Faculty

David W Volk, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
Translational Neuroscience Program

Education & Training

MD
University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine
PhD
Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences
Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC

Research Interests

Microglial activation in schizophrenia; Cortical circuitry dysfunction in schizophrenia; Animal models; pathophysiology of schizophrenia
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Volk DW. Role of microglia disturbances and immune-related marker abnormalities in cortical circuitry dysfunction in schizophrenia. Neurobiology of Disease,99:58-65, 2017(11): 1112-1121, 2015
  2. Volk DW, Huang Y, Edelson JR, Sampson AR, & Lewis DA. Cortical GABA markers identify a molecular subtype of psychotic and bipolar disorders. Psychological Medicine, 46(12):2501-2512, 2016.
  3. Volk DW, Edelson JR, & Lewis DA. Altered expression of developmental regulators of parvalbumin and somatostatin neurons in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 177(1-3):3-9, 2016
  4. Volk DW, Chitrapu A, Edelson JR, Roman KM, Morocco AE, & Lewis DA. Molecular mechanisms and timing of cortical immune activation in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 172(11): 1112-1121, 2015
  5. Volk DW, Matsubara T, Li S, Sengupta EJ, Georgiev D, Minabe Y, Sampson A, Hashimoto T, & Lewis DA. Deficits in transcriptional regulators of cortical parvalbumin neurons in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(10):1082-1091, 2012

Clinical Interests

Emergency psychiatric services

Education Interests

Research training for residents; Research mentorship; Resident mentorship

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...

Psychiatry Residents Present Innovative Research at the Third Annual Psychiatry Research Pathway Symposium 

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, and other members of our career development community. This year’s program included a talk from seven residents on their current and/or future research, followed by questions and feedback. Program Director...

Department Researchers Find Higher Activity of the Immune-Regulating NF-κB Signaling Pathway in Schizophrenia

Dr. David Volk

Schizophrenia is a devastating neurodevelopmental disorder, marked by changes in a person’s thinking, emotions, and behavior. A number of brain areas are affected in the illness, including a region called the prefrontal cortex that is important for cognitive control of behavior. A growing body of evidence suggests that the immune system is activated in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia, but it is unclear how...