A.E. Bennett Clinical/Translational Research Award and More News from Society of Biological Psychiatry Annual Meeting

SOBP 2026

At the 2026 Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP) Annual Meeting in New York City, Pitt Psychiatry faculty and trainees gathered for a program focused on Building Better Brains: From Synapses to Cities. Department members presented and learned more about recent research, networked with friends and colleagues, and picked up a few awards!

A.E. Bennett Clinical/Translational Research Award

Dr. PascoalTharick Pascoal, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology), received the A.E. Bennett Clinical/Translational Research Award, which recognizes clinical/translational research in biological psychiatry by young investigators. Dr. Pascoal is a global leader in Alzheimer’s disease biomarker research, particularly through his pioneering investigations into tau pathology. His research focuses on the quantification of brain pathophysiology in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, as well as in the validation of therapies capable of modifying the course of these diseases. He was the lead author of several landmark studies on the second-generation tau positron emission tomography (PET) tracer MK-6240. In addition, Dr. Pascoal has redefined the field’s understanding of the role of glial inflammation in tau propagation.

Travel Awards

The following Pitt Psychiatry faculty members and trainees received SOBP Annual Meeting Travel Awards:

  • Manan Arora, MD (PGY 1 Psychiatry Research Pathway Resident) – Dr. Arora’s research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying risk of bipolar disorder in young adults.
  • Thomas Kraynak, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) – Dr. Kraynak investigates the neuromodulation of brain and emotional responses to psychological stress.
  • Manivel Rengasamy, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) – Dr. Rengasamy’s research focuses on the role of inflammation in mood disorders and the use of neuroimaging to understand mood disorders in the pediatric population.
  • Cecilia Westbrook, MD, PhD (Postdoctoral Scholar) – Dr. Westbrook investigates the mechanisms contributing to development of depression and anxiety disorders in adolescents with focuses on perseverative thought and reward-learning, and training in advanced methodologies including machine learning-based functional magnetic resonance imaging analyses and computational psychiatry.

Congratulations to all!