Mental Health Awareness Calendar

Grand Rounds

News and Happenings

People, Passion, and Promise

findling article

People, Passion, and Promise

Chair of Psychiatry Dr. Robert Findling discusses the Department’s achievements, past and future.

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Inaugural Community Day a Success

Thank you to everyone that helped make the inaugural Community Day this past Saturday a tremendous success!

On Saturday, July 20, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. community members gathered at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School to learn about the different mental health resources available to them. They also had the opportunity to enjoy live music, food trucks, face painting and wellness activities.

Read more and see photos...

Dr. Antonia Swink Leading the Geriatric Psychiatry Program

dr swink article

Dr. Antonia Swink Leading the Geriatric Psychiatry Program

The World Health Organization estimates that by 2030 one in six people will be age 60 or older. That segment of the global population is expected to further double by 2050. Sometimes called the graying of America here in the US, every community must work to adapt to the increased proportion of elderly members.  

VCU Psychiatry is embracing the challenge with the Geriatric Psychiatry Program spearheaded by Assistant Professor Dr. Antonia Swink. 

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VCU Psychiatry Ranked 14th in Nation for Funding

blue ridge

VCU Psychiatry Ranked 14th in Nation for Funding

The VCU Department of Psychiatry ranked 14th in the nation for NIH funding in 2023, as compiled by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research

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Dr. Kendler Reaches #1 Rank

news - Kendler

Dr. Kendler Reaches #1 Rank

Congratulations to Dr. Kenneth Kendler on achieving the Number 1 lifetime ranking among all scholars worldwide in Psychiatry!

Dr. Kendler on ScholarGPS

2023 Partners in Healing Award

news - Williams

2023 Partners in Healing Award

Congratulations to Dr. Allison Williams, Clinical Psychologist in our Child and Adolescent Division, for receiving a 2023 Partners in Healing Award. This award, presented by the VCU Health Spiritual Care and VCU Patient Counseling Department, honors Partners in Healing, for those that have gone above and beyond their job descriptions by joining with them to provide compassionate care for patients, families, and team members during Spiritual Care Week.

Dr. Gerry Moeller, MD, Featured in NEXT Article

fentanyl article

Dr. Gerry Moeller, MD, Featured in NEXT Article

Psychiatrist and addiction expert F. Gerard "Gerry" Moeller, M.D., was recently featured in a NEXT article published by the MCV Foundation regarding Fentanyl overdose.

"Fentanyl is really potent so if you're not tolerant to opioids, it's very easy to overdose," Dr. Moeller said. "Fentanyl can be put into other things in really small amounts and have a big effect."

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2023 Canning Award Winners

Congratulations to Jason Boyce Draeger, Lead Clinical Social Worker on the adult inpatient units and Dr. Amy Soto, PGY-3 psychiatry resident.

Please join us in congratulating both awardees and in thanking our generous donors, the Cannings for their support of our inpatient service.

Faculty Member's Editorial Featured in Journal

Dr. Katy Maher's editorial "Reflection on Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic" was recently featured in the Journal of Radiology Nursing.
Read here: Katy Maher Editorial.

 

Dr. Abubaker Memorial Lecture

Click to view Dr. Kathleen Brady's Honorarium video 

Employee Spotlight

Please visit our new Employee Spotlight feature, where we will be featuring various employees across the department.

Free Groups at VTCC

Join us for "Conversations with CMHRC". This a series of free groups that we are providing at VTCC.
Upcoming topics, dates and times of the groups may be found here: CMHRC Schedule

Employee Spotlight

John Beyer, M.D.

SOM hero - March 25

John Beyer, M.D.

John L. Beyer, MD
Professor and Vice-Chair, Department of Psychiatry
Virginia Commonwealth University
Email: john.beyer@vcuhealth.org

In Your Own Words...

Are you new to Richmond? Where were you previously?

I am new to Richmond, and I am excited to be here. For the past 25 years, I have been working at Duke Health as a psychiatrist focusing on the treatment of Mood Disorders.  I led the Duke Mood Disorder consultation clinic as well as our General Adult Outpatient Psychiatry clinic. In addition, I also directed our clinical trials program, conducting studies in new treatments for depression, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's disease and ADHD. My research focused on Neuroimaging in Bipolar Disorders, looking at the structure of our mood regulation system and its interaction with cognition/decision making especially as we age. I am double-boarded in both Adult and Geropsychiatry, and led the Geropsychiatry division. 

Describe your role in your own words

I am pleased to be able to serve as the Vice-Chair for Psychiatry directing our Ambulatory services. VCU is blessed with a large number of fantastic Psychiatry providers.  Our goals now are to increase accessibility to great psychiatry/psychological treatment and to grow psychiatric specialty services, such as Eating Disorders, Geropsychiatry, Neuromodulation, ADHD, etc.

What gives you the greatest satisfaction in your job?

I enjoy caring for patients — especially those struggling with anxiety and mood disorders.  I look forward to joining our mood disorder group here.   However, after 30 years of working as a psychiatrist, I find greatest satisfaction in teaching resident physicians and developing the careers of our junior faculty.

What do you do for fun outside of work?

I enjoy playing racquetball, backpacking our wilderness areas, and painting.