Faculty

Graduates of the UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) residency training program gathered with friends, family, loved ones, and supporters at the Pitt University Club on June 1, 2023. Below are the awards and honors presented at the 2023 graduation ceremony. 2023 Psychiatry Student Interest Group Exemplary Service Award for Excellence in Teaching: Faculty: Laima Spokas, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry)...

Many congratulations to Daniel Bender, DO (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), who has received a 2022 UPMC ACES award. This prestigious award honors individuals who regularly go above and beyond. Following residency training in general psychiatry and a clinical fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry, Dr. Bender joined the Department of Psychiatry faculty in 2019 as a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Dr...

Congratulations to the most recent graduates of the Clinician-Educator Faculty Development Program (CEFDP)! The CEFDP is a Department of Psychiatry professional development opportunity for early-career clinician-educators, specially designed to enhance clinical and academic skills and to foster peer network connections. Because the transition to a faculty position in an academic medical center can be challenging...

On March 25, 2021, Pitt Psychiatry clinician-educator faculty and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) trainees and staff gathered virtually for the Department’s 9th Clinician Educator Showcase. The Showcase is an annual opportunity for clinician-educators to learn about promising clinical innovations and the latest quality improvement initiatives. The event includes career development roundtable discussions...

Pictured above: Drs. Priyanka Amin, Thersilla Oberbarnscheidt, Shelly Kucherer, Dan Bender and Ran Li. The Department of Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to the physicians below, who join our clinician-educator faculty at the rank of assistant professor. Priyanka Amin, MD Dr. Amin earned her MD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Following her graduation from medical school, she joined Western...