Dr. Ole Thienhaus Appointed Head of Department of Psychiatry

January 6, 2012 - Ole J. Thienhaus, MD, MBA, an expert in geriatric psychiatry, has been appointed head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson. He will join the department March 1.

Prior to his appointment, Dr. Thienhaus was professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Las Vegas and Reno, where he also served as dean of the School of Medicine from 2008 to 2010 and as a member of the Board of Trustees of University Health System Inc. He established a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program at the Reno campus in 2005 and a psychiatric residency at the Las Vegas campus in 2003. He lived in both Las Vegas and Reno, commuting between the two cities and treating patients in urban and rural areas of Nevada. His clinical interests include inpatient, emergency and correctional psychiatry, and psychopharmacology; his research interests include psychiatric disorders of old age, including dementia; chronic mental illness in all age groups and health-care economics.

"Dr. Thienhaus' clinical background will further the UA College of Medicine's health-care mission of providing a level of patient care to residents of Tucson and the Southwest that is competitive with other prominent universities in the nation," says Steve Goldschmid, MD, dean, UA College of Medicine - Tucson, and vice chair, UA Health Network board of directors. "His experience aligning the mission of an academic clinical department with the needs of the community and the state legislature in Nevada will help us continue to grow the Department of Psychiatry in Arizona."

Dr. Thienhaus replaces Francisco A. Moreno, MD, UA professor of psychiatry, who has been serving as interim department head since 2010, and John Misiaszek, MD, UA psychiatry professor, who served as interim department head from 2007 to 2010. "Dr. Moreno's and Dr. Misiaszek's leadership is greatly appreciated; they have led the department through some challenging times," Dean Goldschmid said.

About Dr. Thienhaus

Dr. Thienhaus earned his medical degree from the Free University of Berlin, West Germany, in 1978, and his MBA in marketing and management from the University of Cincinnati in 1985. He completed a fellowship in geriatric psychiatry in 1984 and a residency in psychiatry in 1983 at the University of Cincinnati and an internship in general surgery in Germany in 1979.

Prior to joining the University of Nevada in 1996, Dr. Thienhaus was with the University of Cincinnati, where he served as chief clinical officer of University Hospital Cincinnati, associate professor of psychiatry and emergency medicine and vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and director of the Psychiatric Emergency Service at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He also was a psychiatric consultant to the Cincinnati V.A. Medical Center.

He serves as a senior examiner for specialty board examinations and as a member of the Maintenance of Certification Committee of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He also is a consultant to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the Hospital Accreditation Program in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He is an ad hoc study section reviewer for the National Institutes of Health (epidemiology) and the National Institute of Mental Health (geriatrics).

Dr. Thienhaus is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists and the Arnold P. Gold Humanism Honor Society. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Cancro Academic Leadership Award of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, presented in 2011; and the Nevada Business Journal's Healthcare Hero Award, the Senatorial Recognition for Service on the Sanford Center for Aging Scholarship Committee and the U.S. Senate Certificate of Commendation: Celebration of Scholars in Aging, all presented in 2010. He was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society in 2009. He also has been a visiting professor at Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, and the University of Chang Mai School of Medicine, Chang Mai, Thailand; and the University of Kyrgyzstan College of Medicine in Bishkek.

Dr. Thienhaus is the author or editor of several books, including "Correctional Psychiatry, Volumes I and II;" "Manual of Hospital Psychiatry" and, in a different vein altogether, "Jewish-Christian Dialogue - The Example of Gilbert Crispin." His scientific journal articles have appeared in many publications, including the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, American Family Physician, American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Harvard Mental Health Letter and Psychiatric Times. He serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology and the Annals of Pharmacotherapy.  

His professional memberships include the Maricopa County Medical Society, American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American College of Psychiatrists. He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with an additional qualification in geriatric psychiatry, and is licensed by the Arizona Board of Medical Examiners.