Faculty

Bio

I received my BS in physics here at the University of Minnesota. I completed my MS and PhD in nuclear physics at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA. I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Medium Energy Physics group at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, IL. and then completed my medical physics residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.I am a medical physicist with research interest in applying novel magnetic resonance imaging methods to help understand the structural and functional differences of the brains of clinical populations. To date I have published 139 peer-reviewed articles which have 6351 citations and an h-index of 42. I have also presented at national and international conferences. I am a member of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Within the University of Minnesota I am a member of the 3T operations committee, which sets policy for use of the 3T systems at CMRR. I am also responsible for quality assurance monitoring of the 3T systems at CMRR and I am available as a consultant to members of the 3T community. I am Co-Investigator or collaborator on more than 140 unique ongoing or completed imaging studies involving more than three dozen principle investigators within the Department, two dozen principal investigators from other departments in the Medical School and University and a dozen multicenter studies involving dozens of Universities from across the country.

Research Summary

Applying advanced MRI methods to better understanding structural and functional differences of the brains of clinical populations relative to controls. Developing MRI scanner quality assurance methods to quantify MRI scanner performance. Developing improved methods for performing Multi-center MRI experiments.

Bio

I received my BS in child psychology from the University of Minnesota. I completed an MA in psychology from Antioch University in Seattle, WA; and then a second MA and a PsyD in clinical psychology from the Minnesota Professional School of Psychology at Argosy University in Eagan, MN.I am a child and adolescent psychologist with a focus on psychosis risk identification and early intervention. I am particularly interested in psychosocial interventions, including psychotherapy and cognitive training. Within the University, I train and supervise psychology graduate students and postdoctoral associates. I also provide didactics and therapy supervision to psychiatry residents and child and adolescent psychiatry fellows. I teach graduate level courses on psychopathology and developmental psychopathology.In the department, I am the assistant Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Director and the Child & Adolescent Fellowship Course Director. I am also an active member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee .Most recently, I received the 2020 Minnesota Psychological Association's Outstanding Graduate Faculty in Psychology Award .

Research Summary

Dr. Murray's research interests include psychosis risk identification and early intervention. Dr. Murray is particularly interested in psychosocial interventions, including psychotherapy and cognitive remediation.

Bio

I received my Medical Degree from Saint Joseph University in Lebanon. I then completed an internship in Psychiatry at L'Institut Paul Silvadon, a Lacanian day-hospital, and Hopital Charles Foix, both in Paris, France. I moved to Houston Texas in 1993 as a resident in Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine. I also attended the Houston-Galveston Psychoanalytic Institute's psychodynamic psychotherapy course. I later joined the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in 1997 where I completed a research fellowship in Functional Neuroimaging and Psychopharmacology and a Master of Science in Clinical Research. I was a faculty member from 1999 to 2011 with a specific focus on research in mood disorders and brain stimulation. From Summer 2011 to Spring 2017, I was the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) where I helped develop the department's clinical, education and research portfolio. My scientific interests lie in translational research of mood dysregulation and depressive disorders. My unique expertise are in functional neuroimaging and brain stimulation across various modalities [Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS), Epidural prefrontal Cortical Stimulation (EpCS), Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Focally Electrically Administered Seizure Therapy (FEAST)]. I have also conducted basic research and collaborated on health economic studies. I have over 160 publications, with over 16000 citations, and an h-index of 63.In addition to my scientific and academic contributions, I have been a strong advocate for the parity of mental health care coverage in Lebanon. I co-founded Embrace, a Non-Profit Organization to fight stigma associated with mental illness and provide financial support for patients who cannot afford the cost of their treatments. Embrace launched the first Suicide Prevention Help Line in the Middle East.Professional outreach and public service is also a key focus of my career. I am the Associate Editor of Frontiers in Neuropsychiatric Imaging and Stimulatio n, and Editor of the Brain Stimulation Journal . I am also a full member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. To date, I have presented both nationally and internationally at over 70 conferences. I have received several awards including the NARSAD Independent Investigator Award and the Developing Scholar Award at MUSC.Within the medical school, I am Fellowship Director of the MnDrive Neuromodulation Fellowship. I am also the vice chair for clinical affairs for the department.

Research Summary

Dr Nahas scientific interests lie in translational research of mood dysregulation and depressive disorders. His unique expertise is in functional neuroimaging and brain stimulation across various modalities [Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS), Epidural prefrontal Cortical Stimulation (EpCS), Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Focally Electrically Administered Seizure Therapy (FEAST)]. He has also conducted basic research and collaborated on health economic studies. He received funding from various sources, notably the National Institute of Mental Health, National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) and the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF). 

Clinical Summary

Treatment resistant mood disorders; anxiety disorders; neuromodulation; insight oriented dynamic psychotherapy

Bio

I am an Honors graduate of the University of Minnesota-Morris, and received my medical degree and psychiatry residency training from the University of Minnesota Medical School.I am a certified in Psychiatry by theAmerican Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. I practice at the University of Minnesota Medical Center. My clinical interests lie in the area of best practices in the diagnosis and management of severe personality disorders, suicide, and psychotherapeutic communication with patients in acute settings. I also serve in the position of Associate Designated Institutional Official with leadership responsibilities across residency and fellowship programs.I have presented at conferences nationally and internationally, as well as over 80 media contributions to local and national media outlets. I have produced a podcast with my brother, George, called "The Mind Deconstructed" which aims to serve the general community to demystify and increase understanding of common mental health conditions.

Selected Publications

Sims, E.*, Nelson, K. J., & Sisti, D. (2021) Borderline personality disorder, therapeutic privilege, integrated care: is it ethical to withhold a psychiatric diagnosis? Journal of Medical Ethics. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34261801

Wichser, L., Homans, J. C., Leppink, E.*, Savage, W*. & Nelson, K. J. (2021) The Minnesota Arc: A New Model for Teaching the Psychiatric Interview to Medical Students Serving on Their Psychiatry Clerkship. Academic Psychiatry. Online ahead of print. PMID: 33904140

Westlund Schreiner, M., Klimes-Dougan, B., Mueller, B. A., Nelson, K. J., Lim, K. O. & Cullen, K. R. (2019). Neurocircuitry associated with symptom dimensions at baseline and with change in borderline personality disorder. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 290, 58-65. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.07.001 

Nelson, K. J. (2018). Pharmacotherapy for Personality Disorders. UpToDate.  

Nelson, K. J. (2013). Managing borderline personality disorder on general psychiatric units. Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 41(4), 563-74. doi: 10.1521/pdps.2013.41.4.563 

Clinical Summary

Dr. Nelson practices at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and her clinical interests lie in the area of best practices in the diagnosis and management of severe personality disorders, suicide, and psychotherapeutic communication with patients in acute settings.

Bio

Dr. Nelson completed a general psychiatry residency at the University of Minnesota Medical School along with a clinical research fellowship in neuromodulation. After graduation, he spent a year as a full time faculty member and as Executive Director of the transcranial magnetic stimulation program at the University of Minnesota and Minneapolis VA Medical Center. Dr. Nelson is currently an Adult Interventional Psychiatrist and Co-Director of the Center for Neurotherapeutics at PrarieCare.

Clinical Summary

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Brain Injury; Schizophrenia

Bio

I received my BS in biology from Cal Poly Pomona, CA; completed my PhD from UC Irvine in 2010 in anatomy and neurobiology, and my postdoctoral training in bioinformatics and multivariate statistics at UC San Francisco. I became a jointly appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and the Institute for Health Informatics at the University of Minnesota in 2017.The overarching purpose of my lab is to understand and treat trauma. Research in my lab utilizes a multidisciplinary approach, merging the fields of neurobiology, psychiatry and data science to identify more precise "bio-types" of trauma psychopathology than traditional diagnostic criteria, and potential novel targets for treatment. I use established and emerging machine learning methods with multi-modal data spanning across a diverse range of diagnostic categories for neuropsychiatric disorders. My approach can be used to run hypotheses on in silico models to understand the complexity involved in these disorders, thus minimizing the need to test hypotheses in animal models (in vivo). I am currently funded as an Early Stage Investigator (ESI) from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to apply these methods to large datasets from trauma-exposed patients to identify and validate dimensions of post-traumatic stress (PTS), relevant biological predictors, and precision treatment response trajectories.Other areas of focus in my lab are dedicated to psychedelic neuroscience research and drug policy reform. I have been collecting data through an anonymous online survey to assess benefits and risks of ayahuasca use in naturalistic settings to treat symptoms of trauma. I am also conducting prospective clinical research into the neurological mechanisms of altered states of consciousness, currently with the drug psilocybin, to understand how such drug-induced experiences promote neuroplasticity and wellness.My teaching interests focus on two main areas: The first is related to applied multivariate statistics and machine learning for precision medicine. The second is related to the neurobiology of emerging psychedelic-assisted therapies.

Research Summary

Dr. Nielson is a neurobiologist and data scientist working at the intersection of informatics and psychiatry to understand the neurobiological mechanisms of mental health disorders that follow trauma, including PTSD, depression, addiction and schizophrenia. She brings her expertise in neuroscience, big-data and precision medicine techniques to the University for data-driven discovery of clinically relevant models of maladaptive behaviors, with an interest in researching and developing novel therapies to treat the root causes of trauma.

Clinical Summary

Neurological disorders (e.g. traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury) and mental health disorders (e.g. post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, addiction and schizophrenia)

Research Summary

Dr. Nienow's research has focused on understanding the cognitive underpinnings of poor social functioning in schizophrenia, evaluating the efficacy of psychosocial interventions for serious mental illness, and elucidating the mechanisms by which psychosocial interventions exert an impact on symptoms, cognition, and functional status in patients.

Bio

I received my MBBS in Family Medicine from the University of Nigeria. I completed my MPH in Maternal and Child Health, my psychiatry residency, and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship, here at the University of Minnesota.I am an Assistant Professor and Board-certified psychiatrist who is committed to providing compassionate, patient- centered care for children and adolescents with various mental health challenges such as Depressive disorders, Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders, Anxiety disorders, Trauma and stress related disorders.I have clinical and research interests in psychopharmacology, cultural psychiatry and global mental health - awareness, education and disparities. I am also the co-founder of both the UMP Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Bridging Clinic and the UMP Transitional Age Youth (TAY) Clinic.