Departmental Research

The Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior has a wide range of research in child and adolescent psychiatry, adult psychiatry, and health psychology. Not only faculty members but many of our trainees as well participate in research, and our Our in psychotic disorders and several residents have presented their research at national and international meetings in the last year. The success of our research is reflected in our growing funding from the National Institutes of Health. The Department’s research collaborations include researchers in several other MCG departments, who range from genetic biostatistics and genetic epidemiology to clinical endocrinology and basic pharmacology. Faculty members are also involved in a variety of multicenter studies, and our ongoing collaborations with research groups in Spain and Finland are strong.

 

Psychotic Disorders

The Department has multiple competitively funded projects in the area of psychotic disorders: 

• Dr. Buckley’s project on the genetics of schizophrenia (funded by the National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH])
• The project of Drs. Buckley and Pillai project on the clinical utility of neurotrophins as correlates of stability and relapse in the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia (NIMH)
• Dr. Kirkpatrick’s study of metabolic abnormalities in newly diagnosed, antipsychotic-naïve patients with nonaffective psychosis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Dr. Buckley’s study of metabolomics and clozapine response (NIMH)
• Dr. Kirkpatrick’s genome-wide study of the differential genetics of deficit and nondeficit schizophrenia (MCG Intramural Grant Program) The study of Drs. Kirkpatrick and Pillai of the epigenetics of schizophrenia by the MCG Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute
• Dr. Kirkpatrick’s funding (as a co-investigator) on a project on oxytocin in schizophrenia (NIMH)
• Dr. Pillai’s career development award, focused on the BDNF/GABA system in schizophrenia (MCG Intramural Grant Program)

The funding for Dr. Pillai is a point of great pride for the Department. He trained as a postdoctoral fellow in basic pharmacology in the Department, and with mentoring from senior faculty members, has developed his own independent lines of research. Dr. Pillai examines the effects of neurotrophins, and their relationship to the dopaminergic and GABAergic systems. He has particular interest in the relationship of his findings to psychosis, and as can be seen from the list of funded projects, has been successful in translating these findings into clinical projects.

Because of this strong record, the Dean has decided to support our efforts to recruit scientists for two endowed chairs. One of these positions would be the basis of an application for a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar application. This exciting process has begun, with visits from distinguished scholars interested in the possibility of coming to the Medical College of Georgia.

By other measures, the Department’s psychotic disorders program is also very successful. This year our research fellow had a remarkably successful year, with multiple publications, as well as multiple competitive travel awards, to the Society for Biological Psychiatry and the International Congress on Schizophrenia Research, among others. The Department is also highly visible: Dr. Buckley is the Editor of Clinical Schizophrenia & Related Psychoses, and Dr. Kirkpatrick is Associate Editor. In 2008, Clinical Schizophrenia won Medical Media and Marketing’s award for Best Healthcare Business Publication. Dr. Buckley is also the Editor of the Journal of Dual Diagnosis, another journal strongly related to psychotic disorders. Drs. Buckley and Kirkpatrick are on the Editorial Board of other journals as well, including Schizophrenia Bulletin. This year Dr. Kirkpatrick was a Guest Editor, for the second time, for a Schizophrenia Bulletin Theme Issue.

In 2009, the Department played a prominent role at the International Congress on Schizophrenia Research, the world’s premiere scientific meeting focused on psychosis. Dr. Buckley is a member of the Congress Advisory Board. Drs. Pillai and Miller won two of the thirty Young Investigator Awards granted by the Congress. In addition, because of Dr. Kirkpatrick’s nomination, the Congress gave a special travel stipend to a scientist from China with whom he collaborates. The Department had posters presented by one of our psychology interns (Hanan Trotman), a first-year psychiatry resident (Wesley Seabolt), and our psychotic disorders fellow (Brian Miller), as well as multiple faculty members.

Research by Trainees

An academic project has become a requirement in the psychiatry residency. For the second year, Dr. Messias, who oversees this part of residents’ training, has had a considerable amount of success, with multiple poster presentations at national and international meetings. Topics covered range from inflammation and depression to the protective effect of spirituality in relationship to suicide risk. Medical students have become very involved in research in the Department. A second-year student (Josepha Iluonakhamhe) is a co-investigator on a study of barriers to seeking treatment in patients with eating disorders, and is working with Dr. Lemmon. Another student, D. Scott Lind, is investigating new teaching techniques with Dr. Foster. One of our psychiatry residents, Dr. Albright, is working on medical student attitudes toward mental illness, as part of the Department’s recovery-oriented education efforts.

Other Research

Other interesting projects that do not fit easily into a broader category are also proceeding. Dr. Stepleman is focusing on problems in the lives of patients with multiple sclerosis: difficulties in communicating about sex with partners; quality of life and aquatics therapy; and their active participation in their care. Dr. Londino is studying electroencephalographs in the normal population, while Dr. Sebastian is studying methods for screening for bipolar disorder.   

The Future

 

The Department’s research portfolio is expanding rapidly. A healthy and promising aspect of our research is the degree of collaboration: among faculty members within the department and in other departments at MCG, with trainees, and with friends and colleagues around the country and around the world. Once we have recruited researchers for our endowed chair positions, this feature can only increase. Our vision is to become a department known around the world for its research