Conferences

The University of Pittsburgh Center for Sleep and Circadian Science (CSCS) Research Day is scheduled for Thursday, November 9, 2017 from 9 am – 6 pm. This event will highlight the innovative and transdisciplinary sleep research across the translational spectrum taking place here at Pitt and other local universities. It also provides us with the opportunity to network with colleagues. 

LOCATION: Please join us at the University Club located at 123 University Place on the Oakland University of Pittsburgh campus for this event. 

Although onset of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia tends to occur in late adolescence and early adulthood, these disorders are neurodevelopmental in nature. Neural and clinical precursors of illness may occur long before individuals meet threshold diagnostic criteria. In this lecture, we will take a trans¬diagnostic approach to discussing these precursors, and how they may be the key to early detection of elevated risk for onset of these disorders. We will first review the literature on clinical risk syndromes for psychosis and bipolar disorder.

The Department of Psychiatry will host a Clinical Grand Rounds focusing on communication and goals of care in palliative care settings to help psychiatrists working with patients in those settings. Dr. Pierre Azzam will be joined by his colleagues, Dr. Robert Arnold, Chief of the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics and Medical Director of the UPMC Palliative and Supportive Institute, and Dr. Lisa Podgurski, Medical Director of the Magee-Women's Hospital Palliative Care Service.

In this presentation, Dr. Levenson will review the nature of adolescent sleep, adolescent media use, and their association. She will also discuss some potential mechanisms underlying the association between sleep and media use. We will review findings from recent work conducted here at the University of Pittsburgh on the association of sleep and media use among young adults, and we will explore clinical recommendations for limiting media use among youth. We will end by discussing novel applications for our findings, as well as potential next steps in research.

Dr. James Tew will provide a brief history of the use of behavioral health intensive care units (BHICUs) serving individuals with high clinical acuity. A brief literature review will provide attendees with more insight into the characteristics of BHICUs, their patient population, and the ethical considerations in high-acuity care settings. Dr. Tew will also discuss specific assessment tools that clinicians use for monitoring patient acuity and the management strategies employed in intensive care settings.