September 19, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Dr. Jessica Hellings (43209) has been named program director of the Dual Diagnosis Clinic at The Ohio State University’s Nisonger Center.
Hellings, who is also an associate professor of psychiatry at Ohio State’s College of Medicine, previously served as professor of psychiatry at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
The Nisonger Center’s Dual Diagnosis Clinic provides outpatient psychiatric services to children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health needs with support of Franklin County. The clinic provides diagnostic consultation services to community physicians and ongoing psychiatric services and medication management.
“Dr. Hellings has an impressive national and international reputation as a child/adolescent psychiatrist, expert in mental health clinical services, and researcher committed to helping people with intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders and related developmental disabilities. We are excited to have her join the Nisonger Center faculty,” said Dr. Marc J. Tassé, Nisonger Center director and professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State.
Dr. Hellings will complement and expand the work of an outstanding group of collaborative clinicians and researchers at The Ohio State University Nisonger Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, according to Dr. John Campo, chair of the department of psychiatry and clinical professor of pediatrics at Ohio State.
“Her recruitment reflects the growth in scope and quality of services and research for individuals and families struggling with developmental disabilities here in central Ohio,” said Campo.
Hellings received her medical degree from Witwatersrand University Medical School in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Hellings’ research interests include biology, phenomenology, psychopharmacology and behavioral pharmacology of aggressive and destructive behavior, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and mood disorders in persons with developmental disabilities and autism. In addition, she is interested in promoting improved standards of care and mental health parity for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Nisonger Center, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, is part of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and was founded in 1966 to provide assistance to people with disabilities, families, service providers and organizations by promoting inclusion of people with disabilities in education, health, employment and community settings.
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