Psychopharmacology: A Master Class (Week 1: February 19-23, 2024)

This seminar offers a holistic perspective on modern neurobiology, encompassing genomics, epigenetics, neurotransmitter systems, and brain circuitry. It underscores the profound impact of early-life trauma on vulnerability to mood and anxiety disorders and explores the pathophysiology of these disorders, with a focus on inflammation and suicide risk. Treatment strategies for depression, anxiety, and women’s psychiatric disorders are discussed, emphasizing the use of antipsychotic medications as augmenting agents. Novel approaches like brexanolone and bupropion-dextromethorphan combinations are examined for treatment-resistant depression. The benefits and risks of treatments like ketamine, esketamine, ECT, and TMS are explored.

Additionally, the seminar addresses depression comorbidity with medical illnesses, particularly in cancer and cardiovascular contexts. It delves into the neurobiological mechanisms and treatments for anxiety and anxiety-spectrum disorders, especially post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and highlights advances in personalized and precision medicine, including the controversial use of pharmacogenomic tests. Finally, the growing field of psychedelic medicine in psychiatry is comprehensively reviewed, with a strong emphasis on the importance of the therapeutic alliance when prescribing psychotropic medications.

Mindfulness and Compassion in Clinical Practice: Enhancing Treatment Effectiveness and Personal Wellbeing (Week 1: February 19-23, 2024)

Mindfulness meditation is a widely researched and effective treatment method in mental and behavioral health. It has been shown to manage emotional distress, including anxiety, depression, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pain, and substance abuse, while also improving overall physical and psychological well-being. Research indicates mindfulness meditation can positively affect brain structure and function, reduce stress hormones, and boost the immune system. Over the past two decades, mindfulness has evolved into empirically supported behavior therapy and is at the forefront of mental health treatment. Compassion and, more recently, self-compassion are emerging areas in mindfulness research and training.

While scientific research on meditation dates to the 1970s, the recent surge of mindfulness research has left many healthcare professionals wondering about its precise meaning, how to practice and teach it, and the supporting evidence. This course aims to supply an updated overview of mindfulness in healthcare, including its application to psychotherapy to enhance behavioral treatment, clinician well-being, and positive attitudes in patient care.

Cognition and the Aging Brain (Week 2: February 26-March 1, 2024)

Promoting brain health is crucial for successful aging, enabling individuals to maximize their potential across cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral domains. Cognitive disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD), are on the rise as people live longer. Preventing these disorders is as vital as reducing conditions like hypertension and diabetes to prevent cardiovascular disease. This course educates healthcare practitioners, equipping them with the knowledge and advanced scientific methods necessary to diagnose ADRD in its earliest stages. It empowers them to differentiate between various cognitive syndromes and understand their underlying causes. Participants will also become familiar with innovative techniques, such as neuropsychological assessments, novel neuroimaging, and plasma-based biomarkers, to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s Disease. The presentation covers emerging pharmacological treatments and underscores the significance of cultural diversity and family involvement in managing ADRD.

Essential Psychopharmacology, 2024, Practice and Update (Week 2: February 26-March 1, 2023)

Explore the complex interactions between neurobiology and clinical pharmacology with this comprehensive seminar. Beginning with a fundamental understanding of neurotransmission in the central nervous system, we expand our exploration to encompass the principles that – still today – bridge the art and science of clinical pharmacology. This course illuminates the challenges of bipolar depression, magnifies the enduring efficacy of mood stabilizers such as lithium salts, and delves deep into the complex landscape of schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and their evolving treatments. We emphasize early intervention and prevention in psychosis, addressing coexisting challenges of substance abuse, and provide a detailed examination of child and adolescent psychopharmacology. By interweaving innovative research with practical clinical insights, this seminar aims to bolster your therapeutic decision-making, optimizing patient outcomes in varied psychiatric disturbances.

This event will occur at the Miami Grand Beach Hotel in Miami from February 19 to March 1, 2024. To reserve a seat at any of these four in-person continuing education seminars and find more information about each course and the course directors, click https://umiami-cme.org/. For more information about the University of Miami Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, please visit https://med.miami.edu/departments/psychiatry.

Media Contact

Andrew Nugent, University of Miami Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 1 617-226-1900, [email protected], https://med.miami.edu/departments/psychiatry

SOURCE University of Miami Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences