Department of Psychiatry

2020 may be over, but the stressors presented by the pandemic and current political and world news are still here. As we navigate a new year it’s as important as ever to take care of your mental health and focus on resiliency in your daily life. Watch Clinical Psychologist, Stacey Pawlak, PhD, help guide us as we work toward finding balance and resiliency this year.

Casey Thein walks over to a cabinet stocked with sprays, elastics and other hair care products, looking for a straightening iron. But this isn’t a salon. It’s the inpatient child psychiatric unit at UI Hospitals and Clinics, where Thein, a registered nurse, has been working as a nurse for the past three and a half years.

Cardio Diagnostics, a University of Iowa faculty startup, has commercially launched a new home clinical test for assessing patients’ heart disease risk. Robert Philibert MD Ph.D., co-founder and chief medical officer of Cardio Diagnostics and professor of psychiatry in the UI Carver College of Medicine, said Epi+Gen CHD not only predicts who is at lower risk of developing coronary heart disease, which current tests do well, but also identifies who is at higher risk of developing coronary heart disease, which current tests do not do well.

A new inpatient psychiatric unit that opened Wednesday, March 24, at UI Hospitals & Clinics includes a different look and an updated model of care focused on preventing problem behaviors.

New research from the University of Iowa and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center demonstrates that offspring can be protected from the effects of prenatal stress by administering a neuroprotective compound during pregnancy.

Providers interested in receiving extra training to treat substance use disorders and addiction have a new option at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. Last year, the Department of Psychiatry established the Addiction Medicine Fellowship after receiving a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the federal Health Resources Services Administration.

By Francie Williamson, Communications Coordinator, Department of Psychiatry

Child psychiatrists who are just starting their careers have a new avenue of funding thanks to a University of Iowa alumnus.

Dr. A.J. Allen, MD ’88 R ’92, worked with the UI Center for Advancement to...

By Francie Williamson, Communications Coordinator, Department of Psychiatry

Emily Witt says she was very emotional during her pregnancy this year, especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You’re constantly worrying about people around you, where you’re going, and you don’t...

By Francie Williamson, Communications Coordinator, Department of Psychiatry

For the past 30 years, Cathy Woodman, MD , has been an integral part of the collaboration between the Iowa City VA Hospital and Department of Psychiatry at University of Iowa...