We are delighted to announce that Victor Villemagne, MD (Professor of Psychiatry), has been awarded the prestigious 2022 Aging Mind Foundation Award for his project on in vivo assessment of neuroimmune response to Alzheimer’s disease pathology and neurodegeneration. The highly competitive, annually awarded grant is given to a scientific research study that seeks to elucidate the cause of Alzheimer’s disease and...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to three recent additions to our faculty: Abigail Geisler, DO (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) Dr. Geisler earned her medical degree at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. Upon receiving her DO, she completed residency training in psychiatry at Allegheny Health Network, where she was named chief resident and resident of the year. Dr. Geisler joined the Pitt...

Congratulations to Danella Hafeman, MD, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), who has been named director of the Department’s Psychiatry Research Pathway (PRP) for residents. Dr. Hafeman succeeds David Volk, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), who has provided outstanding leadership of the program since 2012. In addition, we are pleased to announce that Zachary Freyberg, MD, PhD (Assistant Professor of...

Vaccine hesitancy around COVID-19, in which individuals neither fully accept nor fully reject the COVID-19 vaccine, presents a major health threat in the midst of the current pandemic. In some instances, traditional approaches for addressing vaccine hesitancy in health care can increase feelings of reluctance. Motivational interviewing, a collaborative conversation style for strengthening motivation and commitment...

We are delighted to announce that Marta Peciña, MD, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Peciña earned her MD, and her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Navarra in Spain. She completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Navarra Medical Center, and postdoctoral training in neuroimaging at the University of Michigan. In...

Among seniors graduating from medical school, interest in Psychiatry, and especially in our residency program, has continued to grow in recent years. This year, we are proud to introduce an outstanding class of PGY1 residents entering our General Psychiatry, General and Child, Family Medicine and Psychiatry, and Triple Board tracks. Please join us in welcoming this group of outstanding physicians as they embark on...

Dana Rofey, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Psychology, and Clinical and Translational Science), has dedicated her career to increasing access to evidence-based clinical care, as well as to psychological well-being and physical health, in diverse populations of adolescents and young adults. She earned a PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Cincinnati and completed postdoctoral...

Congratulations to Ryan Peterson, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), who will assume the role of Director of the Psychiatry Clerkship for medical students at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine on July 1, 2022. Dr. Peterson will succeed Neeta Shenai, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), who has served as clerkship director for three years. The Clerkship provides third- and fourth-year medical...

Adolescent offspring of depressed parents show diminished response to reward in the ventral striatum. Though factors associated with neural alterations in childhood are poorly understood, altered reward response may emerge before adolescence in offspring at familial risk for depression. A group of investigators, including Pitt Psychiatry scientists Judith Morgan, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and...

Graduates of the UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) residency training program gathered with friends, family, loved ones, and supporters at the Pitt University Club on June 16, 2022. The ceremony was livestreamed for those who could not attend in person. Michael Travis, MD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Senior Director for Postgraduate Physician Training) opened the ceremony remarking, “As I have...