Letter from the chair

Published on Monday, September 25, 2023

I am very excited and grateful to have been chosen as the Chair of this prestigious and outstanding department. This is the same department where both my father, Dr. George Ladner, Class of 1962, and I, Class of 1992, completed our psychiatric residency. I appreciate the overwhelming support and congratulations I have received over the last week. Both Dr. Rodgers and Dr. Gleason did outstanding work as Chair and deserve our applause and thanks. I am taking over a strong department due to their leadership.

I did not come to UMMC with a preconceived notion of becoming Chair, but when the opportunity evolved along with my understanding of what was needed to accomplish the goals that we all share, I was thrilled to apply for the job. In our careers, we take steps toward future pathways, and Department Chairman is the culmination of many years of clinical and administrative work, but our team approach has to remain at the forefront.

It is both energizing and rewarding to work with the outstanding people we have in this Department. Fortunately, we do not have a long list of items to tackle, but we do want to maintain the highest standard of patient care and educational focus. The lack of issues within our walls is a testament to many people in the department today.

I have quickly discovered after one week as Chair that it takes a lot of time and effort to keep things running smoothly. Because I have been carrying a heavy clinical load for years, it will take me some time to adjust my schedule. As I free up time, I plan on first meeting with the leaders in our department and proceeding from there. I ask our leaders to please continue in your roles with my full support. I also plan on touring all our clinical, education, and research areas as soon as possible to see your space firsthand and hear your concerns and strategic direction for the future. I will also be working with many of you to fill several vacant positions as quickly as possible.

I can tell you that I heard many positive comments about our department as I went through my interviews. DNBR is unique at this institution and is the envy of many other departments. We continue to score well in education, and I am impressed with the changes we have made to adapt to the new medical school curriculum. Clinically, our productivity is high, and we have actually added three beds on 7 East to meet the increased demand since the St. Dominic’s closure.

I welcome your feedback by email or other means with new ideas, suggestions, concerns or other questions. I thank you again for this opportunity to serve you the people of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior as well as the people of Mississippi, so we can continue to provide quality mental health care, education of the providers of the future and transformative mental health research.

My intent is that we embrace five standards for the continued successful growth of this department within UMMC. Those standards include: an organizational commitment toward excellence, workforce diversity, workplace inclusion, equitable treatment for patients, and ensuring a sense of belonging within our team.

In closing, join me in offering congratulations to Dr. Donna Platt and Dr. James Rowlett for 10 years of UMMC service and Dr. Saurabh Bhardwaj for 5 years of service.

Mark Ladner, MD