Major depressive disorder is a heterogeneous disease with sex differences in prevalence, symptomology, and treatment response. For example, women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder compared to men, and often have more symptoms, more severe symptoms, and higher likelihood of experiencing treatment-resistant depression. These sex differences are likely driven in part by biologic causes...

Congratulations to David Lewis, MD (Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Thomas Detre Professor of Academic Psychiatry, and Chair, Department of Psychiatry), who has received the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN) Ariëns Kapper Medal. The award recognizes exceptional contributions to the field of neuroscience and was presented by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences during...

Please join us in welcoming our new class of PGY1 residents in General Psychiatry, General and Child, Family Medicine and Psychiatry, and Triple Board tracks! In addition, the Office of Residency Training is pleased to announce the 2026-2027 Chief Residents: Chief Resident for Inpatient Services – Sydney Garrett, MD Chief Resident for Ambulatory Services – Rachel Brown, MD Chief Resident for the Child Fellowship –...

We are pleased to announce that Konasale Prasad, MD, MBBS (MD), has received conferral of tenure at the rank of associate professor by the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Prasad is an expert on the neurobiology of psychoses. He conducts advanced clinical-translational research to gain insights into the brain network characteristics associated with schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, and risk for developing...

Pitt Psychiatry’s 2026 Research Day featured 221 poster presentations from faculty, trainees, and staff. Seventy-seven faculty members served as discussants for the poster presenters. ( Click here to read Part I of our Research Day recap.) During the plenary session, Top Poster Awards were presented to the following recipients: POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLARS Dakota Brockway, PhD Amy Chan, PhD Ana Paula Costa, PhD Victor...

Puberty is a critical developmental period characterized by increases in exploration and experimentation, supported by changes in functional interactions of mesocorticolimbic circuitry. Although changing dynamics within mesocorticolimbic connections among the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens help adolescents manage increasingly complex demands important for adult independence, they may...

The 24th annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day, held on June 11, 2026, was attended by 620 members of our scientific community at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum on the University of Pittsburgh campus. ( Click here to read Part II of our Research Day recap.) Lunchtime Roundtables Our 27 roundtables were attended by 220 facilitators and participants, and focused on topics including Artificial...

Graduates of the UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) residency training program gathered with friends, family, and loved ones at the Pitt University Club on June 4, 2026. Below are the awards and honors presented at the 2026 graduation ceremony. 2026 Psychiatry Student Interest Group Exemplary Service for Excellence in Teaching Awards: Faculty: Daniel Bender, DO Resident: Ali McCathern, MD The class of 2026...

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is crucial for higher-order cognitive processes, such as attention and working memory, which are impaired in schizophrenia. Alterations in the somatostatin and parvalbumin classes of inhibitory GABAergic interneurons in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex are thought to contribute to these cognitive impairments of schizophrenia. Both somatostatin and parvalbumin interneurons are...

We are pleased to announce that Priyanka Amin, MD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Amin earned her MD from the Pitt School of Medicine and remained in Pittsburgh for psychiatry residency training at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH). She joined the Pitt faculty in 2019 as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry. Dr. Amin is a skilled...