Faculty

Danella M Hafeman, MD, PhD

Danella M Hafeman, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
Mood Disorder Early Intervention Research Group
CABS Clinic

Education & Training

MD
Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons
PhD
Epidemiology, Columbia University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh

Selected Honors & Awards

Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Depression, Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation
Outstanding Resident Award, National Institutes of Mental Health

Research Interests

Person-level risk prediction for bipolar disorder; Neuroimaging of mood disorders; Neural & behavioral mechanisms of mindfulness
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Hafeman DM, Ostroff N, Feldman J, Hickey MB, Phillips ML, Creswell D, Birmaher B, Goldstein TR. Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Decrease Mood Lability in At-Risk Youth: Preliminary Evidence for Changes in Resting State Functional Connectivity. Journal of Affective Disorders. (In Press)
  2. Hafeman DM, Rooks B, Merranko J, Liao F, Gill MK, Goldstein TR, Diler R, Ryan N, Goldstein BI, Axelson DA, Strober M, Keller M, Hunt J, Hower H, Weinstock LM, Yen S, Birmaher B. Lithium Versus Other Mood Stabilizing Medications in a Longitudinal Study of Bipolar Youth. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. (In Press)
  3. Hafeman DM, Merranko J, Goldstein TR, Axelson D, Goldstein BI, Monk K, Hickey MB, Sakolsky D, Diler R, Iyengar S, Brent DA, Kupfer DJ, Kattan MW, Birmaher B. Assessment of a Person-Level Risk Calculator to Predict New-Onset Bipolar Spectrum Disorder in Youth at Familial Risk. JAMA Psychiatry. 2017.
  4. Hafeman D, Bebko G, Bertocci MA, Fournier JC, Chase HW, Bonar L, Perlman SB, Travis M, Gill MK, Diwadkar VA, Sunshine JL, Holland SK, Kowatch RA, Birmaher B, Axelson D, Horwitz SM, Arnold LE, Fristad MA, Frazier TW, Youngstrom EA, Findling RL, Phillips ML. Amygdala-prefrontal cortical functional connectivity during implicit emotion processing differentiates youth with bipolar spectrum from youth with externalizing disorders. J Affect Disord. 2017;208:94-100.
  5. Hafeman DM, Merranko J, Axelson D, Goldstein BI, Goldstein T, Monk K, Hickey MB, Sakolsky D, Diler R, Iyengar S, Brent D, Kupfer D, Birmaher B. Toward the Definition of a Bipolar Prodrome: Dimensional Predictors of Bipolar Spectrum Disorders in At-Risk Youths. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2016;173(7):695-704.

Clinical Interests

Bipolar disorders; Youth at risk for bipolar disorders

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Postdoctoral career development; Resident research mentorship

Psychiatry Residents Present Robust Research at the 5th Annual Psychiatry Research Pathway Symposium 

2022 PRP Symposium Participants

The Psychiatry Research Pathway (PRP) Symposium provides UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital residents engaged in research the opportunity to present their work to an audience of fellow residents, faculty mentors, T32 postdoctoral research program directors, and other members of our academic community. This year, seven residents presented current and/or future research, followed by Q&A and lively discussion among the...

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation vs Sham for the Treatment of Inattention in Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: The TUNED Randomized Clinical Trial

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for ADHD Treatment in Adults

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects 2.5% of adults worldwide. Pharmacotherapy is the recommended initial treatment for most adults, but patient adherence can be low due to adverse effects and other concerns. Therefore, the investigation of nonpharmaceutical treatments for ADHD is critical. One option is transcranial direct current stimulation, a noninvasive...

Danella Hafeman, MD, PhD, & Zachary Freyberg, MD, PhD, to Lead the Psychiatry Research Pathway

Drs. Danella Hafeman and Zachary Freyberg

Congratulations to Danella Hafeman, MD, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), who has been named director of the Department’s Psychiatry Research Pathway (PRP) for residents. Dr. Hafeman succeeds David Volk, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), who has provided outstanding leadership of the program since 2012. In addition, we are pleased to announce that Zachary Freyberg, MD, PhD (Assistant Professor of...

The Department of Psychiatry’s 20th Annual Research Day

The 20th annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day on June 9, 2022, represented a joyful reunion for more than 400 faculty members, trainees, and staff, who had not attended a large in-person event together since 2019. The morning session featured 110 posters at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. In the afternoon, attendees gathered across the street at the University...