SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES | Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine

Rachel Voss, MD, FAPA, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Associate Program Director of Psychiatry Residency Program received the distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (FAPA) credential.

Shawn McNeil, MD, FAPA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Program Director of the Psychiatry Residency Program, Director of Neuroinformatics Research, Director of Clinical Research for LARC was selected as Host of the “Health Matters” program on Red River Radio which airs weekly.

Laura Handal Abularach, MD, Child and Adolescent Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine was awarded the 2026 Nyapati Rao and Francis Lu IMG Fellowship Award.

Sachin Nair, MD, PGY-III, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, was selected for the American Psychiatric Association Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Fellowship 2025-2026 cohort. Recipients of the fellowship demonstrate a dedication and commitment to ensuring high-quality mental healthcare for everyone through improved access, effectiveness, and patient-centered care. Dr. Nair was recognized for his dedication, leadership potential, and vision for contributing to meaningful change within the field of Psychiatry.

Natalie Wu, MD, Child Fellow, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, was awarded the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Foundation Community Diversity Fellowship for 2025-2026. The Fellowship provides Psychiatry Residents with experiential learning, training, and professional development to be leaders in the field of Psychiatry.

Pamela McPherson, MD, FAPA, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program Director, won 1st place in poster presentations with Donard Dwyer, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; Saveen Sall, MD, Child and Adolescent Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; and Spencer Zaheri, MSIV presented “Screen Time, Mind Time: Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Children's Mental Health”, Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association, New Orleans, LA, Feb 27-Mar 1.

Juliana Fort, MD, MPH, MBA, Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, won 2nd place in Research with Patricia Ackley, MD, PGY-2, poster: “2 Hour Religion Workshop Meets ACGME Requirements and Reduces APA Barrier to Care,” Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association, New Orleans, LA, Feb 27-Mar 1.

Olufemi Ogundeji, MD, Gratis Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, won 1st place in poster presentations with Melvin Grimes, DO, PGYII presented “Hidden in Plain Sight: Loperamide Misuse as an Over the Counter Opioid in Opioid Use Disorder”, Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association, New Orleans, LA, Feb 27-Mar 1.

Juliana Fort, MD, MPH, MBA, Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, won 2nd place in Case Reports with Patricia Ackley, MD, PGY-2, poster: “The Causal Model of Catatonia: Is It the Antipsychotic?” Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association, New Orleans, LA, Feb 27-Mar 1.

Rachel Voss, MD, Clinical Professor and Associate Program Director, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, poster presentation with Keerthiga Raveendran, MD, Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; Sandy Ly Nguyen, MD, PGYII, Tien Nguyen-Posana, MD, PGYII presented “Clozapine Resistant Schizoaffective Disorder & Management Tactics”, Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association Conference, New Orleans, LA, Feb 27-Mar 1.

Juliana Fort, MD, MPH, MBA, Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; Laura Handal Abularach, MD, Child and Adolescent Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; Laura Baxter, LPC-S, LMFT, NCC, Director of The Institute for Childhood Resilience, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; and Stephanie Saunders, MA, CCRC, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine presented “Exploring mediators of wellbeing in adolescent boys: A community cohort study.” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, XX(S1).

Pamela McPherson, MD, FAPA, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program Director; Sozan Fares, MD, Child and Adolescent Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; and Saveen Sall, MD, Child and Adolescent Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine presented “Impact of trauma-informed education practices on students with childhood trauma: A literature review” at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL. October 2025.

Juliana Fort, MD, MPH, MBA, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Sandy Nguyen, MD, PGYI, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Jasmine Nunley, MS-3, Morgan Rogue, MS-1, and Joshua Woo, SOM Class of 2024 authored the poster “Reflections on Novel Alternative Arts and Wellness Projects,” presented at the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP) Annual Meeting, June 2025 in Boston, MA.

Patricia Ackley, MD, PGYI, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, presented “Psychiatric Anchoring Bias in Medical Practice: A Case that “DROPs” the Ball” at the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association Spring Meeting, February 14-16, 2025, in New Orleans, LA.

Ridhima Aggarwal, MD, PGYI, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, presented “Semaglutide as a Potential Breakthrough in the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder” at the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association Spring Meeting, February 14-16, 2025, in New Orleans, LA.

Gina Parsons, MD, PGYIII, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and Erica Jordan, MD, PGYII, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, presented “Electroencephalographic Correlates of Brain Adaptations to Medical School Academic Challenges – A Pilot Study” at the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association Spring Meeting, February 14-16, 2025, in New Orleans, LA.

Sarah Kaufman, MD, MS, PGYIV, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, presented the poster, HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS: LESSONS IN CHANGING PHYSICIANS’ AND PATIENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS THAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM CHANGING ATTITUDES TOWARD HIV/AIDS at the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association Spring Meeting, February 14-16, 2025, in New Orleans, LA.

M. Frampton Gwynette, MD, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine presented “A Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists' New Assistant: Workshop on Harnessing Chat-Based AI for Non-Patient Care Tasks” at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. Oct 2025.

M. Frampton Gwynette, MD, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine presented “Inside Out 2: Making the Conversation With Our Kids. About Emotions Fun” at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. Oct 2025.

Saveen Sall, MD, Child and Adolescent Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; Sozan Fares, MD, Child and Adolescent Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; and Wu, N. presented the workshop presentation “What is Regulation Focused Psychotherapy for Children (RFP-C)? Evidence basis and clinical application of a manualized short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy” at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. Oct 2025.

M. Frampton Gwynette, MD, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine presented “The Autism News Network: Novel Intervention in Transition-Aged Youth with Autism” at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. Oct 2025.

M. Frampton Gwynette, MD, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine presented “The Role of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists in ASD Treatment and Transition Planning” at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. Oct 2025.

Pamela McPherson, MD, FAPA, Associate Professor and Interim Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program Director, Maheen Fawad, MD, PGYII, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; and Laura Baxter, LPC-S, LMFT, NCC, Director of The Institute for Childhood Resilience presented “Protective Factors for Children in Foster Care” at the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association Spring Meeting, February 14-16, 2025, in New Orleans, LA.

Juliana Fort, MD, MPH, MBA, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and Sandy Nguyen, MD, PGYI, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, presented “Delusional Parasitosis” at the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association Spring Meeting, February 14-16, 2025, in New Orleans, LA.

Pamela McPherson, MD, FAPA, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program Director; Laura Handal Abularach, MD, Child and Adolescent Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; Joel Barrett, Jr., MD, Forensic Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; Natalie Wu, MD, Forensic Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine; Maitreyee Berends, MD, Child and Adolescent Fellow, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine authored “Complementary Health Approaches Commonly Used for Autism Spectrum Disorder” in Matson, J.L. (eds) Handbook of Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, Cham. (2025)