Faculty

Vanessa M Brown, PhD

Vanessa M Brown, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email

Education & Training

PhD
Clinical Psychology, Virginia Tech
Clinical Psychology, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Clinical and Translational Research Training in Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Professional Affiliations

Member, Society of Biological Psychiatry
Member, Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology
Member, Anxiety and Depression Association of America

Research Interests

Learning and decision-making; Anxiety, trauma, and mood disorders; Neurocomputational modeling
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Brown VM, Gillan CM, Renard M, Kaskie R, Degutis M, Wears A ... & Price RB. (2022). A double-blind study assessing the impact of orbitofrontal theta burst stimulation on goal-directed behavior. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science.
  2. Brown VM, Zhu L, Solway A, Wang JM, McCurry KL, King-Casas B & Chiu PH. (2021). Reinforcement learning disruptions in individuals with depression and sensitivity to symptom change following cognitive behavioral therapy. JAMA psychiatry, 78(10), 1113-1122.
  3. Brown VM, Wilson JW, Hallquist MN, Szanto K & Dombrovski AY. (2020). Ventromedial prefrontal value signals and functional connectivity during decision-making in suicidal behavior and impulsivity. Neuropsychopharmacology, 45(6), 1034-1041.
  4. Brown VM, Chen J, Gillan CM, Price RB. (2020). Improving the reliability of computational analyses: Model-based planning and its relationship with compulsivity. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 5(6), 601-609.
  5. Brown VM, Zhu L, Wang JM, Frueh BC, King-Casas B & Chiu PH. (2018). Associability-modulated loss learning is increased in posttraumatic stress disorder. eLife, 7, e30150.

Clinical Interests

Exposure therapy; Learning-based treatments

Spotlight: The UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital Clinical Psychology Internship

Drs. Tina Goldstein & Michele Levine Direct the Clinical Psychology Internship

The Department of Psychiatry and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) Predoctoral Clinical Psychology Internship Program provides a unique training experience, in a broad range of clinical settings, for clinical psychology graduate students pursuing a doctoral degree. The internship program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and is a member of the Academy of Psychological Clinical...

JAMA Psychiatry: The Association of Reinforcement Learning Disruptions and Major Depressive Disorder and Sensitivity to Symptom Change Following Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Dr. Vanessa Brown

Major challenges associated with the characterization and treatment of major depressive disorder are largely due to the heterogeneity of associated symptoms, though recent research has focused on anhedonia and negative affect as potentially useful treatment targets. In a recent JAMA Psychiatry study, investigators including Vanessa Brown, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), the study’s first author, studied if...

Pitt Psychiatry Hosts a Tremendous Research “Half” Day

2021 Research Day

On June 9, 2021, the Department of Psychiatry held its 2nd virtual Research Day, featuring presentations on health equity research, a speed dat(a)ing session, a keynote address, and honors and awards. The event was billed as a Research “Half” Day, as we hope and expect for the second half of the event, a poster session, to occur in person. (Date: October 5, 2021. Stay tuned to our events page for details!) Below is...

The American Journal of Psychiatry: Experimental Manipulation of the Orbitofrontal Cortex Affects Short-Term Markers of Compulsive Behavior

Individuals with compulsive behavior disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), experience compulsions in which the ability to engage in flexible goal-directed behavior is impaired in favor of habitual behaviors. Research from both animal and human studies have indicated that alterations within the orbitofrontal cortex are a key factor in the onset of compulsive behaviors. However, questions remain...