What's New at Saint Louis Behavioral Medicine>> 2005 & 2006 Archives

2006-07 Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards
The SLBMI postdoctoral fellowships for this academic year have been awarded to Manju Pradhan, PhD. Jennifer Summers, PsyD, and Geeta Aatre-Prashar, PsyD. Dr. Aatre-Prashar's area of concentration will be health psychology, and Drs. Pradhan and Summers will be specializing in anxiety disorders. For more information on the Institute's fellowship program, see the Training Opportunities page of this web site.

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National OCD Training Program to be Held at SLBMI
The Obsessive Compulsive Foundation's Behavior Therapy Institute (BTI) will be held October 13-15 at SLBMI main office at 1129 Macklind Avenue. The BTI attracts clincians from around the world interested in obtaining in-depth training in state-of-the-art cognitive behavioral treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and related conditions. The BTI program includes 3 days of on-site training and follow-up phone consultations from experienced faculty. For more information: www.ocfoundation.org.

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Dr. Pollard will be Keynote Speaker
Dr. Pollard has been invited to be the keynote speaker for 2 major regional meetings in October. He will be speaking in Columbia, MO about how to work effectively with anxiety disorder sufferers on October 25, 2006 at the annual meting of the Missouri Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (for more info: vicki.brooks@mimh.edu).

On October 28, 2006, Dr. Pollard will be speaking in Fairview Heights, IL on the impact of untreated anxiety disorders. The conference is entitled, "Piecing It All Together: How Children's Mental Heatlh & Mental Illness Affect Family, School, & Community"  and is a collaborative effort of over 20 community organizations (for more info: NAMI-PIAT@hotmail.com).

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Dr. Pollard to Present Research at ABCT Meeting
Dr. Pollard will be presenting findings from his research on the treatment of refractory Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) at the next meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. The meeting will take place November 16-19, 2006 in Chicago, IL (for more info: www.aabt.org).

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Staff to Speak at Local OCD Support Group
Several clinicians from the ADC staff will serve as speakers for the local OCD support group in 2006. The speakers and their topics and dates are:

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Dr. Pollard to Speak at Grand Rounds August 16, 2006
Alec Pollard, PhD will give a presentation entitled, Anxiety Disorders in Primary Care Settings, for Grand Rounds of the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Saint Louis University . The talk will be from 4-5pm on 8-16-06 at the Learning Center on the Saint Louis University Medical School campus.

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Presentations at the National OC Foundation Meeting
Staff of the ADC will be speaking on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder at the OC Foundation conference in Atlanta , Georgia , 7-21 to 7-23-06. Speakers representing SLBMI include Gary Mitchell, MSW, LCSW, Heidi Pollard, RN, MSN, and Alec Pollard, Ph.D.

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Anxiety Screening Day is May 3, 2006
Clinicians from the ADC will be available to conduct free screenings as part of National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day. Individuals may call the Institute (314-534-0200) or come to the main office of SLBMI at 1129 Macklind Avenue in St. Louis between 8am and 6pm on May 3, 2006. They will be asked screening questions and provided information about their problem and its treatment.

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Dr. Pollard to speak at UMSL May 1, 2006
Alec Pollard, Ph.D. will be speaking on the treatment of refractory anxiety disorders as part of the monthly colloquium at the Center for Trauma Recovery at the University of Missouri- St. Louis. He will speak from 12 noon to 1pm on 5-1-06.

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2005-06 Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards
The SLBMI postdoctoral fellowships for this academic year have been awarded to Heather Meggers-Wright, PhD, Rachel Wells, PhD, Debra Early, PhD, and Laura Chackes, PsyD. Dr. Meggers-Wright's area of concentration will be health psychology, Dr. Wells will be working in the Psychology and Religion Program, and Drs. Early and Chackes will be specializing in anxiety disorders. For more information on the Institute's fellowship program, see the Training Opportunities page of this web site.

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Department of Psychology and Religion Announces New Weight Management Program
SLBMI's Weight Management Program is the first intensive outpatient program to address the unique health and wellness needs of the religious community. The entire Weight Management Program team works together to determine the most effective way in which to meet the needs of each patient through group and individual therapy, medical management, nutritional counseling, exercise and lifestyle change.

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Institute Faculty Receive Baer Foundation Grant
Drs. Margolis and Pollard, professors of community and family medicine at Saint Louis University, have been awarded a grant from the Sidney R. Baer Jr. Foundation to develop a model of care that integrates psychological and medical services in a primary care practice. Ryan Niemiec, Psy.D., an Institute psychologist and adjunct faculty member, will be the on-site supervisor of the project. Dr. Meggers-Wright, a postdoctoral fellow, will also work on the project.  

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Hypnotist National Certification Awarded
(Rev.) John Sheehan, SJ, PsyD was recently awarded full national certification as a hypnotist by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH). Prior to this, Father Sheehan had completed 200 continuing education units under the ASCH auspices.

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Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) with Clinical Hypnosis
Practitioners have formulated a specialized seven-session, hypnosis treatment protocol for IBS. Research spanning the last two decades on this approach reports an 80-95% effectiveness rate in helping patient's manage their pain symptoms. Other approaches may be tailored to meet the IBS patient's needs including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), nutritional education, and diaphragmatic breathing strategies.

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Obsessive Compulsive Foundation Grant
Melanie VanDyke, PhD and Alec Pollard, PhD, both of the Anxiety Disorders Center, have received a grant from the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation to compare two family-based treatments for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

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Psychology and Religion Department Announces New Team Member
Registered clinical Dietitian Martha P. Vatterott, R.D., L.D. has recently joined the Department of Psychology and Religion at SLBMI. Martha obtained a B.S. in Medical Dietetics from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1980. She has been registered with The American Dietetic Association since 1980 and recently earned their certification of Adult Weight Management. She is a licensed Dietitian with the State of Missouri.

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Career Opportunities in Psychology
Dr. Rachel Wells will discuss career opportunities in psychology and how to pursue them at the North County School-Business Partnership Career Fair. This career fair will take place on February 8, 2006 at the Maryland Heights Community Center, 2344 McKelvey Road Maryland Heights, MO, from 8:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

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Training Therapist to Treat OCD
Dr. Pollard will be serving on the faculty of the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation's Behavior Therapy Institute ( BTI ) to teach therapists effective treatments for OCD. The next BTI will take place February 11-13, 2006 at the University of California in Los Angeles. For more information: www.ocfoundation.org.

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Psychological testing in sleep medicine
Dr. Rachel Wells will be speaking at the Washington University Multidisciplinary Sleep Medicine Center on February 14th, 2006 at noon. The talk will focus on uses for psychological testing in sleep medicine.

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Dr. Pollard Will Give the 1st of 4 10th-Anniversary Talks
Dr. Pollard, Ph.D., will be speaking on Treatment of Anxiety Disorders: Recent Advances, Current Controversies, and Future Promises, a presentation open to all St. Louis area mental health clinicians. The talk is the first of four presentations to be provided this year in recognition of the Institute's 10th anniversary. Dr. Pollard, a nationally recognized leader in the field, will be addressing important developments that should be of interest to any mental health professional who deals with anxiety disorders. The presentation will be provided twice. Once at the Macklind office from 8:00-9:30 am on December 6th and again at the Chesterfield office from 6:00-7:30 pm on December 15th.

Please note: the talk on the 6th is in the morning and the talk on the 15th is in the evening. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP 314-534-0200. Space will be limited.

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Educating Physicians about the Impact of Anxiety
Dr. Pollard will be speaking as part of a program to educate primary care physicians about the impact of anxiety on medical conditions. The program, sponsored by Continuing Medical Education, will take place in Las Vegas (11-5-05), Jacksonville (12-3-05), and Minneapolis (12-10-05). For more information: www.CMELLC.com.

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