News

January 24, 2020

Publications

Game Changers

Three studies are featured below as Pitt Psychiatry “game changers” for their contributions to research on visualizing the human brain. Longitudinal Changes in Brain Activation during Anticipation of Monetary Loss in Bipolar Disorder Investigators including Anna Manelis, PhD, and Mary Phillips, MD, have, for the first time, examined longitudinal changes in brain activation during win and loss anticipation to...

January 21, 2020

Department

A Different Approach to Safety at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital

UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital Safety Officers

On a recent morning at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH), a staff member was greeted by a WPH safety officer. Following a quick exchange about elevator service, the officer said, “Hey, you have an awesome day!” WPH safety officers are visible throughout the hospital, maintaining a regular presence on the inpatient units and responding to calls for assistance with challenging patient encounters. They are the...

January 15, 2020

Department

The Center for Interventional Psychiatry Helps Patients with Difficult-to-Treat Psychiatric Disorders

“There was a time when electroconvulsive therapy—known as ECT—was considered a last resort for difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders,” says LalithKumar K. Solai, MD, Medical Director, Center for Interventional Psychiatry (CIP) at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH). “But a lot has changed in the last decade with ECT. This treatment is now much safer, and it can be life-saving for some patients when it is...

January 13, 2020

Department

Western Psychiatric Hospital’s New Psychiatric Emergency Services Division Enhances the Patient and Visitor Experience

UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) has a brand-new space for emergency psychiatric care and evaluation. The renovated Western Psychiatric Hospital Psychiatric Emergency Services (WPES) division enhances the comfort of WPH visitors with a bright, inviting layout. The new WPES was designed with careful attention to detail to optimize the visitor experience, including: An expanded space that provides greater...

January 10, 2020

Publications

Now in Cell Reports: New Findings Related to Early Abnormal Striatal Development and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by cognitive and behavioral deficits that typically emerge before the age of three. While this distinctive developmental trajectory and the selective degradation of particular abilities suggest that ASD arises from impaired developmental processes affecting the maturation of specific neural circuits, the developmental stage at which circuit dysfunction associated with...

January 8, 2020

Faculty

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Promotes Ann Cohen, PhD, to Associate Professor of Psychiatry

We are delighted to announce that Ann Cohen, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Cohen completed her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh. She then joined Pitt Psychiatry as a postdoctoral fellow working with William Klunk, MD, PhD, an international expert in the field of Alzheimer’s Disease. Upon completion of her...