Faculty

Research Summary

She has experience in designing and implementing several funded and non-funded research projects primarily in the area of combat trauma exposure and PTSD. Additional research interests include: adult attachment styles, tobacco cessation, quality of life, treatment satisfaction and road rage/driving interventions.

Clinical Summary

Dr. Leskela has clinical experience in psychotherapy with both children and adults with trauma exposure. Her areas of clinical specialty include posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, dialectical behavioral therapy, couple and family therapy, narrative therapy, and supervision.

Bio

I obtained a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology from Rice University in 2005, followed by my Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston in 2010. I completed clinical training in Psychiatry (2014) and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2016) at the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, where I twice served as Chief Resident. I then undertook a two-year clinical research fellowship, the Clinician-Investigator Training Program, with a focus on neuromodulation in adolescent mood disorders and suicidal behavior. I joined the University of Minnesota Medical School faculty in 2019.My research focuses on the neurobiological correlates of suicidal behavior in adolescents with mood disorders, with the aims of improving risk assessment and identifying novel treatment approaches. I am also involved in ongoing projects utilizing noninvasive brain stimulation, including repetitive TMS, theta burst stimulation, and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), as treatment interventions for children and adolescents with depression. I am also the recipient of a 2018 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, which will support my work in studying state-dependent impairment in cortical inhibition and network connectivity in adolescents with suicidal behavior.I have also presented both nationally and internationally at over 35 conferences.

Research Summary

Dr. Lewis' research focuses on the neurobiological correlates of suicidal behavior in adolescents with mood disorders, with the aims of improving risk assessment and identifying novel treatment approaches. His previous work has found impaired cortical inhibition, measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and alterations in excitatory neurotransmitter levels, measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy, in youth with suicidal behavior. Dr. Lewis is also involved in ongoing projects utilizing noninvasive brain stimulation, including repetitive TMS, theta burst stimulation, and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), as treatment interventions for children and adolescents with depression. 

Bio

I hold the Drs. T. J. and Ella M. Arneson Land-Grant Chair in Human Behavior at the University of Minnesota where I am a Professor of Psychiatry and Director for Adult Mental Health Research. I began my undergraduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, completing my Bachelor and MD degrees at Johns Hopkins University. I completed a psychiatry residency and fellowship in neuroimaging at Stanford University where he also served on the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry. I joined the University of Minnesota in 2001.My research interest is in the use of neuroimaging approaches to identify circuit abnormalities in brain disorders such as schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury and addiction and then to use these circuits as treatment targets for noninvasive neuromodulation interventions. I have over 300 publications, with many as first or last author, 23,000 citations, and an h-index of 87.In 2020, I was awarded the "Dean's Distinguished Lectureship Award" for reaching more than 1,000 citations of a 1994 paper that I helped author titled, A Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Changes in Brain Morphology from Infancy to Late Adulthood . The paper is cited as evidence that MRI can be used to measure the living human brain.Within the university, I am a member of the Medical School Research Council , and KL2 Seminar Director for the Clinical and Translational Scientific Institute (CTSI).

Research Summary

Dr. Lim's research interest is in the use of neuroimaging approaches to identify circuit abnormalities in brain disorders such as schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury and addiction and then to use these circuits as treatment targets for noninvasive neuromodulation interventions.

Bio

My experience and expertise sits at the intersection of early childhood psychology research, practical applications, and policy implications. I specialize in social-emotional development in early and middle childhood, with particular emphasis on children experiencing behavioral concerns or who have experienced traumatic events. In the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, I co-direct the Early Childhood Mental Health Program.In addition to outpatient treatment and assessment, my body of work is centered on community-based collaboration with pediatric primary care clinics and early childcare programs. I am also passionate about issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. I regularly conduct trainings that link together DEI and children's mental health (e.g. talking with children about race and racism). Within the department, I am Director for Inclusive Excellence and Well-Being, and a co-chair (along with Dr. Danielle Vrieze!) for the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, of which I was a founding member.Prior to joining the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences faculty, I worked as a Psychologist at a community-based non-profit agency in New York City, the New York Center for Child Development, where I provided mental health treatment and consultation, as well as training for providers located in Pediatric Primary Care Clinics, Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centers, Home-based Daycare programs, and mental health clinics. I served as the team lead for a group of mental health professionals who provided professional development training and consultation in ECE centers. During my time in New York, I held academic appointments at Columbia University Medical College, Weill Cornell Medical College, and hospital appointments with the Family Health Center of Harlem and New York Presbyterian Hospital.I completed my undergraduate and Masters degrees in Psychology at Stanford University and my doctoral work at the University of Minnesota's Institute for Child Development, where I collaborated and published with internationally recognized experts on aggressive behavior, social competence, risk, and resilience in children and families. I completed my clinical psychology internship with the Children's Hospital Los Angeles and my post-doctoral training with Brown University's Alpert Medical School and Bradley Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.

Research Summary

Dr. Lingras is focused on bridging gaps between academic research and practice by providers who work directly with children. As such, her research is focused on social-emotional development and early childhood mental health, broadly, with specific attention to program evaluation and issues of implementation and sustainability. 

Clinical Summary

Dr. Lingras is a Licensed Psychologist in Minnesota and provides individual psychotherapy and psychological assessments in the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic. She provides clinical services to children and their parents, and specializes in young children under 8. She also provides training and mental health consultation to providers in community-based organizations such as pediatric clinics and early education programs.

Bio

I received my BA from the University of Pennsylvania and received my medical degree from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. I completed an internship in internal medicine at Mount Zion Hospital, UCSF in San Francisco, and my residency in psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where I was Chief Resident. I then did fellowship training in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Montefiore Hospital, Einstein Medical College, Bronx, NY.I am an adult psychiatrist with a focus on depression and anxiety disorders with coexisting medical conditions, providing care that combines psychopharmacology and psychotherapy. I will provide clinical services as part of the Coordinated Care Psychiatric Service in primary care clinics. Prior to joining, I had already been partnering with the department as a consultant, helping provide faculty development courses on supervision and education program development. I will also be working with the Office of Graduate Medical Education to provide clinical departments with techniques their faculty can use to effectively supervise and teach the next generation of physicians.Medical education has been a key focus throughout my career. I have held educational and clinical leadership roles at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the University of Maryland in Baltimore, and Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio where I was founding Chair of the Department of Medical Education. I have extensive experience in working with underserved communities, including Black and Hispanic patients and doctors in New York City, Baltimore, and South Texas. I look forward to being able to continue that work in Minnesota, serving new communities such as Hmong, Somalian and Native American. I will also be collaborating with the University of Minnesota Duluth campus on their rural and Native American outreach programs.