We are kicking off our Pitt Psychiatry Lecture Series with a Special Guest Lecture by Keri Martinowich, PhD. Dr. Martinowich is a Lead Investigator at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development and an Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Martinowich received a B.A. in International Relations from the George Washington University and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her early scientific career centered on understanding the complex regulation of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene, and its contribution to brain function and plasticity. Her graduate thesis work pioneered studies to assess activity-dependent epigenetic regulation, identifying BDNF as the first brain target of the signaling molecule MeCP2. Following her graduate thesis work, she conducted translational research in neuropsychiatry as a postdoctoral research fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). As a postdoctoral fellow she integrated her interests in BDNF with a systems neuroscience approach, and focused on elucidating the impact of neurotrophin signaling in circuits that control behavior. She joined the Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD) in 2012 – early work in her laboratory continued this line of research to demonstrate that “BDNF-related phenotypes” (e.g. aggression; obesity; fear extinction; reversal learning; and stress/depression susceptibility) segregate with loss of expression from distinct promoters and the cell types in which they are expressed. Dr. Martinowich currently directs a research program that takes a cross-species, intersectional approach to study how programs of gene expression and neural activity in defined populations of neurons contribute to circuit function and control of behaviors that are relevant for neuropsychiatric disorders.
Lectures will be offered as a hybrid event with the opportunity for a limited number of in-person attendees in the UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital Auditorium while the lecture is streamed via Zoom to individuals who wish to attend remotely.
To attend via Zoom, click on this link and enter the following:
Meeting ID: 989 6032 7677
Passcode: 813506
For More Information. Please contact Frances Patrick at patrickfm@upmc.edu.
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS. The entirety of this program will be a lecture by the speaker(s). All individuals able to control the content of this educational activity are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any proprietary entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services, used on, or consumed by, patients. Registration is not required for this event. This event is free and there will be no refunds. The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Each physician should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Other health care professionals are awarded .15 continuing education units (CEUs), which are equal to 1.5 contact hours. In accordance with Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education requirements on disclosure, information about relationships of presenters with commercial interests (if any) will be included in materials which will be distributed at the time of the conference. WPH is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. WPH maintains responsibility for this program and its contents. This program is being offered for 1.5 continuing education credits. The indicated number of clock hours of continuing education is provided through UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital’s Office of Educational Resources and Planning, a PA-approved provider of social work continuing education in accordance with all the applicable educational and professional standards of the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapist. These clock hours satisfy requirements for LSW/LCSW, LPC and LMFT renewal. For more information, call (412) 204-9085.
