Faculty

Bio

I received a BA in Neuroscience from Grinnell College in Iowa and then graduated with a BA and a Master in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. I completed medical school here at the University of Minnesota, where I also did my residency in psychiatry and my T32 postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric comorbidity. I am an adult psychiatrist with a clinical focus on neuromodulation, deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS), treatment-resistant depression, mood disorders, translational neuroscience, women's mental health, and comorbid psychiatric disorders. My research focuses on investigating novel treatments and diagnostic tools for characterizing pathological responses to trauma, which focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. I am board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology and a member of the American Society of Hispanic Psychiatry. Within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, I am the deputy vice-chair for research. I am also co-founder of the Junior Research Faculty Peer Mentoring Group and the Early Career Investigator Peer Mentoring Group.

Expertise

• PTSD

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Natasha Hampton-Anderson
nhampton@umn.edu

In the Media

• 2024: Starred in this Medical School monthly series Where Discovery Creates Hope article titled, "Caring for Becky: Fighting Back and Finding Hope"
• 2021: Featured in this Time Magazine article titled, "I'm Supposed To Be in a Wedding. Will I Risk Bringing COVID-19 Home to My Kids?"
• 2021: Talked about PTSD with the U and about feeling nervous about returning to our normal activities, especially crowded events such as the State Fair, in this Minneapolis StarTrib article titled, "Nervous about resuming activities? How to manage 'COVID transition anxiety".
• 2021: Interviewed by Scripps National News about the concept of vaccine passports. 
• 2021: Quoted in a MINNPOST piece titled, "Clinic founders tout the promise of psychedelics for mental illness; observers urge caution". She was one of the ones urging caution. Dr. Albott was also featured in this piece for the Denver Channel titled, "Vaccine passports are not a new concept but they're never without debate".
• 2021: Continues to help everyone understand how to process emotions around getting the COVID-19 vaccination in this Fox News 9 interview and on Minnesota Public Radio, "Feeling guilty, anxious about your COVID-19 vaccine search? You're not alone" and on WTIP radio.
• 2021: Featured in this M News and Events item, "Talking vaccine anxiety, guilt and shaming with the U of M".
• 2021: Featured in a Today’s Hospitalist article titled, Making sure clinicians stay connected, about the work she helped do with the Battle Buddy program.
• 2021: Quoted in a Minneapolis Star Tribune story titled, "Minnesota's long haul: One year of COVID-19".

Research Summary

Dr. Albott investigates novel treatments and diagnostic tools for characterizing pathological responses to trauma, with a focus on post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. She is specifically interested in using both pharmacological and neuromodulation interventions for understanding response and relapse to effective treatments using multimodal analytic methodologies.

Clinical Summary

Neuromodulation; Trauma-related disorders; Mood disorders

Bio

I obtained my BA in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and received my PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University at Albany, State University of New York. I completed my APA-accredited clinical internship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center/G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center Psychology Training Consortium and my postdoctoral research fellowship in the NIMH T32 Midwest Regional Postdoctoral Training Program in Eating Disorders Research at the University of Minnesota. I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science and the Director of Education & Training for the Minnesota Center for Eating Disorders Research.

My clinical training focused primarily on the treatment of anxiety, mood, and eating disorders in adolescents and adults. Within the department, I am a Clinical Psychologist in the Interventional Psychiatry program and provide evidence-based treatments (cognitive-behavioral therapy, behavioral activation, exposure therapy) for treatment-resistant mood, anxiety, and anxiety-related disorders. 

Within the University, I am a member of the Institutional Review Board.  

Expertise

• Eating disorders
• Adult anxiety; social anxiety

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Molly Jokimaki
jokim004@umn.edu

In the Media

• 2023: Featured in this Medical School article titled, “Talking eating disorders with U of M,” to commemorate National Eating Disorders Week, February 27-March 5.

Research Summary

Dr. Anderson's research seeks to identify and characterize the behavioral and biological factors that contribute to the risk and maintenance of eating disorders, in order to inform efforts to develop and optimize novel, targeted treatments for individuals with eating disorder psychopathology. Her research is currently funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and aims to examine the computational and neurophysiological processes that underlie threat-based learning and decision-making systems in individuals with eating disorders. This work informs a parallel line of research with the purpose to develop novel precision treatments for eating disorders.

Teaching Summary

Dr. Anderson has taught undergraduate psychology courses on psychopathology and has presented on eating disorders, body image, and motivational interviewing as a guest lecturer. Dr. Anderson has also provided clinical training and supervision on the use of motivational interviewing in inpatient populations, as well as on the use of exposure therapy for treating eating disorders.

Clinical Summary

Dr. Anderson has been trained to provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy to adolescents and adults. Dr. Anderson's clinical experience has predominantly involved cognitive-behavioral therapy (traditional CBT, exposure and response prevention therapy, The Unified Protocol, third-wave behavior therapies (dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance, and commitment therapy) for mood and anxiety disorders, and specialized eating disorder treatment (enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy).

Her clinical interests include Anxiety Disorders; Eating Disorders; Body Image; Mood Disorders.

Bio

I am a child and adolescent psychiatrist with a focus on childhood-onset psychiatric illnesses at the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. I graduated from the University of Chicago with honors in psychology before completing an MD/PhD program in Neurobiology. I went to UCLA for general psychiatry training and completed an extended clinical research child fellowship at UIC. I am board-certified in general adult as well as child & adolescent psychiatry.

My primary focus as a scientist and clinician is to advance our understanding of neurodevelopment. These efforts build on my PhD work in neuroscience investigating the biological mechanisms underlying social behaviors and interactions. My current research focuses on novel and data-driven approaches to elucidate developmental trajectories. I co-lead the CANlab (Converging Approaches to Neurodevelopment) with Dr. Conelea. My team investigates biobehavioral differences that predict dimensional outcomes or categorical psychiatric disorders; this includes testing new measures and using alternative statistical and machine learning analyses to delineate developmental risk profiles and to follow lifespan mental health outcomes. I have also studied biopsychosocial modulators (e.g., neurohormones) and reproductive physiology during the critical pre-/post-pubertal stage in development. After post-doctoral and clinical training, I ran an independent research wet lab and subsequently led a clinical research lab. Large genetic/phenotypic studies and multisite clinical trials have increased our knowledge through national collaborations. My clinical experience and interest in using new technologies have honed my expertise in transdiagnostic research by leveraging our ability to quickly access data from large communities. 

My clinical specialties include developmental disorders that affect rigid, inflexible behaviors and social functioning including autism; obsessive-compulsive disorder; social anxiety, and selective mutism. Treatment modalities include group, family, and individual cognitive behavioral therapy along with medication management. I also serve as the Chief Medical and Sciences Officer for Fraser as they integrate biomedical services and become a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic.

I am board-certified in adult psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry by the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry. I have been awarded “Best Teacher Award” for several years in a row. I was voted the Top Doctor in Minneapolis for 2020.

Expertise

• Childhood-onset psychiatric illnesses 
• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
• Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders
• Anxiety spectrum disorders
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Psychotic spectrum disorders
• Mood disorders

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Shelly Slominski
slomi001@umn.edu

In the Media

• 2023: Featured in this article titled, “Strategic planning process in the Division of Child and Adolescent Mental Health creates a vision for the future.”

Teaching Summary

Dr. Anjum teaches medical students, residents, child and adolescent fellows and psychology interns.

Clinical Summary

Dr. Anjum directs the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic training for the fellows. She sees patients with a variety of childhood onset psychiatric illnesses including developmental delays, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorders, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, Anxiety Spectrum disorders, Autism Spectrum disorders, Schizophrenia and Psychotic Spectrum disorders and Mood disorders.

Bio

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences committed to advancing the understanding of substance abuse and its treatment through research. My primary research focus is on examining the relationship between stress and substance use disorders (SUDs). Through my studies, I have identified biological and behavioral determinants that heighten vulnerability to SUDs.  This includes conducting a series of preclinical studies that deepened our understanding of how age, sex, hormonal fluctuations, genetic predispositions, and impulsivity impact drug use. A significant portion of my research is dedicated to developing and evaluating innovative treatments for drug abuse, particularly those targeting stress-related factors. My early efforts in this domain led to the discovery of allopregnanolone, a progesterone metabolite, as a promising candidate for reducing stress-induced drug-taking. My current work focuses on assessing and implementing digital therapeutics designed to improve coping strategies for individuals dealing with stress-related substance use.  My research is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and has resulted in over 50 peer-reviewed publications.

I have presented at over 80 conferences both nationally and internationally.

Expertise

• Comorbid substance use
• Anxiety-related disorders

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Natasha Hampton-Anderson
nhampton@umn.edu

In the Media

• 2023: Featured in this Minnesota Daily article titled, “UMN study identifies primary predictors of lawyer suicide ideation.”
• 2022: Received a mention in StreetInsider.com for a study he co-led in an article titled, "California Lawyers Association and D.C. Bar Announce More Findings from Groundbreaking Study on Attorney Mental Health and Well-Being".
• 2022: Co-led the research team cited in this Global Legal Post article: "Undervalued lawyers more likely to suffer well-being issues, study finds".
• 2021: Featured in this American Bar Association Journal piece titled, "More female than male lawyers are engaging in risky drinking, new study finds".

Research Summary

Comorbidity; Alcohol Use Disorder; Anxiety Disorders; Drinking to Cope; Drinking Motives; Network Analysis

Bio

I received a BS in medical mathematics from Creighton University in Omaha, NE, and completed medical school and my PhD from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio. I completed my psychiatry residency from Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine in East Garden City, NY, and a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. I am an adult psychiatrist with a focus on bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia. I am also certified to deliver both electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Expertise

• Substance use

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Natasha Hampton-Anderson
nhampton@umn.edu

Clinical Summary

Schizoaffective Disorder; Major Depressive Disorder; Personality Disorders; Panic Disorder; Generalized Anxiety Disorder; Psychotic disorders; Affective disorders.

Bio

I received my BA in Biology from Sonoma State University, CA. I graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed an internship in internal medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center. I did my psychiatry residency here at the University of Minnesota.

I have practiced and taught general adult psychiatry in our outpatient clinic for over 25 years. I was selected Psychiatrist of the Year by the Minnesota Psychiatric Society in 2017 and have been included in the Top Doctors in Psychiatry from Minnesota Monthly Magazine. Teaching awards include Affiliated Faculty Teacher of the Year, University of Minnesota, Department of Family Medicine in 2014, and Teacher of the Year, 20 times from 2003 to 2023, within the University of Minnesota Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department.

Expertise

• General adult and cross-cultural psychiatry

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Shelly Slominski
slomi001@umn.edu

Clinical Summary

Dr. Bass's clinical interest is general adult outpatient psychiatric care of mentally ill adults in an outpatient setting and psychiatric consultation in a primary care setting.

Bio

I received a BA in Psychology from Tufts University in Massachusetts and completed medical school and a postdoctoral research fellowship in child psychiatry here at the University of Minnesota. I completed my residency in general psychiatry, a residency in pediatrics, and a child psychiatry fellowship at the University of Wisconsin Medical School. I am a child and adolescent psychiatrist and focus on anxiety and mood disorders. I am board certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology and the American Board of Pediatrics. I also hold an Endowed Professorship in Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders. In most of my peer-reviewed articles, I am the first or last author. I supervise psychiatry residents, child, and adolescent psychiatry fellows, and psychology interns doing evaluations and treatment in the Child and Adolescent Anxiety and Mood Disorders Clinic. I also serve as a Grand Rounds committee member within the department. I am on the editorial board of several scientific journals and serve as an Ad Hoc Grant Reviewer for the National Institute of Mental Health. I have been included in the Best Doctors in America database from 1996-2014 and was selected as a Top Doctor in Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Expertise

• Child and adolescent anxiety and mood disorders

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Molly Jokimaki
jokim004@umn.edu

In the Media

• 2021: Interviewed for this piece titled, "Life at the new Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain brings integration in care and learning, and opens opportunities for collaboration".

Research Summary

Dr. Bernstein's primary research interests include anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) in children and adolescents. She is currently completing an investigation of brain imaging in adolescents with OCD and healthy controls. Dr. Bernstein is the recipient of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Norbert and Charlotte Reiger Award for Scientific Achievement for the most outstanding research paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, in 2005. Dr. Bernstein is on the editorial board of several scientific journals and serves as an Ad Hoc Grant Reviewer for the National Institute of Mental Health. We have completed an NIMH-funded neuroimaging and sertraline treatment study for children and adolescents with OCD and are currently in data analysis. Sertraline is FDA-approved for the treatment of pediatric OCD. 

Clinical Summary

Dr. Bernstein is tripled-boarded (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, General Psychiatry, and Pediatrics). She joined the University of Minnesota, Department of Psychiatry in 1985. Dr. Bernstein has been included in the Best Doctors in America database from 1996-2014 and was selected as a Top Doctor in Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Bio

Jacquetta Blacker, MD, MA, joined UMN following several years working for the Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Health System. A native of the United Kingdom, she earned her BMBCh (the equivalent of an MD) in medicine and surgery, and her Master of Arts and undergraduate degree in Physiological Sciences at Oxford University. Dr. Blacker completed her general psychiatric residency and a child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and she is board certified in both adult and child and adolescent psychiatry.  

Being at the University enables Dr Blacker to teach and she is currently the program director of UMN’s CAP fellowship. She also works with the neuromodulation team and consults with adults and children at the UMMC campus. She has a long-standing enjoyment of public speaking, and lectures and holds teaching seminars on a huge range of topics. She enjoys collaborating with colleagues on research projects, especially those related to bipolar and anxiety disorders, and her passion is medical history.

Expertise

• PTSD

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Molly Jokimaki
jokim004@umn.edu

In the Media

• 2022: Featured in this article titled, "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship making meaningful changes to improve the fellows’ experience".

Research Summary

Dr. Blacker's research interests include mood and anxiety disorders in medical-surgical populations, and suicide among medical professionals. Being part of a much larger institution that has many disciplines – and the opportunities that creates for doing cross-disciplinary work – is exciting to Blacker. "A lot of what I do is historical, looking at trends over time, how concepts have changed, how treatment has changed," she said. "Having access to specialists in history and statistics will really help move my research along." Dr. Blacker was co-investigator for three research grants, one looking at developing biomarkers that would lead to individualized treatments in bipolar patients with and without comorbid addiction; another used EEG to identify potential markers of suicidal behaviors in children between age 13-18; another examined biochemical and genetic differences in mood disorders.

Bio

I am a professor and a clinical psychologist with extensive experience as a service provider, supervisor, and researcher in mental health. My education included receiving a BA in child psychology here at the University of Minnesota and a PhD in clinical psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology. I also completed a clinical psychology internship at Duke University Medical Center.  

My current clinical practice is providing outpatient diagnostic assessments and psychotherapy for adults with ADHD, depression, anxiety, trauma, and stress. I use a strengths-based, whole-person mental health and wellbeing-focused approach to psychotherapy that incorporates best practices from cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, positive psychology, mindfulness, habit formation psychology, and motivational interviewing. 

My work also emphasizes developing, implementing, and evaluating innovative mental health programs utilizing an implementation science approach. For many years this work focused on school, community, and clinical programming for youth, but in recent years my focus has been on clinical programming for adults. To this end, I am concurrently a clinical scientist for Portages Health where I guide the development, implementation, and evaluation of measurement-based and evidence-based behavioral health models that are supported by digital technologies and applied in real-world practice settings. 

I have published peer-reviewed journal articles with many as either first or last author, and written several books about youth mental health, effective intervention methods, and evidence-based practice.

Expertise

• Prevention and early intervention in children and adolescents experiencing behavior and mood disorders
• Evidence-based practice
• Digital mental health intervention

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Natasha Hampton-Anderson
nhampton@umn.edu

Research Summary

Dr. Bloomquist has accumulated many years of research experience in collaboration with a team of prevention and intervention scientists. This included (1) evaluating the short- and long-term effects of school/community/clinic-based interventions for children with behavior and emotional disorders, (2) examining predictive variables and facilitative strategies related to parents engaging in prevention programming, (3) delineating and studying methods for enhancing and measuring program implementation in real world settings, (4) examining mediators and moderators of response to prevention programming, and (5) delineating child and parenting characteristics related to behavior disorders in children. His current research is examining youth and family stress associated with adolescent depression and translating and evaluating evidence-based mental health programming for use in real world health settings.

Clinical Summary

Dr. Bloomquist provides program consultation for intensive outpatient programming services for adolescent depression. He specializes in parent and family skills training (a.k.a. behavioral family therapy) for youth with behavior-emotional problems. As an author/co-author of several books, Dr. Bloomquist has written about effective intervention methods and evidence-based practice.

Bio

I received my BA in Biochemistry from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Winona, MN. I received my medical degree here at the University of Minnesota, where I further completed my psychiatry residency and my fellowship in child & adolescent psychiatry where I was chief fellow.

I am a child psychiatrist with a focus on the treatment of children and adolescents with mood and anxiety disorders and the education of medical trainees. I am also excited to continue working with the child and adolescent psychiatry fellows through my role as associate program director of the fellowship program.

Within the university, I am a member of the Fellowship Recruitment Committee, the Outpatient Fellow Clinic Leadership Team, the Special Review Committee and the Operations Committee.

Expertise

• Child and adolescent anxiety and mood disorders

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Teneshia Collins
coll1148@umn.edu

In the Media

• 2022: Featured in this article titled, "New child & adolescent psychiatry faculty member enjoys his “kitchen sink” practice".
• 2022: Featured in this article titled, "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship making meaningful changes to improve the fellows’ experience".

Bio

I am an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and in the Institute for Health Informatics (IHI). I received my PhD from Yale University and my BS in psychology (with honors) from Washington and Lee University. Prior to joining the department, I was a postdoctoral associate in the CoTipp (Cognitive Training, Imaging, and Precision Psychiatry) Lab led by Department Head Sophia Vinogradov, MD.

My research aims to better specify cognitive pathways that lead to and maintain discrepancies between beliefs and reality. I use data science methods to examine how these pathways operate in the context of specific symptoms – like delusions and suicide ideation – that transcend diagnostic categories,  preventative health behaviors like vaccination, and information environments containing conspiracy theories and “fake news.”

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Shelly Slominski
slomi001@umn.edu

In the Media

• 2022: Contributed to an article from Psychology Today titled, "Do our Interpretations Influence our Desire to Live?"

Bio

I hold a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience in Psychology from the University of Georgia. My objective is to implement effective clinical and non-invasive interventions to support recovery from substance use disorder. I have published neuroimaging findings on the neural progression of recovery in addiction, focusing on the association between brain functional organization and treatment outcomes.

Expanding on my initial neuroimaging findings, I am now focused on integrating cognitive training programs with non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to develop biologically-based interventions for substance use disorder. Notably, my research includes the first study demonstrating that tDCS administered during early abstinence in alcohol use disorder increases engagement of brain networks supporting abstinence and reduces future relapse rates.

Continuing my efforts, I am conducting clinical trials utilizing this innovative non-invasive neurostimulation intervention, laying the groundwork for the clinical application of a cost-effective, scalable, neuroscience-based treatment for addiction.

Administrative Assistant

(for academic support only)
Shelly Slominski
slomi001@umn.edu

Clinical Summary

Addiction; Schizophrenia