Pitt Psychiatry Research and Mentoring Honors at the University of Pittsburgh Postdoctoral Association Awards
Congratulations to Julia Feldman, PhD; Rayan Mroué, MD; and Andréia Rocha, PhD, who received Best Poster Presentation Awards at the University of Pittsburgh Postdoctoral Association (UPPDA) 2026 Postdoctoral Data & Dine Symposium. Dr. Feldman, Dr. Mroué, and Dr. Rocha were counted among 10 total award recipients chosen from 103 posters across 40 departments at the University. Further congratulations to Marina Scop Medeiros, MD, who received a People’s Choice Award, selected by attendees.
In addition, we’re pleased to announce that faculty member Kristine Wilckens, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), received the UPPDA 2026 Postdoctoral Mentor Award!
Dr. Feldman works in the Attention in Babies and Children Lab, led by Heather Joseph, DO (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics). Her research focuses on applying principles of developmental psychopathology to assess how contextual factors impact young children’s socioemotional development. Dr. Feldman’s UPPDA poster was entitled Being “On the Go” and Interrupting Are Most Strongly Associated with ADHD Diagnosis in a National Sample of Preschoolers in the United States.
Dr. Mroué conducts research in the Pascoal Lab, directed by Tharick Pascoal, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology). His research focuses on investigating the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease and is interested in the relationship between medication use and tau tracers in Alzheimer's. His UPPDA poster was entitled Differential Tau-PET Load Predominance Along a Hierarchical Trajectory Determines Clinical Phenotypes in Alzheimer's Disease.
Dr. Rocha, also from the Pascoal Lab, focuses on advancing Alzheimer's disease research by improving our understanding of glial biomarkers and their underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Her UPPDA poster was entitled Tracking Tau Spread: MK6240 Assigns Higher Braak Stages than Flortaucipir.
Pascoal Lab member Dr. Scop Medeiros’s People’s Choice Award-winning poster was entitled Comparative Clinical Concordance of Tau-PET Staging Frameworks Across Tracers.
Dr. Wilckens received the Postdoctoral Mentor Award in recognition of her unwavering commitment to supporting postdoctoral development. In particular, the UPPDA noted her dedication to fostering a genuine sense of community through initiatives like weekly writing sessions; fierce, proactive advocacy for her mentees’ professional growth; and her ability to balance high-level scientific championing with a clear respect for the well-being of her scholars. Dr. Wilckens conducts research in the Center for Sleep and Circadian Science, focusing on the role of sleep in promoting brain health and cognitive fitness. Her methodological expertise includes interventions that enhance aspects of sleep that are most restorative to brain health, including behavioral and neuromodulatory interventions.
Congratulations to all!