Faculty

Rebecca Barbee

MSPAS, PA-C, CAQ-Psych
Physician Assistant
Southlake Psychiatry

Rebecca Kraus Barbee, PA-C, CAQ-Psych is a board-certified Physician Assistant specializing in psychiatry at Southlake Psychiatry in Davidson, North Carolina. With advanced certification in psychiatry (CAQ-Psych), she is deeply engaged in the clinical management of complex mood and anxiety disorders, with particular expertise in psychopharmacology, novel antidepressant therapies, and treatment-resistant depression.

Rebecca is an active national speaker and educator, frequently presenting on emerging therapies, anhedonia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder recognition, and innovative treatment strategies. She is passionate about translating clinical trial data into practical, evidence-based strategies that improve patient outcomes. In addition to her clinical practice, she has contributed to media discussions on mental health awareness and is committed to advancing education for fellow clinicians through conference presentations and collaborative academic initiatives.

She is an active member of the Association of PAs in Psychiatry, AAPA, and NCAPA, and is dedicated to elevating the role of Physician Assistants in psychiatric care through leadership, education, and advocacy.

2026 Sessions

Solving Clinical Challenges: Managing Major Depressive Disorder When First-Line Treatments Fall Short

Major Depressive Disorder often persists despite guideline-based pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, leaving clinicians unsure how to adjust treatment in the face of partial response, symptom heterogeneity, or unclear diagnosis. This session uses real-world case examples to guide clinicians through evaluating treatment resistance, identifying overlooked contributors such as anxiety, trauma, and medical illness, and refining diagnostic impressions. Faculty will demonstrate practical strategies for optimizing antidepressants, choosing augmentation or switching pathways, integrating targeted psychotherapies, and addressing functional impairment. Participants will gain practical tools to navigate complex MDD presentations and improve outcomes when standard approaches are not enough.

Speaker

Tuesday, September 15 6:30–7:30 PM
Room Great Hall A
Solving Clinical Challenges
Steering Committee

Brittany Albright

MD, MPH
Founder and Medical Director of Multidisciplinary and Interventional Psychiatry Practice
Sweetgrass Psychiatry; Medical University of South Carolina

Brittany Albright MD, MPH is a Harvard-trained, triple board-certified psychiatrist with clinical expertise in interventional psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and obesity medicine. She completed her adult psychiatry residency at the nation’s top ranked program, Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital and a fellowship in addiction psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she serves as an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Albright is the Founder and CEO of Sweetgrass Psychiatry, South Carolina’s largest physician-owned psychiatry practice with three locations.

Her research and academic work include numerous abstracts presented at national meetings and peer-reviewed manuscripts focused on innovative treatments and psychiatric education. A national speaker and consultant, she serves as President Elect of the South Carolina Psychiatric Association and holds multiple leadership roles with Psych Congress, including co-chair of Psych Congress Elevate and originator of the Private Practice Summit.

She firmly believes in collaborative, comprehensive treatment and the restoration of wellness in her patients and practices psychotherapy with expertise in mentalization based therapy and psychodynamic therapy. She also holds certifications in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Faculty

Rebecca Barbee

MSPAS, PA-C, CAQ-Psych
Physician Assistant
Southlake Psychiatry

Rebecca Kraus Barbee, PA-C, CAQ-Psych is a board-certified Physician Assistant specializing in psychiatry at Southlake Psychiatry in Davidson, North Carolina. With advanced certification in psychiatry (CAQ-Psych), she is deeply engaged in the clinical management of complex mood and anxiety disorders, with particular expertise in psychopharmacology, novel antidepressant therapies, and treatment-resistant depression.

Rebecca is an active national speaker and educator, frequently presenting on emerging therapies, anhedonia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder recognition, and innovative treatment strategies. She is passionate about translating clinical trial data into practical, evidence-based strategies that improve patient outcomes. In addition to her clinical practice, she has contributed to media discussions on mental health awareness and is committed to advancing education for fellow clinicians through conference presentations and collaborative academic initiatives.

She is an active member of the Association of PAs in Psychiatry, AAPA, and NCAPA, and is dedicated to elevating the role of Physician Assistants in psychiatric care through leadership, education, and advocacy.

Steering Committee

Kristian Dambrino

DNP, PMHNP-BC
Founder| Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Dambrino Consulting & Wellness LLC

Kristian Dambrino is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner and the founder of Dambrino Wellness, a mental health clinic in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Belmont University.

A Fulbright Scholar, she is conducting research in Indonesia and India on reducing mental health stigma through nursing capacity building, and serves as adjunct faculty at Belmont University College of Nursing, with prior faculty appointments at Michigan State University and Marian University. As a national speaker and consultant, she serves in leadership as co-chair of Psych Congress Elevate and brings her clinical and research expertise to stages and institutions across the country.

Beyond the clinic, Dambrino is a jazz vocalist who performs annually in France and has shared stages with Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jean Smart, with national television appearances on MSNBC, CNBC, and CMT. She volunteers with Rotary International, Project C.U.R.E., Habitat for Humanity, and the Nashville International Center for Empowerment, has helped raise millions of dollars for hurricane relief in Mississippi, and her sold-out benefit concert Music City Without Borders raised $20,000 for refugee resettlement in Tennessee.

MasterClass: AIMS Is Nothing but a Number: Focusing on Function and Family in Tardive Dyskinesia

Tardive dyskinesia management extends beyond symptom reduction to restoring function and quality of life for patients and caregivers. This session reviews neurobiology, early recognition, differential diagnosis, and assessment strategies while examining clinical and real-world evidence for VMAT2 inhibitors to help clinicians optimize long-term treatment outcomes.<br><br>Supported by independent educational grants from Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc and Teva Pharmaceuticals.

Speaker

Wednesday, September 16 10:15–11:45 AM
Room Great Hall D
Faculty

Rebecca Barbee

MSPAS, PA-C, CAQ-Psych
Physician Assistant
Southlake Psychiatry

Rebecca Kraus Barbee, PA-C, CAQ-Psych is a board-certified Physician Assistant specializing in psychiatry at Southlake Psychiatry in Davidson, North Carolina. With advanced certification in psychiatry (CAQ-Psych), she is deeply engaged in the clinical management of complex mood and anxiety disorders, with particular expertise in psychopharmacology, novel antidepressant therapies, and treatment-resistant depression.

Rebecca is an active national speaker and educator, frequently presenting on emerging therapies, anhedonia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder recognition, and innovative treatment strategies. She is passionate about translating clinical trial data into practical, evidence-based strategies that improve patient outcomes. In addition to her clinical practice, she has contributed to media discussions on mental health awareness and is committed to advancing education for fellow clinicians through conference presentations and collaborative academic initiatives.

She is an active member of the Association of PAs in Psychiatry, AAPA, and NCAPA, and is dedicated to elevating the role of Physician Assistants in psychiatric care through leadership, education, and advocacy.

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