MindGames team wins back-to-back championships
For the fifth time in 11 years, the UTHealth Houston Psychiatry MindGames team brought home the trophy from the national competition of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), thanks to team members Caroline McCool, MD; Hunter Hinman, MD; and Daniel Liaou, MD. They also gave UTHealth Houston bragging rights with back-to-back championships.
MindGames is a national residency team competition hosted by the APA as a fun way for residents to test their knowledge on patient care, medical knowledge, and psychiatry history. Teams from across the country compete against each other on a preliminary qualifying exam, and the top three teams advance to a live Jeopardy-style final round.
The residents were invited to compete together by Vineeth John, MD, MBA, professor and vice chair for education in the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. McCool and Hinman are returning members from last year’s championship team, while Liaou joined for the first time. Team members emphasized this was a total department effort to win the competition.
The department has a strong history of success in the MindGames competition with previous wins coming in 2008, 2012, 2013, and 2022. Though it is a friendly competition, the team members wanted to perform well for the department.
“It was really wonderful getting to compete in person this year at APA,” McCool said. “We had a great time virtually last year, but being on stage and having so many of our classmates in the crowd cheering us on made the energy at this year’s event so exciting and fun. We are honored to represent UTHealth Houston and proud to bring the trophy back home again.”
“The UTHealth Houston MindGames team was exceptionally prepared and willing to take chances with tough questions,” said John, who has worked with four UTHealth Houston victories. “To be at the 2023 live competition was a nerve-racking, heart-pounding, and exhilarating experience. We have been fortunate to have sustained success in back-to-back years. Along with our sense of immense pride in our team is an appreciation for the richness of the field of psychiatry, which sits at the luminous intersection of science, culture, art, movies, and literature.”
Read more about the MindGames competition here.