We are pleased to announce that Kristine Wilckens, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Wilckens received her PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and completed postdoctoral research training in the Department’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded Clinical and Translational Research Training in...

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 12, 2024. Below are the awards and honors presented at the 2024 graduation ceremony. 2024 Psychiatry Student Interest Group Exemplary Service Award for Excellence in Teaching Faculty: Daniel Bender, DO Residents: Jessica Stephens, DO, and...

The 22nd annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day, held on June 13, 2024, was the most highly attended Research Day ever, with 544 faculty members, trainees, and staff gathering at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Lunchtime Roundtables More than 260 individuals participated in or facilitated one of 19 roundtable discussion groups focused on topics including...

Pitt Psychiatry’s 2024 Research Day featured 173 poster presentations from faculty, trainees, and staff. Each poster presenter was visited by one pair of reviewers from among a total of 55 faculty discussants. During the plenary session, Outstanding Poster Presentation Awards were presented to the following recipients: Postdoctoral Scholars: Lindsay Taraban, PhD Thomas Kraynak, PhD Stanely Seah, PhD Safaa Eldeeb...

The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded Pitt Psychiatry a multi-PI, multi-site U01 award focused on applying computational methods to identify sleep signatures predictive of mental health outcomes among youth engaged in pediatric primary care. The Pediatric Precision Sleep Network (PPSN) will be led by contact principal investigator Adriane Soehner, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), and multiple...

On June 19, 2024, more than 100 members of the Department of Psychiatry and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital community gathered for a screening of the film, Freedom House Ambulance: The First Responders, and a discussion with the filmmaker and invited guests from Freedom House. David Lewis, MD (Chair, Department of Psychiatry) opened the event, noting “Juneteenth is an important holiday to remember and reflect...

We are pleased to announce that Stephanie Stepp, PhD, has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Stepp received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Missouri. She joined the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) as a clinical psychology intern, then undertook postgraduate research...

We are pleased to announce that Neil Jones, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Jones earned his PhD in clinical psychology from Duke University, having completed a clinical psychology internship at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. Dr. Jones remained in Pittsburgh as a postdoctoral scholar in Pitt Psychiatry’s National Institute of...

A cohort of early-career clinician-educator faculty members recently achieved a professional milestone, graduation from the Clinician-Educator Faculty Development Program (CEFDP). The CEFDP, directed by Gina Perez, MD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), is a Department of Psychiatry professional development opportunity for early-career clinician-educators, specially designed to enhance clinical and academic skills...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to new faculty member Christine Call, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry). Dr. Call earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Drexel University, having completed her clinical internship at the American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital Clinical Psychology Internship program. Dr. Call then remained at the University of Pittsburgh...