Faculty

Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry and Human Genetics

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
Program for Genetics and Psychoses
Assistant
Wesesky, Maribeth
weseskyma@upmc.edu

Education & Training

MD
Madras University, Christian Medical College
PhD
Neuropharmacology, University of Oxford, Faculty of Medicine
Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Community Health, Christian Medical College
Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Psychiatry, Maudsley Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Biochemistry, University of London, United Kingdom
Biochemistry, University of London, United Kingdom

Specialty Certifications

Board Certification
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Current Appointments

Director, Program for Genetics and Psychosis

Professional Affiliations

Fellow, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Member, Society of Biological Psychiatry
Member, International Society of Psychiatric Genetics
Member, American Society of Human Genetics
Member, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK

Selected Honors & Awards

International Mentorship Award, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Sir Dennis Hill Prize for Best Psychiatric Resident, Maudsley Hospital, Institute of Psychiatry, United Kingdom
Rhodes Scholarship, Rhodes Trust, India

Research Interests

Interventions for severe mental illness; Cellular models for psychosis; Neurovirology
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. D'Aiuto L, Caldwell JK, Edwards TG, Zhou C, McDonald ML, Di Maio R, Joel WA, Hyde VR, Wallace CT, Watkins SC, Wesesky MA, Shemesh OA, Nimgaonkar VL, Bloom DC. Phosphorylated-tau associates with HSV-1 chromatin and correlates with nuclear speckles decondensation in low-density host chromatin regions. Neurobiol Dis. 2025 Mar;206:106804. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106804. Epub 2025 Jan 14. PMID: 39818277; PMCID: PMC12001802.
  2. Chen X, Liu Y, Cue J, Han MV, Nimgaonkar VL, Weinberger D, Han S, Zhao Z, Chen J. (2025) Classification of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder with comorbid traits and deep learning algorithms. Schizophrenia. Res Sq [Preprint]. 11(1):14. doi: 10.1038/s41537-025-00564-7. PMID: 39910091
  3. Ganapathiraju MK, Bhatia T, Deshpande S, Wesesky M, Wood J, Nimgaonkar VL. (2024). Schizophrenia interactome-derived repurposable drugs and eandomized controlled trials of rwo xandidates. Biol Psychiatry. 96(8):651-658. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.06.022. Epub 2024 Jun 29. PMID: 38950808.
  4. Rupert PE, Roalf DR, Prasad KM, Kuo SS, Musket CW, Wood J, Gur RC, Almasy L, Gur RE, Nimgaonkar VL, Pogue-Geile MF. Genetic risk for schizophrenia and brain activation during the Penn Conditional Exclusion Test: A multiplex extended pedigree study. J Psychopathol Clin Sci. 2025 Apr;134(3):272-283. doi: 10.1037/abn0000973. Epub 2025 Feb 27. PMID: 40014520; PMCID: PMC11949699.
  5. Bhatia T, Kumari N, Yadav A, Beniwal RP, Shah G, Joel W, Jones JR, Iyenger S, Nimgaonkar VL, DeshpandeSN. Feasibility, acceptability and evaluation of meditation to augment yoga practice among persons diagnosed withschizophrenia. Acta Neuropsychiatr. 2022 May 19:1-14. doi: 10.1017/neu.2022.14. Epub ahead of print. PMID:35586878.

Clinical Interests

Treatment of psychotic disorders; Treatment of cognitive disorders; Translational virology

Education Interests

Research mentorship; International research training/mentorship; Medical student & resident mentorship

Psychiatry Residents Present Robust Research at the 8th Annual Psychiatry Research Pathway Symposium

Mosaic of 2025 PRP Symposium Participants

The Psychiatry Research Pathway (PRP) Symposium provides UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital residents engaged in research the opportunity to present their work to fellow residents, faculty mentors, T32 postdoctoral research program directors, and interested members of our academic community. The PRP is led by Director and PRP alum Danella Hafeman, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), together with associate...

Neurobiology of Disease: Phosphorylated-tau Associates with HSV-1 Chromatin and Correlates with Nuclear Speckles Decondensation in Low-Density Host Chromatin Regions

Leonardo D'Aiuto, PhD

Abnormal tau phosphorylation is a key pathophysiological mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases. In addition to genetic and environmental factors, infectious agents, such as Herpes Simplex Virus 1, may be associated with the onset or progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. However, outstanding questions remain regarding the contribution of viruses in the etiology of...

JAMA Psychiatry: Genetic Variants Are Associated with Risk for Bipolar Disorder

Birmaher et al. JAMA Psychiatry 2021

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a familial illness that is associated with functional impairment and increased risk for suicide and substance use. The disorder is highly heritable, and research has identified many common genetic variants associated with risk for the disorder. Studies including the Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study (BIOS) have found that offspring of parents with BD are at elevated, specific risk to...

Behavioral Health Clinicians, Researchers, Patients and Families Gather Virtually for the 38th Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference

Behavioral Health Clinicians, Researchers, Patients and Families Gather Virtually for the 38th Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference

The annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference, now in its 38th year, presents the latest clinical and research findings to an audience of psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, psychologists, service coordinators, researchers, and mental health policy administrators, as well as to patients and families. Conference course director K.N. Roy Chengappa, MD (Professor of Psychiatry) leads UPMC Western Psychiatric...

Now in Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine: New Research on Insomnia in Older Adults

Wilkens & Colleagues Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine 2020

Many older adults experience sleep difficulties associated with insomnia. Difficulties with staying asleep are thought to arise partially from reduced sleep depth. Sleep depth can be operationalized as low frequency slow-wave (.5-4 Hz) electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during sleep. However, studies to date have not shown a consistent pattern of EEG differences between individuals with and without insomnia...