Congratulations to Dr. Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Genetics… and now, Associate Chief of Staff for Behavioral Health at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System! Dr. Nimgaonkar assumes his new role today, May 13, 2019. Dr. Nimgaonkar is the director of the Program for Genetics and Psychoses, where he seeks to identify genetic and environmental factors that can increase the risk for...

We are delighted to announce that Elizabeth Venditti, PhD, has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Venditti earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and completed her clinical psychology internship at New York University-Bellevue. After a successful early career in private practice, she joined the...

This paper was published in Child Maltreatment, the official publication of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, and was recently named Child Maltreatment Article of the Year for 2018. Children who experience physical abuse or harsh physical discipline are particularly vulnerable to adverse mental health outcomes such as trauma symptoms, aggression, interpersonal problems, substance use and...

We are delighted to announce that Meryl Butters, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Translational Science won the Philip Troen, MD, Excellence in Medical Student Research Mentoring Award at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine annual Scholars Day. This prestigious award is presented to a Longitudinal Research Project (LRP) mentor of a graduating Pitt Med student in recognition for outstanding...

The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce the promotion of Amy Byrd, PhD, to Assistant Professor of Psychiatry. Dr. Byrd’s primary research interest is the neurobiological processes underlying the development and persistence of reactive aggression. She focuses on adolescence, a particularly vulnerable developmental window characterized by changes in neural circuitry associated with threat and...

Many patients experiencing first-episode psychosis don’t receive medical care until they have endured psychotic symptoms for an extended period, which is referred to as duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). Such long periods of untreated psychosis—the average length is 74 weeks—are associated with poorer clinical outcomes, creating an urgent need to improve the means to reduce DUP. An important step toward this...

It is our pleasure to announce that Pierre Azzam, MD, has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Azzam is a highly respected specialist in consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatry and is dually certified in psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine. He earned his MD from Baylor College of Medicine in 2005 and completed his psychiatry residency...

Gina Perez, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, is Associate Chief, Behavioral Health Network and Telepsychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Dr. Perez earned her medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and completed her residency at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. After beginning her career at the University of Maryland and then serving as the Regional Medical...

A new study finds lesbian and bisexual teen girls are more likely than heterosexual girls to close down communication with their parents over the years. This loss of parent-child communication was linked to greater risk for marijuana and cigarette use when the teen turned 18, report Department of Psychiatry researchers and collaborators in the Journal of Adolescence. Most teens pull away from their parents as they...

Please join us for this special event held during the American Psychiatric Association meeting in San Francisco on Monday, May 20th from 8:00 am to 9:30 am. David A. Lewis, MD, Department Chair, and Kenneth C. Nash, MD, Vice Chair, Clinical Affairs will host the event. Click here to RSVP.