Faculty

Deepak K Sarpal, MD

Deepak K Sarpal, MD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3501 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Phone 412-246-5618
Email
Website
Laboratory of Psychiatric Treatments and Outcomes

Education & Training

MD
St. George’s University School of Medicine
Psychiatry, Zucker Hillside Hospital, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Specialty Certifications

Board Certification
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Current Appointments

Medical Director, Services for the Treatment of Early Psychosis (STEP) Program

Selected Honors & Awards

Rising Star Award, Pittsburgh Foundation
NARSAD Young Investigator Award, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation

Research Interests

Treatment outcomes; Psychiatric neuroimaging; Psychopharmacology; Neuromodulation
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Sonnenschein SF, Mayeli A, Yushmanov VE, Blazer A, Calabro FJ, Perica M, Foran W, Luna B, Hetherington HP, Ferrarelli F & Sarpal DK. A longitudinal differentiation of GABA, glutamate, and glutamine across the insula during antipsychotic treatment of first-episode schizophrenia. Schizophr Res. 2022. Aug 24;248:98-106
  2. Blazer A, Chengappa KNR, Foran W, Parr AC, Kahn C, Luna B & Sarpal DK. Changes in corticostriatal connectivity and striatal tissue iron associated with clozapine efficacy in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Psychopharmacology. 2022 Apr 18:1-12.
  3. Tarcijonas G, Foran W, Haas GL, Luna B, Sarpal DK. Intrinsic Connectivity of the Globus Pallidus: An uncharted marker of functional prognosis in People With First-Episode Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2020 Jan 4;46(1):184-192.
  4. Sarpal DK, Argyelan M, Robinson DG, Szeszko PR, Karlsgodt KH, John M, Weissman N, GallegoJA, Kane JM, Lencz T, Malhotra AK (2016). Baseline striatal functional connectivity as a predictor of response to antipsychotic drug treatment. The American Journal of Psychiatry 173; 69- 77.
  5. Sarpal DK, Robinson D, Lencz T, Argyelan M, Ikuta T, Karlsgodt K, Gallego JA, KaneJM, Szeszko PR, Malhotra AK (2015). Antipsychotic treatment and functional connectivity of the striatum in first-episode schizophrenia. JAMA Psychiatry 72: 5.

Clinical Interests

Psychotic disorders; Phenomenology; Psychotherapy
Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. Sarpal DK, Suh K, Bian K, Ko, PJ, Gannon JM, Jhon P, Chengappa KNR. CommunityBased Service Utilization Following Clozapine Treatment: A Mirror-Image Analysis of Public Claims Data. Psychiatr Serv. 2023 Apr 5:appips20220471. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20220471.
  2. Myers N, Hutnyan M, Daley TC, Bello I, Chacon M, Currie A, Davis BJ, Dixon L, George PE, Giannicchi A, Kwashie AN, McCormick KA, Meyer-Kalos P, Nagendra A, Nayar S, Sarpal DK, Sepahpour TY, Shapiro DI, Taylor-Zoghby J. Pathways through Early Psychosis Care for Ethnically and Racially Minoritized Youth in the U.S.: A Systematic Literature Review. Psychiatr Serv. 2023. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20220121.
  3. Esque J, Rasmussen A, Spada M, Gopalan P, Sarpal D. First-episode psychosis and the role of the psychiatric consultant. J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry. 2021 Jul 26;S2667-2960(21)00120-8.
  4. Wood HJ, Gannon JM, Chengappa KNR, Sarpal DK. Group Teletherapy for first episode psychosis: Piloting its integration with coordinated specialty care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice.2021 Jun;94(2):382-389.

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Resident education; Evidence-based psychiatry

Pitt Psychiatry Hosts Second Annual Interventional Psychiatry Showcase

Collage of Interventional Psychiatry Showcase

In interventional psychiatry research, investigators marry technology development with new knowledge of alterations in neural circuitry in psychiatric disorders. The 2025 Department of Psychiatry Interventional Psychiatry Showcase, attended by faculty, staff, and trainees, focused on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS). Through lively lunchtime roundtables...

Pitt Psychiatry Establishes Center for Neural Circuit-Based Technology Interventions in Psychiatry

Faculty of the New CNCTI-P Center

The Department of Psychiatry has established a Center for Neural Circuit-Based Technology Interventions in Psychiatry (CNCTI-P), which will be led by Mary Phillips, MD, MD (CANTAB) (Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and Bioengineering, and Pittsburgh Foundation-Emmerling Endowed Chair in Psychotic Disorders). Dr. Phillips is an international leader in affective neuroscience...

Pitt Psychiatry Hosts First Interventional Psychiatry Showcase

Interventional Psychiatry Showcase Classroom Mosaic

Interventional psychiatry is a major focus for many Pitt Psychiatry clinical and research faculty members. In the clinical environment, interventional psychiatry entails the development and implementation of novel psychiatric treatments using devices and innovative pharmacology, alone or with cognitive or behavioral treatment strategies. In interventional psychiatry research, investigators marry technology...

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Promotes Deepak Sarpal, MD, to Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Dr. Deepak Sarpal

We are pleased to announce that Deepak Sarpal, MD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Sarpal received his MD from St. George’s University School of Medicine, then completed psychiatry residency training at Zucker Hillside Hospital at Hofstra/Northwell. Dr. Sarpal joined the Pitt Department of Psychiatry as assistant professor, and...

Pitt Psychiatry News from the 2023 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Meeting

2023 ACNP Annual Meeting Collage

Many University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry faculty and trainees attended the 2023 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting to learn about and present new research, and connect with colleagues. Below is a recap of Pitt Psychiatry news from the meeting: Honorific Award Mary Phillips, MD, MD (Cantab) (Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and...