Dear Friends,
I hope you are well. These days I find myself starting many conversations and messages with those words — a reminder of the anxiety we are experiencing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, so many disturbing instances of racial and social injustice, and feelings of uncertainty about what lies ahead. In the Department of Psychiatry, we are meeting the challenges brought on by these unprecedented times head on, and I would like to share a little of what we have been doing with you.
Like Michigan Medicine, the department has responded quickly and decisively to the coronavirus pandemic in terms of how we operate. Our in-person research had to come to a halt — it is now slowly resuming — and we had to adapt our patient care to virtual appointments. I am pleased to share that while our research efforts slowed, they did not stop. As for our telehealth initiative, despite the rapid turnaround, the transition from in-person appointments to virtual has been extraordinarily successful. I am in awe of our faculty and staff who seamlessly made the transition to this new protocol. But our success in these areas could not have happened without friends and donors like you who have provided steadfast support over the years.
I hope you will find this video informative, share our pride in how we are continuing to advance our mission of patient care, research, and education in the Department of Psychiatry, and take comfort from and make use of the department’s resources for dealing with COVID-19.
Please feel free to share your thoughts about this video message, our COVID-19 response, or how you can become even more engaged with us and our efforts with me or our development partner, Courtney Metzger. In the meantime, please stay well. We will get through this difficult period together and come out stronger than ever on the other side.
Sincerely,
Gregory Dalack, M.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Psychiatry
