Heckers is currently VUMC’s longest serving clinical department chair. He credits his longevity to the department’s culture and tradition of steady leadership, with each of the three previous chairs serving for periods of similar length.

Patients with chronic bladder pain syndrome who had higher baseline levels of the inflammatory molecule IL-1beta had greater overall improvement following cognitive behavioral therapy.

The VUMC approach, based on the “Feeling Safe Program” developed by British psychologist Daniel Freeman, targets specific factors that contribute to persecutory delusions, including worry, safety behaviors, avoidance and hallucinations (such as hearing voices).

Key takeaways of the new study include grip strength as an important metric of cognitive health and default mode network connectivity as a marker of well-being — both in early psychosis.

This is the first large-scale meta-analysis to examine whether deliberately triggering symptoms immediately before administering rTMS enhances treatment outcomes.

Named for Donald Test’s late sons, and Charlotte’s stepsons, the Henry and William Test Endowment Fund will bolster the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences' expansive research portfolio, promising a secure funding source for pathbreaking discoveries in areas such as schizophrenia, coordinated care models, brain imaging and neuromodulation.

The class was created by a specialty team that works with young adults who have experienced their first hospitalization or episode of psychosis within the past two years.