Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new faculty members: Shinnyi (Cindy) Chou, MD, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) Dr. Chou earned her MD and a PhD in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She completed her residency training in psychiatry and a child and adolescent psychiatry clinical fellowship at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH). Dr. Chou then conducted...

The most effective treatments for depression include pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, but a pressing need remains for rapid, efficacious treatments. While the administration of ketamine can reduce depressive symptoms within two to 24 hours, these effects dissipate in a brief period following a single infusion. Rebecca Price, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology), and colleagues wanted to see...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new clinical faculty members: Patrick Frailey, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) Dr. Frailey received his MD From Saint Louis University School of Medicine, then completed psychiatry residency training at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) in the Academic Administrator Clinician Educator track, and served as chief resident for inpatient services. He undertook...

Please join us in welcoming the 2024-2025 Clinical Psychology Intern class! The American Psychological Association-accredited program is led by Tina Goldstein, PhD (Pittsburgh Foundation Endowed Professor in Psychiatry Research and Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Professor of Psychology), and Michele Levine, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, and Psychology)...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new clinical faculty members: Mark Beuger, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) Dr. Beuger received his MD from Erasmus University Medical Center at the school of medicine of Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (the Netherlands). He completed an internship in medicine and psychiatry, and residency training in psychiatry at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH), followed...

Although reproductive hormones are implicated in cerebral small vessel disease in women, few studies consider measured hormones in relation to white matter hyperintensity volume, a key indicator of cerebral small vessel disease linked to future risk for stroke, dementia, and mortality. Studies of hormones and the brain in women typically focus on estradiol, the main ovarian estrogen. However, hallmark changes of...

We are pleased to announce that Nadine Melhem, PhD, has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Melhem earned her PhD in psychiatric epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. She has dedicated her research career to improving our understanding of the risk for psychiatric disorders in children who have experienced trauma or...

A new study published in PNAS by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers describes how two personality traits, callousness and exploitativeness, are related to the way humans learn to cooperate in interpersonal relationships, and how this learning unfolds in the brain. The study represents an important step toward understanding whether differences in the way we learn from others impact the types of...

We are delighted to announce that Oliver Lindhiem, PhD, has received conferral of tenure at the rank of associate professor by the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Lindhiem is nationally and internationally recognized in the field of child psychiatry for the development of parenting-based interventions to prevent and treat childhood disruptive behavior disorders. He employs advanced technological and statistical...

Despite established sex differences in the prevalence and presentation of psychiatric disorders, little is known about the cellular and synaptic mechanisms that guide these differences under basal conditions. Proper function of the prefrontal cortex is essential for the top-down regulation of motivated behaviors. The activity of the prefrontal cortex is tightly controlled by parvalbumin-expressing interneurons, a...