News

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 psychiatry residency training at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH), followed by postdoctoral research training in the Department’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded clinical research training in psychiatry T32 program. 

A clinical and educational leader in consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatry, Dr. Ackerman was one of the field’s early practitioners. He held multiple positions as an attending psychiatrist across UPMC before he was appointed medical director of the Psychiatric CL Service and the Adult Mood and Anxiety Service at WPH. He held leadership roles including chief of psychiatry at UPMC Shadyside, chair of psychiatry at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, and vice president of psychiatry in the UPMC Presbyterian/Shadyside Hospital medical staff. Dr. Ackerman was additionally an elected fellow of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, from which he received an Award of Special Recognition last year.

As a clinician, Dr. Ackerman was known among his colleagues and trainees for the exceptional dedication and heartfelt care that he provided his patients. He impressed upon students and early-career clinicians the importance and power of the therapeutic relationship; he consistently demonstrated his remarkable skill in forging crucial communication and trust between provider and patient. Dr. Ackerman made numerous clinical innovations to improve behavioral health care policies, including protocol for patient safety around psychiatric evaluation, treatment, and admission to a psychiatric facility. His skill was recognized with a prestigious UPMC ACES Award for Commitment and Excellence in service. 

Working in medical hospitals, Dr. Ackerman became savvy with electronic health records (EHRs) at a time when psychiatrists only infrequently used computers for documentation or clinical purposes. He became highly knowledgeable in the technical and regulatory issues inherent to EHRs in psychiatry and licensed drug and alcohol treatment facilities. Merging his expertise in regulatory oversight, information technology, and clinical administration, Dr. Ackerman developed the role of Medical Director of Electronic Health Records in the Department of Psychiatry, and in that role had substantial impact across UPMC. At WPH, he created the Informatics Division, serving as Medical Director of Behavioral Health Informatics, and successfully advocated for the sharing of records across medical and psychiatric settings. Dr. Ackerman’s work in this area notably enhanced the quality of care for the most vulnerable patients and contributed to destigmatizing psychiatric care. He was recognized with a WPH Innovation Award, as well as a WPH Innovation and Technology Award. 

An outstanding educator, Dr. Ackerman taught across all levels. He served as course director of the CL psychiatry resident and medical student rotation, was elective supervisor for the psychiatry resident electives, and provided a structure for Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Neurology rotators. For more than two decades, he presented weekly case conferences and capacity assessment lectures in CL psychiatry for medical students and residents. He was a skilled bedside educator and mentored numerous psychiatry residents and early-career faculty members. A former mentee of Dr. Ackerman’s said that he “epitomized what a good leader and mentor should be: generous with his time, compassionate in his approach to patients and colleagues alike, and encouraging of all his trainees.” Graduates of the program consistently describe his training as foundational to their current approach to medical hospital patient care. 

Dr. Ackerman’s spirit and invaluable contributions as a friend, colleague, and mentor are described in the following tributes:

“Kurt was not only an exceptional clinician and physician leader, he was a good man. He approached every challenge with integrity and every conflict with kindness and a desire to understand. Kurt was an excellent role model for all of us.” (Dr. Jessica Gannon)

“Kurt was a visionary leader who allowed the psychiatry consultation-liaison service to flourish as a robust educational service. He was the medical director of the CL service when I was a new attending, and he was my first boss. When I transitioned to my current role, he spent time with me weekly to help me feel comfortable with this role. He was always available. He will be sorely missed.” (Dr. Priya Gopalan)

“Kurt treated patients, students, colleagues, neighbors—everyone he encountered—with the same kindness, thoughtfulness, and respect. He was consistently present for others, always willing to help in any situation, no matter how small or large. He brought valuable expertise not only in psychosomatic medicine but in the intersection of technology and healthcare. Beyond his professional contributions, what defined Kurt most was his reliability, his generosity, and his willingness to step forward whenever he was needed. We also knew that Kurt lived with a sense of purpose beyond himself. He is deeply missed by me personally and by all of us who had the privilege of working alongside him. At the same time, we honor and celebrate the lasting impact Kurt has had on our department and on each of our lives.” (Dr. Kenneth Nash)

May his memory be a blessing.