We are pleased to announce that Caitlin Conner, PhD, has been promoted to Research Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Conner earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, having completed a clinical internship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Upon receiving her doctorate, she came to Pittsburgh...

A cohort of early-career clinician-educator faculty members recently achieved a professional milestone, graduation from the Clinician-Educator Faculty Development Program (CEFDP). The CEFDP is a professional development opportunity that provides formalized support to help assistant professor-level, clinician-educator faculty members navigate their career progression. The program provides sessions with practical...

Please join us in congratulating Natacha De Genna, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and Epidemiology), who has been awarded fellow status with the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SNRT), a distinction conferred by the SNRT on members in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of nicotine and tobacco research. In addition, Dr. De Genna received...

Cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia, including impaired working memory, is associated with altered GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) signaling in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Among GABA neurons, the somatostatin–expressing subtype appears to be especially affected because multiple postmortem studies have reported large somatostatin messenger RNA (mRNA) deficits in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of...

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 2025-2026 Chief Residents: Chief Resident for Inpatient Services – Eileen Borczon, MD Chief Resident for Ambulatory Services – Helene Altmann, MD Chief Resident for the Child Fellowship...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to new faculty member Kelsey Magee, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry). Dr. Magee earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Case Western Reserve University, having completed her clinical psychology internship at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She then came to Pittsburgh for postdoctoral research training in the Department’s National Institute of...

Pitt Psychiatry investigators have recently published studies in Alzheimer's & Dementia. Below is a summary of recent original research on neural factors underlying cognitive and depressive symptoms in late life, sleep and rest–activity rhythms across different cognitive aging pathways, and the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. Altered Triple Network Model...

Pitt Psychiatry’s 2025 Research Day featured 225 poster presentations from faculty, trainees, and staff. Forty-six pairs of faculty members discussed posters with the presenters. During the plenary session, Top Poster Awards were presented to the following recipients: Postdoctoral Scholars Ligia Antezana, PhD Wasiu Balogun, PhD Rayan Mroué, MD Jacques-Yves Campion, MD Caroline Christian, PhD Guilherme Povala, PhD...

The 23rd annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day, held on June 12, 2025, was the most highly attended Research Day ever, with 653 faculty members, trainees, and staff gathering at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Lunchtime Roundtables More than 300 individuals participated in or facilitated one of 30 roundtable discussion groups focused on topics including...

We are pleased to announce that Francisco López-Caballero, PhD, has been promoted to Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. López-Caballero received his PhD in neuroscience from the University of Barcelona, then came to the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry for postdoctoral training in clinical neurophysiology. He joined the Pitt Psychiatry...