Photo: Faith Ninivaggi
The Department of Psychiatry at UMass Chan Medical School is now the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences.
According to Kimberly A. Yonkers, MD, the Katz Family Chair in Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, and chair and professor of psychiatry & behavioral sciences, the name change reflects the department’s diverse range of disciplines, including psychiatry, psychology, translational neurobiology, advanced practice nursing and social work.
“The name change expresses the diversity in the department that includes other professions in psychiatry. It’s a profound message to all the people in the department that ‘We value you.’ This is an attempt to be more inclusive,” Dr. Yonkers said.
“It’s a profound message to all the people in the department that ‘We value you.’”
Yonkers said the new name does not alter the department’s goals but emphasizes the broad support provided to faculty members, including education, research funding, training programs and resources.
Yonkers joined UMass Chan in 2021. She was previously professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, where she also held appointments in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine and in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health. She was recently named editor-in-chief of The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.
