News

On March 27, 2025, Pitt Psychiatry clinician-educator faculty and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) staff, residents, and clinical fellows gathered on the second floor of WPH for the Department’s annual Clinician Educator Showcase.

Career Recognitions

Department Chair David Lewis, MD, recognized career milestones and lifetime achievements of two faculty members. 

Ghennady Gushchin, MD, PhD, transitioned to clinician emeritus status earlier this year following 23 years as a member of the Psychiatry faculty. Dr. Gushchin has made tremendous contributions to the Department and UPMC during his career, providing both the highest quality patient care across numerous settings as a consultation-liaison psychiatrist, and outstanding clinical supervision for residents and medical students. 

Dr. Lewis presented Kurt Ackerman, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), with a special recognition for outstanding contributions to clinical care, teaching, leadership, and service since joining the faculty in 1997. Dr. Ackerman is an outstanding physician and a leader in the field of consultation-liaison psychiatry. In addition, having obtained unique expertise in regulatory oversight, information technology, and clinical administration, he has served as medical director of Behavioral Health Informatics, and worked with colleagues to create the Informatics Division at WPH. Dr. Ackerman epitomizes an outstanding clinician, educator, innovator, leader, colleague, and friend to many in the Department.

A Vibrant Keynote Presentation

Jess Shatkin, MD, MPH (Cathy and Stephen Graham Professor and Vice Chair for Education of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Professor of Pediatrics), provided the keynote address, “Mental Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: It’s About Time.” Dr. Shatkin described his career path as a clinician educator, as well as his work as founder and director of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies (CAMS) program at NYU.

Speed Dat(a)ing and Fast Pitch Psychiatry

Psychiatry residents and faculty members delivered engaging and energetic timed presentations, each of which generated numerous audience questions and comments. 

Speed Dat(a)ing
 

Isabella Kratzer, MD (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Clinical Fellow): Reproductive Health Needs and Perspectives of Inpatient Psychiatric Patients

Richa Lavingia, MD (PGY4 Psychiatry Resident): Brexanalone Outcomes at a Tertiary Care Women’s Hospital

Robert Tessier, MD (PGY4 Psychiatry Resident): Training Psychiatrist Advocates – Developing a Healthcare Advocacy Curriculum for UPMC Psychiatry Residents

Christine Tosches, MD (PGY4 Psychiatry Resident): Civil Commitment Hearing Education in Psychiatry Trainees

Benjamin Vanderschelden, MD (PGY4 Psychiatry Resident): From Needs Assessment to Implementation – Creating an Interventional Psychiatry Integrated Training Curriculum for a Psychiatry Residency Program

Fast Pitch Psychiatry

Anika Binner, MD (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Clinical Fellow): HOPE Team

Meredith Spada, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry): UPMC Perinatal Behavioral Health/SUD Consultation & Access Program (Perinatal TiPS)

Robin Valpey, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry): Sports Psychiatry with University of Pittsburgh Athletics

Victoria Winkeller, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry): CADD Behavioral Health Home Pilot Program

Group Discussion

Breakout sessions enabled participants to engage in group discussion and learning around the following topics:

• “No” and Other Things You Can Actually Say to Kids (and Other People) – Parent Management (Session Chair: Jess Shatkin, MD, MPH)
• “Crafting Your Elevator Pitch” the Why and How? (Session Chair: Anika Binner, MD)
• Talking Pathways to Patients (Session Chair: Michael Travis, MD)
• Engaging in Research as a Clinician-Educator Collaborator (Session Chair: Sharvari Shivanekar, MD)
• Therapeutic Re-Framing Techniques in Single-Session Encounters: Kintsugi as a Metaphor for Resilience (Session Chair: James Tew, MD)
• Listening and Leading as the Physician Team Leader (Session Chair: Eric Golden, MD)
• Major Bummer for $500 Please: Utilizing Gameshow Format for Increasing Participation in Medical Education Activities (Session Chair: Isabella Kratzer, MD)

Poster Presentations

Thank you to our poster presenters:

Roberto León-Barriera, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry): Assessment of Bias in Agitation Management During Condition Supports

Chad Donahue, MD, PhD (PGY4 Psychiatry Resident): Integrating Interactive Neuroscience Modules into Psychiatry Clerkship Curriculum - Enhancing Medical Student Understanding and Communication of Neuroscience Concepts

Will Doucette  (University of Pittsburgh Medical Student): Process and Outcomes for Deprescribing Benzodiazepines in the Outpatient Setting for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder

Jessica Gannon, MD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry): Sigmund: Building, Deploying, and Supporting a Data Analytics Dashboard for a Behavioral Health Network

Jessica Meng Jia Hao, MD, MPHS (PGY4 Psychiatry Resident): Psychiatry Residency Education on Fairness in Machine Learning: "Critically Evaluating Bias in Medical Algorithms"

Michael Rudnac, DO (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry): Real World Considerations for Pediatric Brexanolone Infusion

Thank you to all who participated and attended!