Congratulations to Richelle “Ricki” Stiffler, MSW, who has been named a 2026 UPMC Dignity & Respect Champion. The Dignity & Respect Champion Award recognizes individuals who foster a positive environment by making everyone feel welcomed, valued, and appreciated. Ricki is a Research Program Administrator with the Phillips Mood and Brain Lab (PI: Mary Phillips, MD). Her nominator wrote: “Ricki consistently...

Pitt Psychiatry investigators recently published articles in Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA Internal Medicine, Molecular Psychiatry, and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that describe advances in clinical care in the diagnosis of bipolar/psychotic disorders, guidelines for deprescribing benzodiazepine, the promise of infant MRI studies, and assessment for risk for suicidal behavior...

We are delighted to announce that Antoine Douaihy, MD, has received conferral of tenure at the rank of professor by the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Douaihy is an outstanding clinical leader, teacher, and researcher with broad expertise in addiction medicine and dual diagnosis, as well as substance use and co-morbid HIV. He is senior academic director of UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH)’s Addiction Medicine...

University of Pittsburgh Psychiatry faculty and trainees attended the recent American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annal meeting to learn about and present new research and to connect with colleagues. Below is a recap of Pitt Psychiatry news from the meeting: ACNP Fellow Nadine Melhem, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science), was promoted from ACNP Member to Fellow. Dr...

Hesitation, the act of pausing in the face of uncertainty, is a behavior that gives humans and other animals crucial extra time to deliberate on the best option in uncertain situations. Given the ubiquity of hesitation in everyday life, and the devastating toll that impairments in hesitation can play in impulsivity disorders—such as addiction, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder...

It is with deep sadness that we report that our friend and colleague, Kurt Ackerman, MD, PhD (Clinician Emeritus of Psychiatry), has passed away. Dr. Ackerman joined the University of Pittsburgh as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in 1997 and has been a beloved member of the Departmental community ever since. He earned his MD and his PhD in neurobiology and anatomy from the University of Rochester and completed...

We are pleased to announce that Leslie Horton, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Horton earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, having completed a clinical psychology internship at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH). She conducted postdoctoral research training in Psychiatry’s...

Congratulations to Thomas Karikari, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science), and Rebecca Thurston, PhD (Pittsburgh Foundation Chair in Women's Health and Dementia and Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, Epidemiology and Psychology), whose high-impact research has been recognized by the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences. Dr...

Adolescent suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and deaths by suicide have increased substantially in the past 15 years, yet the drivers behind this increase are unknown. While much has been written about the potential role of social media on adolescent suicidal behavior, there is another potential contributor hiding in plain sight—the rise in parental deaths of despair that parallels in the increase in adolescent...

Congratulations to Angela Ianni, MD, DPhil (postdoctoral scholar), who has been selected as a recipient of the Member in Training Award by the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP). The award recognizes a promising member-in-training who has participated in an ongoing research program and continues to be involved in research training outside the scope of clinical training. Dr. Ianni joined Pitt...