Faculty

Paula Powe, MD

Paula Powe, MD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email

Education & Training

MD
Howard University, College of Medicine
Psychiatry, Montefiore Medical Center
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Yale Child Study Center

Specialty Certifications

Board Certification
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)

Current Appointments

Medical Director, Theiss Child and Adolescent Trauma Services

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Selected Honors & Awards

Invited Lecture, Senior Vice Chancellors Research Seminar Series, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Partnerships of Distinction Award, The CHURCH (Congregations as Healers Uniting to Restore Community Health) Project, University of Pittsburgh's Community Engaged Scholarship Forum
Exemplary Teaching Service in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Award, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital

Research Interests

Early childhood adversity; Black fatherhood; Social determinants of health
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Powe PM, cameron FdA, Tgan A, Alston T & Bellamy J. If you build it (with them in mind), theyre more likely to come: A qualitative study informing Black father engagement in early childhood home visiting programs,Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 172, 2025, 108256, ISSN 0190-7409, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108256.
  2. Powe PM, VanHook C, Collier A, Nakhla M, Crum I, Hamm M & Miller E. Black fathers perspectives about early childhood adversity and toxic stress: Results from focus groups. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. 2024 Apr;105(2):295-311. https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894231193867
  3. Pedersen SL, Lindstrom R, Powe PM, Louie K & Escobar-Viera C. Lack of representation in psychiatric research: A data-driven example from scientific articles published in 2019 and 2020 in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The American Journal of Psychiatry 2022 May;179(5):388-392. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.21070758

Clinical Interests

Infant mental health; Prevention and treatment of trauma

Education Interests

Social determinants of mental health; Trauma and complex PTSD

Pitt Psychiatry Juneteenth: Focus on Black Maternal Health

Brock, Cunningham, and Pannell

On June 19, 2025, members of the Department of Psychiatry and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital community gathered for a screening of a portion of the documentary film Aftershock, which addresses the Black maternal mortality crisis in the United States. David Lewis, MD (Chair, Department of Psychiatry) opened the event, noting, “While the topic of this documentary is sobering, we are incredibly fortunate that our...

Lack of Representation in Psychiatric Research: A Data-Driven Example From Scientific Articles Published in 2019 and 2020 in the American Journal of Psychiatry

American Journal of Psychiatry: Evidence of Lack of Representation in Psychiatric Research

How well is psychiatric research doing including diverse participants and reporting on sociodemographic characteristics of study samples? A team of researchers from Pitt Psychiatry—led by Sarah Pedersen, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), and including Rachel Lindstrom, PhD (Senior Statistical Coordinator, Youth and Family Research Program); Paula Powe, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry); Kelly Louie, BS...

Congratulations to the 2021 Graduates of the Clinician-Educator Faculty Development Program

Congratulations to Our Newest CEFDP Graduates

This month, the most recent class of early-career clinician-educator faculty graduated from the Clinician-Educator Faculty Development Program (CEFDP), a professional development opportunity for Department of Psychiatry early-career clinician-educators, specially designed to enhance clinical and academic skills, and to foster peer network connections. Because the transition to a faculty position in an academic...

Eraka Bath, MD, & Paula Powe, MD, Current Research in Trauma-Informed Psychiatry

Drs. Eraka Bath and Paula Powe

Two recent presentations offered audiences from the Department of Psychiatry and beyond a nuanced look at health disparities and trauma in psychiatry. Eraka Bath, MD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California / Los Angeles) delivered a Department of Psychiatry Distinguished Scientist Lecture, “Addressing Reproductive...

The Services for Teens at Risk (STAR)-Center 2021 Conference: “Preventing Suicide in Children and Youth: Building Resilience in the Face of Adversity”

Preventing Suicide in Children and Youth: Building Resilience in the Face of Adversity

The Services for Teens at Risk (STAR)-Center, part of UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH)’s Child and Adolescent Services, is a nationally recognized suicide prevention program that combines clinical and outreach services designed to combat the problem of child and adolescent suicide. The annual STAR-Center conference presents best practices in clinical care, incorporated into practical guidelines for...