Roberto A León-Barriera, MD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Current Appointments

  • Co-Medical Director, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service, UPMC Shadyside Hospital

Areas of Expertise

  • Consultation-Liaison
Roberto A León-Barriera, MD
Expertise & Interests Selected Publications Education & Credentials Related News

Expertise & Interests

Clinical Interests

Consultation psychiatry and Addiction medicine; Psycho-oncology; Transplant psychiatry

Education Interests

Medical student education; Opiate use disorders in the inpatient setting

Selected Publications

  1. Kamath J, Leon-Barriera R, Jain N, Keisari E, Wang B. Digital phenotyping in depression diagnostics: Integrating psychiatric and engineering perspectives. World J Psychiatry. 2022 Mar 19;12(3):393-409. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i3.393. PMID: 35433319; PMCID: PMC8968499.
  2. Leon-Barriera R, Chaplin MM, Kaur J, Modesto-Lowe V. Insomnia in older adults: A review of treatment options. Cleve Clin J Med. 2025 Jan 2;92(1):43-50. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.92a.24073. PMID: 39746731.
  3. Lavingia R, Zwiebel SJ, Leon-Barriera R. Successful injectable-only buprenorphine initiation in the inpatient setting. J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry. 2026 Aug 11:S2667-2960(26)00083-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaclp.2026.08.001.
  4. Modesto-Lowe V, Jain L, Leon-Barriera R. Ignore e-cigarettes at your patient's peril. Cleve Clin J Med. 2022 Dec 1;89(12):679-682. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.89a.22006. PMID: 36455975.
  5. Leon-Barriera R, Zwiebel SJ, Modesto-Lowe V. A practical guide for buprenorphine initiation in the primary care setting. Cleve Clin J Med. 2023 Sep 1;90(9):557-564. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.90a.23022. PMID: 37657832.
  6. Modesto-Lowe V, Jain L, Leon-Barriera R. Mindfulness Training in opioid withdrawal: Does it help? Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2022 Jun 30;24(4):22lr03280. doi: 10.4088/PCC.22lr03280. PMID: 35776889.
  7. Modesto-Lowe V, Chaplin MM, Leon-Barriera R, Jain L. Reducing the risks when using benzodiazepines to treat insomnia: A public health approach. Cleve Clin J Med. 2024 May 1;91(5):293-299. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.91a.23061. PMID: 38692699.

Education & Credentials

Education & Training

Education
MD, University of Puerto Rico, School of Medicine
Residency
Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center
Fellowship
Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry

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