Faculty

Natacha M DeGenna, PhD

Natacha M DeGenna, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and Epidemiology

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
De Genna Lab

Education & Training

PhD
Developmental Psychology, Concordia University
Substance Use Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh

Current Appointments

Assistant Center Director, Community Outreach and Engagement, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

Professional Affiliations

Member, Society for Research in Nicotine and Tobacco
Member, College for Problems of Drug Dependence
Member, Developmental Neurotoxicology Society

Selected Honors & Awards

Patricia Rodier Mid-Career Award for Research and Mentoring, Developmental Neurotoxicology Society
Medical Student Research Mentoring Merit Award, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Accolade, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Research Interests

Perinatal nicotine, cannabis, and alcohol use; Inequities in reproductive health; Cancer prevention
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Boss N, Frankeberger J, Hossain F, Mark E, Coulter RW, De Genna NM. Exploring peripartum cannabis use among young sexual minority people: A qualitative study. Substance Use & Addiction journal.2025 Jan 16:29767342241310950. doi: 10.1177/29767342241310950. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39817350.
  2. De Genna NM, Boss N, Hossain F, Frankeberger J, Mark E, Coulter RW. A qualitative investigation of nicotine and tobacco use in young pregnant and birthing sexual minority people. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 2024 Jul 26:ntae189. PMID: 39058322
  3. De Genna NM, Willford JA, Richardson GA. Long-term effects of prenatal cannabis exposure: Pathways to adolescent and adult outcomes. Pharmacol Biochem Behav, 2022; 214:173358. PMID: 35216971
  4. De Genna NM, Goldschmidt L, Day NL, Cornelius MD. Prenatal tobacco exposure, maternal postnatal nicotine dependence and adolescent risk for nicotine dependence: Birth cohort study. Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 2017 Feb 24;61:128.
  5. De Genna NM, Feske U, Larkby C, Angiolieri T, Gold MA. Pregnancies, abortions, and births among women with and without borderline personality disorder. Women's Health Issues. 2012 Jul 1;22(4):e371-7.

Clinical Interests

Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. De Genna NM, Jacobsen E, Ganguli M. Marijuana use among community-dwelling older adults: A population-based study. International journal of geriatric psychiatry. 2024 Apr;39(4):e6086. PMID: 38613138
  2. De Genna NM, Hossain F, Dwarakanath M, Ms Balascio P, Ms Moore M, Hill AV. Pandemic stressors and vaccine hesitancy among young, pregnant Black people: A qualitative study of health disparities during a global pandemic. Birth Defects Research. 2023 Dec 1;115(20):1912-22. PMID: 37807480
  3. De Genna NM, Qu Y, Cheng Y, Emery Tavernier RL, Kolko Conlon RP, Levine MD. Trajectories of return to cigarette smoking up to 1 year postpartum among people who quit smoking during pregnancy. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 2023 May 1;25(5):875-81.
  4. Hill AV, Balascio P, Moore M, Hossain F, Dwarkananth M, De Genna NM. Young black women's desired pregnancy and birthing support during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. SSM. Qualitative Research in Health. 2023 Dec;4. PMID: 38106375
  5. De Genna NM, Feske U. Phenomenology of Borderline Personality Disorder: The Role of Race and Socioeconomic Status. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 2013 Dec 1;201(12):1027-34. PMID: 24284636

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Graduate student mentorship

M-PIRE: The Psychiatry Maternal Perinatal Infant Research Collaborative

Drs. Rachel Kolko Conlon and Heather Joseph

Two years ago, Rachel Kolko Conlon, PhD (Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), and Heather Joseph, DO (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics), were looking for opportunities to merge their mutual research interests in perinatal and infant mental health. They formed the Psychiatry Maternal Perinatal Infant Research Collaborative, which brings together faculty and trainees with both research and...

LGBT Health: Prenatal Substance Use Among Young Pregnant Sexual Minority People

Pregnant Woman

Sexual minority youth have higher rates of substance use and pregnancy than heterosexual youth, and substance use is more common among cisgender individuals assigned female at birth. In addition, substance use during pregnancy is more prevalent among adolescents than adults. Although sexual minority youth are at greater risk for tobacco and cannabis use during pregnancy, there is a lack of research on substance use...

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Promotes Natacha De Genna, PhD, to Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Dr. Natacha De Genna

We are delighted to announce that Natacha De Genna, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. De Genna earned her PhD in developmental psychology from Concordia University (Montreal, Québec). After receiving her doctorate, she arrived in Pittsburgh to conduct postdoctoral research in substance use epidemiology as part of the Department of...

Neurotoxicology and Teratology: A longitudinal study of the impact of marijuana on adult memory function: Prenatal, adolescent, and young adult exposures

Richardson & Colleagues Neurotoxicology and Teratology 2021

Marijuana use has increased nationwide over recent decades and health experts are concerned about its long-term impact on cognitive functioning, especially memory. Some recent studies on marijuana use and cognitive functioning have shown recovery of functioning upon abstinence from the drug, while others have demonstrated long-term, persistent effects, particularly among individuals who begin using marijuana at a...

First Time R01 Recipients Embark on Next Phase of Their Careers

The receipt of a researcher's first R01 grant is an important milestone in their career as an independent scientist. Six investigators in the Department of Psychiatry, who recently completed NIH-funded mentored career development K grants, have successfully transitioned to their first R01 awards. These individuals, are representative of the many, next-generation scientists who are conducting innovative and exciting...