Three papers published in Current Psychiatry Reports and Appetite by Christine Call, PhD, and colleagues in the Perinatal Health and Behaviors Lab, highlight advances in our understanding of eating disorders in pregnancy and the perinatal period. bit.ly/4mBmN4d

In addition to providing expert clinical care for individuals with OCD and teaching the next generation of physicians, Dr. Robert Hudak is dedicated to teaching mental health professionals and non-psychiatric physicians nationwide about treatment of the disorder. Read our interview: bit.ly/48bj2wv

Congratulations, Vernon Nathaniel, MD, who has received a 2025 UPMC Award for Commitment to Excellence in Service (ACES)! bit.ly/4vgb4vF

“Thoughtful, Considerate, Extremely Effective” – Samantha Stilson Receives UPMC Award for Commitment to Excellence in Service (ACES): bit.ly/4cfuyJi

Our 2026 Interventional Psychiatry Showcase focused on the use of ketamine and the use of ketosis in psychiatric treatment. Through lively roundtables, presentations, and panel discussions, attendees learned about new research & clinical application of each of these methods. bit.ly/4rXVe66

We are thrilled to announce the results of the 2026 Residency Match for the General Psychiatry, Child, Triple Board, and Family Medicine/Psychiatry tracks! Please welcome our new incoming PGY1 psychiatry residents: bit.ly/4rRxaSr

We are now accepting poster presentation abstracts for our Annual Research Day. Learn more and submit here! bit.ly/4boomyw Deadline to submit: 4/17

Patients with conditions including treatment-resistant depression, catatonia, persistent mania & difficult-to-treat schizophrenia can now receive care at a newly renovated, larger, brighter Center for Interventional Psychiatry on the ground floor of UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. bit.ly/4rDVEi1

Congratulations to Stephen Smagula, PhD, who has received conferral of tenure! Dr. Smagula’s research focuses on circadian rhythm disruptions as a causal risk for depression, suicidal ideation, and dementia in older people. bit.ly/4uzcdOz

Congrats to Pitt Psychiatry faculty members who have received the following recognitions: Paul D. MacLean Award (Layla Banihashemi, PhD); University of Notre Dame William D. Reynolds Award (Kelly Beck, PhD, LPC, CRC); Fellows of the INS (Meryl Butters, PhD & Stuart Steinhauer, PhD) bit.ly/4bmlAs3

Congratulations to Fabio Ferrarelli, MD, PhD, who has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry! Dr. Ferrarelli’s research focuses on the study of neural oscillations during sleep, and how such oscillations affect fundamental aspects of brain function. bit.ly/4unhPvj

A recent Pitt Psychiatry study, published in JAMA Neurology, tested whether daily low-dose lithium carbonate could delay cognitive decline in adults aged 60+ with mild cognitive impairment. Results confirmed that low-dose lithium was safe and well tolerated in older adults. bit.ly/46J6ATV

Congratulations to Thomas Karikari, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine! Dr. Karikari is an internationally recognized expert in plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. bit.ly/3OYF7Y8

Findings from a recent study suggest that exploration targets are identified through coordinated activity binding prefrontal default network value representations to posterior hippocampal maps. Find out more: bit.ly/4ua2lLe

Congratulations to Victor Villemagne, MD, who has been elected to the Association of American Physicians! Dr. Villemagne is one of the most highly regarded global experts in Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers. bit.ly/4aGK0w3

Due to the generosity of donor families, the Pitt NBB is an invaluable resource for investigators using postmortem human brain tissue for research and is uniquely equipped to provide postmortem brain specimens to scientists investigating psychiatric disorders: bit.ly/3OfGth3

Congrats to Mary Woody, PhD, who has been promoted to Associate Professor by the University of Pittsburgh! Dr. Woody's research focuses on adolescent depression, with a primary goal of identifying risk factors that can be targeted in clinical prevention and intervention programs. bit.ly/4rWoOJD

Pitt Psychiatry investigators recently published articles that describe advances in clinical care in the diagnosis of bipolar/psychotic disorders, guidelines for deprescribing benzodiazepine, the promise of infant MRI studies, and assessment for risk for suicidal behavior. bit.ly/3NQHQm9

Congrats to Antoine Douaihy, MD, who has received conferral of tenure at the rank of professor! Dr. Douaihy is an outstanding clinical leader, teacher, and researcher with expertise in addiction medicine and dual diagnosis, motivational interviewing, & substance use and co-morbid HIV. bit.ly/49O2uMd

Pitt Psychiatry had lots of good news from @acnporg.bsky.social, including awards and new memberships! See our story here: bit.ly/4jW2lK3

Results of a recent study showed that hesitation--which gives humans and other animals crucial extra time to deliberate on the best option in uncertain situations--is mediated by indirect, but not direct, pathway neurons in the dorsomedial striatum. bit.ly/3YQnETG

It is with deep sadness that we report that our friend and colleague, Kurt Ackerman, MD, PhD (Clinician Emeritus of Psychiatry), has passed away. Please read our memorial tribute on our website. bit.ly/4sUFbrE

Congrats to Leslie Horton, PhD, who has been promoted! Dr. Horton helped found and serves as director of the WPH Hope Team clinic, which specializes in interventions for young people at risk for psychosis. She conducts research focused on the mechanisms of risk for psychosis in youth. bit.ly/49Eh7QL

Dr. Karikari and Dr. Thurston are among 12 Health Sciences researchers invited to present their research in a lightning talk presentation on 1/14. Selected papers are recognized for providing deep biological or practice-changing insight. Congratulations! bit.ly/4qipsk6

Diseases of despair (DoD) in midlife adults and suicidal behavior in youths may be related, since in a recent study, having a parent with a DoD was associated with nearly double the hazard of a suicidal event in their offspring. bit.ly/4sDdG5t

Congratulations to Angela Ianni, MD, DPhil, who has been selected for the Member in Training Award by the AAGP! Dr Ianni’s research focuses on the neural processes underlying suicidal behavior in late-life depression. bit.ly/4stLzpv

CARRS focuses on risk factors for substance use disorders that emerge from the interaction of reward, cognitive control, circadian rhythms, and sleep, which show marked developmental changes during adolescence. The Center is led by Colleen McClung, PhD, and Daniel Buysse, MD. bit.ly/4bjlcwa

Lori Scott, PhD, led a study of whether stressors like social/targeted rejection are associated w/increased likelihood of suicidal ideation/behavior. Findings suggest that clinicians should ask about recent experiences of targeted rejection when assessing risk for suicidal behavior bit.ly/49bXoYv

In a paper published in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers reported regional specificity in dendritic spine alterations. These findings may help explain how both perceptual processing and higher-order cognitive functions are impaired in schizophrenia. bit.ly/4pPGTbA

The Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference presents clinical/research findings to psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, policy administrators & patients and families. The program includes art and & by individuals receiving treatment for schizophrenia at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital bit.ly/4s0p4YR

Congratulations to Ann Cohen, PhD, who has been elected to the NIA National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Steering Committee! The NACC serves as the centralized data repository, collaboration, and communication hub for the NIA’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRC) Program. bit.ly/49hIcKw

Congratulations to Nermin Toukhy, PhD, who has received an International Academy of Suicide Research (IASR) Early Career Research Award for the biological studies of suicide. Learn more about Dr. Toukhy here: bit.ly/3KNoFYZ

In JAMA Psychiatry, scientists including Kristen Eckstrand, MD, PhD, discuss the psychiatric and ethical concerns raised by care denial for transgender youth: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Pitt Psychiatry investigators have recently published research studies on mental health in late life in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, Nature Communications, and Neuropsychopharmacology. See more from Minjie Wu, PhD; Tharick Pascoal, MD, PhD; Helmet Karim, PhD; and Carmen Andreescu, MD: bit.ly/3KziYxR

Scientists led by Carla Mazefsky, PhD, created the EASE Program to improve emotion dysregulation in autistic adolescents and young adults. They tested its efficacy this population, and found that EASE resulted in greater declines in emotion dysregulation than a comparison therapy. bit.ly/4rwF84t

At this year's AACAP meeting, Pitt Psychiatry news includes two faculty members who were recognized as distinguished fellows--Abigail Schlesinger, MD, and Rameshwari Tumuluru, MD--and residents received awards and honors: Alexis McCathern, MD, and Kalyan Tripathy, MD, PhD. More: bit.ly/4olzob5

Congratulations to Abigail Schlesinger, MD, who has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry! A child and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr. Schlesinger is a recognized leader in the development of systems of care and provision of integrated behavioral health in primary care. bit.ly/4i9wPXT

Congratulations to Piper Carroll, MD, who has received the Gateway Medical Society 2025 Rising Star Award! The Award recognizes physicians who demonstrate consistent leadership and commitment to clinical excellence, community health & advocacy, and reducing health disparities. bit.ly/3X68mZY

The journal Nature has named Thomas Karikari, PhD, one of three Rising Stars in Aging Research! Dr. Karikari is an internationally recognized expert in plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. Read more here: bit.ly/3XukLa9

Congratulations to Amy Byrd, PhD, who has received the 2025 YMC Shrink Tank Brilliance Award! Her project focuses on the development of a mobile intervention delivery tool to help parents of kids at risk for aggression to identify when to implement behavioral strategies in real time. bit.ly/4qXipyf

Congratulations to Rebecca Price, PhD, who has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry! An expert in transformative approaches to the treatment of depression and suicide, Dr. Price's research focuses on how the mind processes information in anxiety, depression, and suicidality. bit.ly/481JkAq

Congratulations to Zachary Freyberg, MD, PhD, who has been honored with a University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Ascending Star Award! Dr. Freyberg’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of cell signaling, particularly in the context of neuropsychiatric illnesses. bit.ly/3JxsC3E

"Dr. Garrett is an incredible resident who exemplifies professionalism and kindness. Throughout my Psychiatry Clerkship, Sydney demonstrated exceptional clinical skills and a consistent dedication to teaching." Congratulations to Sydney Garrett, MD, on your Professionalism Accolade! bit.ly/4huIPCW

Priyanka Amin, MD, and Joe Zimmerman, MSN, are partners in innovating a culture of safety throughout UPMC Western Behavioral Health. Their collaboration has resulted in a transformational win: Results of a 2025 survey indicated that safety scores have improved across the board --> bit.ly/4oGLWKJ

Congratulations to Heather Joseph, DO, who has been named a UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh RK Mellon Institute Pediatric Research Scholar! Dr. Joseph's research focuses on the identification of early indicators of ADHD risk in infancy and early childhood. bit.ly/3L2C4fO

Big congratulations to Mariana Rieke, Kasey Godard, Cassidy Leasure, Scott Lewis, Bridget Leyland, and Alex Walters from the Department of Psychiatry Office of Grants and Contracts, who have been recognized by the Pitt Health Sciences Research Administration Office! bit.ly/4o2dXMN

Congratulations to Dr. Patrick Buckley, who recently received two prestigious UPMC awards! bit.ly/43jcs4g

One of our favorite events of the year! The Psychiatry Research Pathway Symposium provides UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital residents engaged in research the opportunity to present their work, learn from each other and faculty presenters, and gather for a post-symposium reception. bit.ly/474tq7O

Findings in a new study in Translational Psychiatry suggests that what adolescents’ brains are doing during reward processing, other than directly processing rewards, might interfere with treatment. bit.ly/4nDR9ma

Rui Peixoto, PhD, is an expert in developmental neuroscience and investigates abnormalities in cortical and striatal development associated with autism spectrum disorder. He is senior author of recent papers published in Cell Reports and Molecular Psychiatry. bit.ly/4gV8ioY