A recent study in Molecular Psychiatry shares findings that help explain how antipsychotic drugs might contribute to the development of conditions such as diabetes and obesity by influencing dopamine receptors outside of the brain. The study’s lead author, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Cell Biology Zachary Freyberg, MD, PhD, shared how this investigation evolved and considered avenues for further research...

The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce results of the 2019 Residency Match for the General Psychiatry, Child, Triple Board, and Family Medicine/Psychiatry tracks. The new class of PGY1 residents was announced and celebrated at the Resident and Fellow Spring Gathering held March 15th. We thank everyone who contributed during the recruitment season. GENERAL PSYCHIATRY Meghan Bisbey - University of...

Don't forget to mark your calendars and join us on October 10, 2019 when the Department of Psychiatry and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) host the 8th Annual Clinician Educator Showcase. This half-day event is an important venue for highlighting clinical innovations implemented by our faculty and staff and for sharing information and strategies on career development, clinical practice, and quality...

One of the greatest challenges associated with treating substance use disorders is the heightened attention users give to drug-associated cues, which can produce intense cravings and lead to relapse. One way to reduce the influence of these cues is through extinction learning, in which the cues are presented when the drug is not available, with the goal of reducing the intensity of the association between cocaine...

Imagine a team that, despite its best efforts, has experienced a terrible patient outcome. Some of them may think, I just completely blew it. Maybe I’m not cut out for this. For those whose daily mission is to serve patients and families, often in stressful, high-pressure situations, access to compassionate support is critical to ensuring the continued ability to deliver high-quality patient care. At UPMC Western...

The Department of Psychiatry is now accepting abstracts for consideration for poster presentations for its 19th Annual Research Day. If you would like to submit an abstract, click here to access the Call for Abstracts and Abstract Submission Form. The deadline for submission is April 8, 2019. Research Day will take place on Thursday, June 13, 2019 at the University Club on the Oakland campus. This full-day event is...

The American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry has presented Mary Ganguli, MBBS (MD), MPH, Professor of Psychiatry, Epidemiology, and Neurology, with the 2019 Distinguished Scientist Award during its annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on March 1st. Dr. Ganguli received the award in recognition of her many years of significant contributions to the field and her mentorship of successful junior researchers in the...

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a highly heritable mental illness in which affected individuals experience alternating periods of mania and depression. For more than 15 years, Pitt Department of Psychiatry researchers have been conducting longitudinal assessments of families with BD aimed at identifying the earliest signs of the disorder. The latest analysis of this neuroimaging data, recently published in the journal...

The University of Pittsburgh has presented Mary Phillips, MD, MD (CANTAB) with the 2019 Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award in honor of her outstanding record of research and academic activities in the field of psychiatric neuroscience. The University announced Dr. Phillips’ selection for the award at its annual Honors Convocation on February 22, 2019. As part of the award, Dr. Phillips will receive a cash...

Antipsychotic drugs are effective for psychotic symptoms but of limited utility for negative symptoms and general psychopathology (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress). Some patients with schizophrenia are thought to experience an exacerbation of symptoms caused by an imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and elevated levels of inflammatory proteins. These immune-inflammatory alterations may adversely...