Department of Psychiatry Faculty Recognized for Scientific Contributions at 2015 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Meeting
Congratulations to the following members of the Department of Psychiatry faculty who were recognized for their contributions to the field and their service by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). The honors were announced at the College's annual meeting which took place in Hollywood, Florida on December 7-10, 2015.
Erika Forbes, PhD received the Eva King Killam Research Award in recognition of her outstanding research contributions to neuropsychopharmacology. She was also elected as a Member of the ACNP. An expert in the area of the reward-related brain function in depression, Dr. Forbes is Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Pediatrics, and directs the Affective Neuroscience and Developmental Psychopathology Laboratory. Among other accomplishments, Dr. Forbes' seminal work has revealed that function in human neural reward circuitry is disrupted in adolescent depression.
Two members of the Department of Psychiatry faculty were elected as ACNP Fellows in recognition of their substantial contributions to the College and to the field of neuropsychopharmacology.
Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, directs the Program for Genetics and Psychoses in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. He was elected as a member of the College in 2008 and has been actively engaged in numerous activities. Dr. Nimgaonkar's research program focuses on the genetic causes of psychotic disorders including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and also serves as a training ground for young scientists from the United States and international scholars.
Colleen McClung, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, is an expert on circadian rhythms and their importance in mood and addictive disorders. By studying the mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms and individual circadian genes, investigators in the McClung Laboratory are contributing to our understanding of the regulation of mood and addictive behaviors with the goal of ultimately identifying successful mood stabilizers for treating mood disorders. Dr. McClung has been active in the ACNP since her election as a member in 2009 and has served on the organization's Publication Information and Program Committees.