans. To combat this trend, leaders at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska Omaha are working together to reduce student stress and increase student resiliency. Throughout the summer, leaders […]

Jan 21, 2019

UNMC Sonography Program embraces Mindful Pause Practice

Sometimes, people need a few minutes of quiet time. Kimberly Michael, program director for Diagnostic Medical Sonography in the College of Allied Health Professions, learned about mindful pause practice last year at a conference she attended with Tanya Custer, an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Imaging and Therapeutic Sciences. “We heard about some […]

Jan 21, 2019

Wellbeing Coordinating Council discusses “The Ecology of Wellbeing”

Below is a column written by Dr. Juliann G. Sebastian: Many thanks to Assistant Vice Chancellor for Campus Wellness at UNMC and UNO, Dr. Steve Wengel, for inviting me to share some thoughts with you in his inaugural Wellness Newsletter!  As chair of the UNMC Wellbeing Coordinating Council, I am delighted to tell you about […]

Jan 21, 2019

UNMC Anesthesiologist helps doctors deal with stress and burnout

When Sasha Shillcutt, M.D., M.S., was in medical school, she spoke with fellow students for support on days when she felt mentally exhausted. Now, as a physician, she has found a way to replicate those peer supports groups. Dr. Shillcutt, an associate professor in the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology, started a text group for women […]

Jan 21, 2019

A Message from Dr. Steven Wengel

I am delighted to introduce this inaugural edition of UNMC’s Wellness Newsletter! I’m very glad you are reading this, and I very much hope you’ll find stories to inspire you in your own wellness and wellbeing. First off, let me introduce myself. I grew up in Omaha and attended UNL as a pre-medical student in […]

Jan 21, 2019

Executive Fellowship educates health professionals on addiction medicine

In November, Dr. Ken Zoucha, with help from the addictions division, started an Addiction Medicine Executive Fellowship to educate residents and health professionals on addiction medicine. “I felt that getting more education about addiction medicine into the curriculum was necessary and was really important,” said Dr. Zoucha. “I kept hearing from folks that they weren’t […]

Dec 21, 2018