Mental Minute with Michigan Medicine

Will Heininger and special co-host Lizelle Salazar interview Dr. Meghan Martz, a research professor at the U-M Addiction Center. Dr. Martz uses innovative technology like brain imaging to study the dynamic and cyclical nature of brain activity and behavior in substance use disorders. She finds optimism in the increasing research on individualized treatment approaches and the use of big data projects with large sample sizes to better inform strategies for prevention.

Will Heininger and special co-host Taylor Pahl interview Hannah Becker, a Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Michigan. As a recent recipient of the Eisenberg Family Depression Center’s Naveed Arif Iqball Award, Hannah launched her very own community-based podcast project called the Syllabus for Overcoming Stigma.

Will returns in October to discuss World Mental Health Day, interview psychiatrist Dr. Victor Hong about his experiences while leading Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES), and to deliver a personal message to Michigan Football during the 'Sports Minute.'

In August's episode of the Mental Minute, Jeremy recaps nearly five years at the Eisenberg Family Depression Center before the guys get into a discussion about the Olympics and mental health.

Jeremy and Will return for the July episode where they give quick recaps of their summers thus far, a Sports Minute highlighting the racial abuse of English soccer stars and the emergence of a Japanese baseball superstar before chatting with Dr. Sagar Parikh (8:33). A professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan and one of the co-leads on the Workplace Mental Health Solutions program, Dr. Parikh shares his work on Ketamine therapy and mental health in the workplace. He extols the reasons why workplace mental health is so vital and gives a synopsis about the upcoming Workplace Mental Health Conference set for Aug. 18.

June 2021
Pride Month; Former Athletics Counselor Barb Hansen Joins to Discuss Career, Life and More

In this month's episode, Jeremy and Will kick off the beginning of summer with some of the things they look forward to in the outdoors, an important Sports Minute about Naomi Osaka and Christian Eriksen (5:35), and the state of mental health in sports before being joined by Barb Hansen (15:21). Barb was an athletic counselor for over a decade at the University of Michigan, worked on the Athletes Connected program and helped guide Will through his mental health journey as a student-athlete. Barb touches on many subjects including her professional basketball playing days, gives her perspective a member of the LGBTQ community.

May 2021
Mental Health Month; Mark Collins Talks About Chris, P2P in Rhode Island

May is Mental Health Month and the guys chat about ways they're taking care of their mental health. During the Sports Minute, they give U-M athletics a shoutout, which then transitions into an athlete mental health awareness acknowledgement (9:20). Jeremy and Will are then joined by Mark Collins (15:49) of South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Mark connected with the U-M Peer-to-Peer program and brought that programming to Rhode Island schools in order to raise awareness, reduce stigma and encourage help-seeking behavior. This was done as part of the Chris Collins Foundation, which is named in memory of his son who died by suicide, and the positive impact the Collins Family has tried to impart on their greater community.

April 2021
A Center's New Name; TRAILS' Allison Meyer, Ph.D., and Natalie Rodriguez-Quintana, Ph.D.

April's episode of The Mental Minute with Michigan Medicine starts off with an exciting announcement: The transformational gift from the Eisenberg family. The Eisenberg Family Depression Center is official. Will and Jeremy are then joined by Drs. Allison Meyer and Natalie Rodriguez-Quintana of the Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students (TRAILS) program. The duo discuss their background, how the program has adapted during the pandemic and what's next for TRAILS.

March 2021
DOCC Recap with Stephanie Salazar, M.P.H., and Sara Abelson, M.P.H.

The Mental Minute returns for March with Jeremy joined by special guest co-host Stephanie Salazar of the Depression Center. They do a quick recap of the Depression on College Campuses Conference before being joined by guest Sara Abelson, MPH (7:10). Sara is a doctoral candidate in the U-M School of Public Health, was named the George Orley Student Mental Health Advocate Award winner at DOCC 2021. Sara speaks about her current research with the Health Minds Network as well as her past work with Active Minds, finding a therapist and much more.

February 2021
Mental Health in the Community with Daicia Price, MSW

The February episode spans everything from Children's Mental Health Awareness Week to an enlightening discussion about mental health in the community (13:25) with Daicia Price, MSW, a clinical assistant professor at the U-M School of Social Work. The guys add their Sports Minute (6:13) with a special shoutout for Black History Month (7:20).

January 2021
New Year's Resolutions, Psychosis Learnings with the PREP Clinic

Jeremy and Will usher in the new year with resolutions, a sports minute (6:05) and two guests from the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry. Ivy Tso, Ph.D. and Alyssa Smith, L.L.P., join the podcast (10:08) to discuss their work with the PREP Early Psychosis Clinic at U-M. At PREP, the program's mission is to provide education, assessment, referral, treatment and research in the area of early psychosis and psychosis risk. Dr. Tso dives into some of the research and Alyssa lets us know how things stand in the community.

December 2020
Seasonal Affective Disorder; Holiday Songs

Will and Jeremy end 2020 with an important discussion about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) before shifting gears into a light-hearted Mental MInutes segment: Top Five Holiday Songs (9:14). That fun is followed by going over what they both learned during 2020 that they hope to take into 2021 (18:27). Things are wrapped up with a Sports Minute (21:30), a special recognition for the Athletes Connected program (23:43) and a final upcoming events notice (26:50).

November 2020
Veteran Mental Health with Jennifer Lamb, LMSW, M-SPAN Program Manager

Jeremy and Will are back with November's episode to discuss veteran mental health. They go over some of the history of Veterans Day, how Michigan Medicine has covered veteran mental health in the past and dive into their Mental Minutes and Sports Minute. They are joined by Jennifer Lamb, LMSW (11:48), who does a great job explaining what the U.S. does well to support veterans and their mental health. She also shares what we could improve upon and how her M-SPAN programs are trying to support veterans, their mental health, their families and many other groups.

New Co-Host, Same Kind of Podcast; Nasuh Malas, M.D., M.P.H. of Mott Children's Hospital

The podcast returns for October in a new format. Will has a new co-host, Jeremy Fallis. The two touch on how a politician's mental health journey excluded him from running for office, how far mental health awareness and treatment has come since that time as well as some new, fun segments. They share the best things they heard, best advice they received and more. The second half of the podcast (20:00) includes WIll's interview with Dr. Nasuh Malas, Director of Pediatric Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Michigan Medicine's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

Episode 4: September 2020

Eli Zaret -- Sports Broadcaster, Donor to Prechter Bipolar Research Program

Will is joined by Eli Zaret, who is a Michigan sports broadcaster who lost his daughter, Alison, to suicide after a long battle with bipolar disorder. Zaret has dealt with the element of grief associated with suicide and the steps following the loss of a loved one. In response, Alison’s aunt and uncle, along with her parents, established a fund that supports U-M’s Prechter Bipolar Research Program in perpetuity. Zaret also hosts the No Filter Sports Podcast.

Episode 3: July 2020
Phil Johnson, ATC -- Head Trainer, University of Michigan Football

The third episode features Phil Johnson, the Papadopoulos Family Director of Athletic Training for the University of Michigan football program. Phil and Will’s discussion was recorded in June before student-athletes were invited back to train. They talk all things mental health, the ongoing pandemic and much more.

Episode 2: June 2020
Abigail Eiler, LMSW -- Clinical Assistant Professor, U-M School of Social Work, Director of U-M Athletics Counseling Team

The second episode of The Mental Minute with Michigan Medicine welcomes guest Abigail Eiler, LMSW. Abigail is a clinical assistant professor in the U-M School of Social Work and leads the Athletic Counseling Team. Learn more about Abigail's work and background on this podcast episode.

Premiere Episode: May 2020

Melvin McInnis, M.D. -- Associate Director, Eisenberg Family Depression Center; Director, Prechter Bipolar Research Program; Thomas B. and Nancy Upjohn Woodworth Professor of Bipolar Disorder and Depression

The premiere episode features Dr. Melvin McInnis, associate director of the U-M Depression Center,  Thomas B. and Nancy Upjohn Woodworth Professor of Bipolar Disorder and Depression, and director of the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program at Michigan Medicine.