Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
The mission of the Department is to promote the understanding and treatment of
diseases and dysfunctions of the human nervous system in all their varied manifestations. To achieve this, we strive to effectively educate students of medicine, psychology, and other health and behavioral sciences students, pursue clinical and
basic research, and attempt to deliver the highest quality of medical practice.
Highlights for the 2013-2014 academic year
 Public Psychiatry
Long standing relationship with the public sector and the Louisiana Office of Behavioral
Health. State/University Collaboration Project between Department and the State of Louisiana. Firm relationship between the Department and series of rural community mental
health centers throughout state.
Various new models, i.e., assertive community treatment and wrap-around services for
the severe and persistently mentally ill developed and modeled throughout the state and
country through this collaboration. Use of telepsychiatry to reach underserved/unserved
rural areas in direct need of mental health services.
 Forensic Neuropsychiatry: Director, John W Thompson Jr, MD
As the incoming Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, I am thrilled to lead a group of
highly skilled and energetic faculty into
the next era of mental health education, research and state of the art treatment. My plan is to channel the skills of
our faculty, residents and students into
a force greater than the sum of its parts
to provide a cohesive link with the
Dean’s 2020 Vision for the School of
Medicine and TUMG. Our department
has national and international leaders
in the fields of child and adult psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and psychology,
clinical psychology, tele-psychiatry and
tele-health poised to address the ever
changing needs and demands of the
health care system. Together we will
fully embrace the mantra that the
greatest challenges lead to the most
unique and fulfilling opportunities.
John W. Thompson, Jr., MD
Chair
Division, formed September 1993 as adjunct to state/university collaboration project.
Louisiana State Forensic Hospital, Clinical Director, John W Thompson, Jr, MD, medical
management and staffing since and Joint Commission Accredited since 1993.
Forensic Neuropsychiatry Fellowship Program founder John W Thompson, Jr, MD, established June 1994; accredited in 1996.
ELMHS - Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System, Chief of Staff, John W Thompson, Jr,
MD.
 Two Assistant Clinical Directors and 18 psychiatric positions who take care of over
600 forensic and civil patients.
 Present Tulane affiliation contract supports the entire system.
 Forensic division cares for the entire state, including outpatient services.
 Staff evaluate, treat, testify in court, and publish articles in leading mental health
journals on forensic mental health.
 First state facility in the country to study the use of telemedicine in competency
evaluation and restoration.
 Train psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and social workers in collaboration with
all major university systems in Louisiana.
French Quarter Symposium - annual CME-approved forensic teaching conference attracts national speakers in forensic psychiatry and trains psychiatrists and mental health
professionals.
 Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Executive Director, Charles H.
Zeanah, Jr, MD
Formed in 2000 to bring together Tulane’s internationally recognized strengths in Infant
Mental Health. Work spans clinical practice, translational research, policy and data analysis, workforce development, and advocacy. Provides services to young children who
have been maltreated.
Grant support from the Irving Harris Foundation that has provided continuous funding
from 2000-2017. Accrued additional endowment of nearly $1,000,000.
Residents
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Runs a family resource center serving Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St.
Charles, and St. John Parishes. Institute, in collaboration with LSU, produces the Early
Childhood Risk and Reach in Louisiana report, which features parish-level data on indicators of risk and programmatic reach. Instrumental in developing and implementing the
Quality Rating System for childcare statewide.
This year, Institute will launch first annual Early Childhood Policy Leadership Institute, an
educational initiative to equip groups of influential state leaders from various sectors with
the knowledge and capacity to take meaningful action on critical early childhood issues.
Institute holds an appointed seat on the State’s Children’s Cabinet Advisory and provides
ongoing collaborations in Romania, Scotland, and Canada.
Highlights continued on back of page...
Highlights for the 2013-2014 academic year continued
 Tulane Parenting Education Program
Supported by Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services to provide psycho-education
and intervention to families involved with child protective services because of validated maltreatment.
Receives support from the State to intervene with children who have experienced serious adversity
and serves families with children in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Charles or St.
John Parishes.
Tulane faculty at T-PEP provide consultation to other Family Resource Centers throughout Louisiana.
 Research: Vice Chair for Research, Michael Scheeringa, MD
In 2013, Stacy Drury, MD, PhD, launched a major NIMH-funded R01 to study the interaction of genetic, epigenetic, neurophysiological, and environmental impacts on the cognitive and emotional development of young children.
Michael Scheeringa, MD, published first NIMH-funded clinical trial of D-cycloserine adjunctive to cognitive behavioral therapy to treat posttraumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents.
Charles Zeanah, MD, and co-investigators published in 2014 a book that summarizes over a decade
of work on a landmark study on children raised in Romanian orphanages: “Romania’s Abandoned
Children: Deprivation, Brain Development, and the Struggle for Recovery.” He was awarded a competing continuation R01 in this area (The Bucharest Project) funded by NIMH.
 Psychology Division: Director, Paula Zeanah, PhD
Involved in the teaching, clinical services, and research activities of the Department
Grant support from the Institute of Mental Hygiene, SAMSHA, National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and numerous other projects/contracts.
APA accredited Psychology Internship Program supporting five clinical psychology interns.
Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowships, focus on autism and infant mental health.
Tulane Center for Autism and Related Disorders (TCARD), Clinical Director, Lisa Settles, PsyD.
 Telepsychiatry: Director, Patrick T. O’Neill, MD
Established in 1999 to address the need for remote access to East Louisiana Forensic Hospital in
Jackson, Louisiana, by faculty for consultation and treatment of patients and interaction with clinical
and administrative staff at the hospital. Provides remote didactics to forensic fellows whose clinical
base is at East Louisiana Forensic Hospital.
Faculty
Salaried: 66
Full-time - 60
Part-time - 6
Volunteer: 179
Adult - 153
Child - 26
Trainees
Residents: 40
Adult - 20
Child - 4
Triple Board (Adult/Child/Pediatric) - 9
Medicine/Psychiatry - 7
Fellows: 5
Forensic Psychiatry - 2
Psychology Research - 3
Clinical Psychology Interns: 5
Child (2 Infant Mental Health; 1 Pediatric
Psychology) - 3
Adult (1 Forensic Psychology; 1 Behavioral
Medicine) - 2
Address
1440 Canal Street, Suite 1000
New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
Telephone
(504) 988-5246
Website
psychiatry.tulane.edu
Network of 10 Tulane-based cameras provide 150 hours of patient care per week to remote rural
areas statewide. Broadcast Grand Rounds and special lectures to trainees in the field who would
otherwise be unable to participate.
General psychiatry residency training program includes a six-month rotation in telepsychiatry for third
year residents and medical students are offered elective experiences in telepsychiatry.
Allows training in very specialized areas of psychiatry, especially early childhood mental health, to
groups as far away as Bucharest, Romania and Glascow, Scotland.
Michael Scheeringa, MD
Vice Chair for Research
Stacy Drury, MD, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry
Kyle Esteves, medical research specialist, with a mother and baby
Charles H. Zeanah, Jr., MD
Patrick T. O’Neill, MD
Professor and Vice Chair for Adult Psychiatry
in Telepsychiatry lab
Bucharest Early Intervention Research Project
Charles Zeanah MD, Co-PI
Stacy Drury, MD’s NIMH-funded R01 grant project
Professor and Vice Chair
for Child Psychiatry