Loss of control over eating (the ingestion of food accompanied by the perception of being unable to control the amount of food consumed) is the core psychological phenomenon associated with binge eating. Loss of control over eating during pregnancy impacts prenatal health and often co-occurs with depressive symptoms. Importantly, both loss of control over eating and depression during pregnancy confer risk for poor...

Recent papers from the Department of Psychiatry examine clinical initiatives around integration of behavioral health teams in OB-GYN clinics, fetal inflammatory response and risk for psychiatric disorders, and the association between benzodiazepine use and risk of cognitive impairment among older adults. Impact of colocated behavioral health on OB-GYN clinicians' rate of perinatal behavioral health diagnosis and...

We are pleased to announce that Britny Hildebrandt, PhD, has been promoted to Assistant Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Hildebrandt earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Michigan State University, having completed her clinical internship at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH). She then conducted postdoctoral research training as part of the National Institute...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new clinical faculty members: Samantha Sahi, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) Dr. Sahi earned her MD from the University of San Francisco School of Medicine, and completed psychiatry residency training at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, where she served as chief resident for ambulatory services. Dr. Sahi's clinical interests include collaborative care, autism...

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...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to three new clinical faculty members: Patrick Buckley, MD, MBA (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) Dr. Buckley received his MD and MBA from the University of Virginia in 2018, then came to Pittsburgh for psychiatry residency training at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) in the Academic Administrator Clinician Educator (AACE) Track. He served as Chief Resident of...

Please join us in congratulating Benjamin Handen, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry), who has received the 2023 American Psychological Association (APA) Division 33 Edgar A. Doll Award. Division 33 of the APA is dedicated to advancing psychological research, professional education, and clinical services that increase quality of life in individuals with intellectual & developmental disabilities/autism spectrum disorder...

Please join us in congratulating Danella Hafeman, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), who has received the 2023 Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) Gerald R. Klerman Award. The Klerman award honors outstanding clinical research achievement by a BBRF young investigator. Dr. Hafeman is a clinical expert in pediatric mood disorders and her research focuses on the prediction of bipolar disorder in...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new faculty members: Feng Li, MD, PhD (Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) Dr. Li received his MD in clinical medicine from Shandong First Medical University (2001) and his PhD in endocrinology and metabolism from Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine in China (2012). He completed residency training at Shanghai Xin-Hua Hospital in the Shanghai...

Despite the prevailing focus on executive functioning impairments as primary contributors to clinical outcomes in individuals with psychosis, the contribution of sensory disruptions to disease morbidity in psychosis is receiving increasing attention among scientists who study schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Reductions in neurophysiological markers of both auditory and visual early perceptual processing...