Congratulations to Fabio Ferrarelli, MD, PhD, who has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry! Dr. Ferrarelli’s research focuses on the study of neural oscillations during sleep, and how such oscillations affect fundamental aspects of brain function. bit.ly/4unhPvj
A recent Pitt Psychiatry study, published in JAMA Neurology, tested whether daily low-dose lithium carbonate could delay cognitive decline in adults aged 60+ with mild cognitive impairment. Results confirmed that low-dose lithium was safe and well tolerated in older adults. bit.ly/46J6ATV
Congratulations to Thomas Karikari, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine! Dr. Karikari is an internationally recognized expert in plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. bit.ly/3OYF7Y8
Findings from a recent study suggest that exploration targets are identified through coordinated activity binding prefrontal default network value representations to posterior hippocampal maps. Find out more: bit.ly/4ua2lLe
Congratulations to Victor Villemagne, MD, who has been elected to the Association of American Physicians! Dr. Villemagne is one of the most highly regarded global experts in Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers. bit.ly/4aGK0w3
Due to the generosity of donor families, the Pitt NBB is an invaluable resource for investigators using postmortem human brain tissue for research and is uniquely equipped to provide postmortem brain specimens to scientists investigating psychiatric disorders: bit.ly/3OfGth3
Congrats to Mary Woody, PhD, who has been promoted to Associate Professor by the University of Pittsburgh! Dr. Woody's research focuses on adolescent depression, with a primary goal of identifying risk factors that can be targeted in clinical prevention and intervention programs. bit.ly/4rWoOJD
Pitt Psychiatry investigators recently published articles that describe advances in clinical care in the diagnosis of bipolar/psychotic disorders, guidelines for deprescribing benzodiazepine, the promise of infant MRI studies, and assessment for risk for suicidal behavior. bit.ly/3NQHQm9
Congrats to Antoine Douaihy, MD, who has received conferral of tenure at the rank of professor! Dr. Douaihy is an outstanding clinical leader, teacher, and researcher with expertise in addiction medicine and dual diagnosis, motivational interviewing, & substance use and co-morbid HIV. bit.ly/49O2uMd
Pitt Psychiatry had lots of good news from @acnporg.bsky.social, including awards and new memberships! See our story here: bit.ly/4jW2lK3
Results of a recent study showed that hesitation--which gives humans and other animals crucial extra time to deliberate on the best option in uncertain situations--is mediated by indirect, but not direct, pathway neurons in the dorsomedial striatum. bit.ly/3YQnETG
It is with deep sadness that we report that our friend and colleague, Kurt Ackerman, MD, PhD (Clinician Emeritus of Psychiatry), has passed away. Please read our memorial tribute on our website. bit.ly/4sUFbrE
Congrats to Leslie Horton, PhD, who has been promoted! Dr. Horton helped found and serves as director of the WPH Hope Team clinic, which specializes in interventions for young people at risk for psychosis. She conducts research focused on the mechanisms of risk for psychosis in youth. bit.ly/49Eh7QL
Dr. Karikari and Dr. Thurston are among 12 Health Sciences researchers invited to present their research in a lightning talk presentation on 1/14. Selected papers are recognized for providing deep biological or practice-changing insight. Congratulations! bit.ly/4qipsk6
Diseases of despair (DoD) in midlife adults and suicidal behavior in youths may be related, since in a recent study, having a parent with a DoD was associated with nearly double the hazard of a suicidal event in their offspring. bit.ly/4sDdG5t
Congratulations to Angela Ianni, MD, DPhil, who has been selected for the Member in Training Award by the AAGP! Dr Ianni’s research focuses on the neural processes underlying suicidal behavior in late-life depression. bit.ly/4stLzpv
CARRS focuses on risk factors for substance use disorders that emerge from the interaction of reward, cognitive control, circadian rhythms, and sleep, which show marked developmental changes during adolescence. The Center is led by Colleen McClung, PhD, and Daniel Buysse, MD. bit.ly/4bjlcwa
Lori Scott, PhD, led a study of whether stressors like social/targeted rejection are associated w/increased likelihood of suicidal ideation/behavior. Findings suggest that clinicians should ask about recent experiences of targeted rejection when assessing risk for suicidal behavior bit.ly/49bXoYv
In a paper published in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers reported regional specificity in dendritic spine alterations. These findings may help explain how both perceptual processing and higher-order cognitive functions are impaired in schizophrenia. bit.ly/4pPGTbA
The Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference presents clinical/research findings to psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, policy administrators & patients and families. The program includes art and & by individuals receiving treatment for schizophrenia at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital bit.ly/4s0p4YR
Congratulations to Ann Cohen, PhD, who has been elected to the NIA National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Steering Committee! The NACC serves as the centralized data repository, collaboration, and communication hub for the NIA’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRC) Program. bit.ly/49hIcKw
Congratulations to Nermin Toukhy, PhD, who has received an International Academy of Suicide Research (IASR) Early Career Research Award for the biological studies of suicide. Learn more about Dr. Toukhy here: bit.ly/3KNoFYZ
In JAMA Psychiatry, scientists including Kristen Eckstrand, MD, PhD, discuss the psychiatric and ethical concerns raised by care denial for transgender youth: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Pitt Psychiatry investigators have recently published research studies on mental health in late life in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, Nature Communications, and Neuropsychopharmacology. See more from Minjie Wu, PhD; Tharick Pascoal, MD, PhD; Helmet Karim, PhD; and Carmen Andreescu, MD: bit.ly/3KziYxR
Scientists led by Carla Mazefsky, PhD, created the EASE Program to improve emotion dysregulation in autistic adolescents and young adults. They tested its efficacy this population, and found that EASE resulted in greater declines in emotion dysregulation than a comparison therapy. bit.ly/4rwF84t
At this year's AACAP meeting, Pitt Psychiatry news includes two faculty members who were recognized as distinguished fellows--Abigail Schlesinger, MD, and Rameshwari Tumuluru, MD--and residents received awards and honors: Alexis McCathern, MD, and Kalyan Tripathy, MD, PhD. More: bit.ly/4olzob5
Congratulations to Abigail Schlesinger, MD, who has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry! A child and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr. Schlesinger is a recognized leader in the development of systems of care and provision of integrated behavioral health in primary care. bit.ly/4i9wPXT
Congratulations to Piper Carroll, MD, who has received the Gateway Medical Society 2025 Rising Star Award! The Award recognizes physicians who demonstrate consistent leadership and commitment to clinical excellence, community health & advocacy, and reducing health disparities. bit.ly/3X68mZY
The journal Nature has named Thomas Karikari, PhD, one of three Rising Stars in Aging Research! Dr. Karikari is an internationally recognized expert in plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. Read more here: bit.ly/3XukLa9
Congratulations to Amy Byrd, PhD, who has received the 2025 YMC Shrink Tank Brilliance Award! Her project focuses on the development of a mobile intervention delivery tool to help parents of kids at risk for aggression to identify when to implement behavioral strategies in real time. bit.ly/4qXipyf
