The newly established Danny Hurley Schizophrenia Research Fund honors the life and legacy of Danny Hurley. Intelligent, curious, and creative, Danny developed an early fascination with both music and scientific inquiry, and excelled academically through elementary and high school, earning perfect SAT scores and serving as valedictorian of his graduating class. After matriculating to a top science and technology...

The fifth Child and Adolescent Bipolar Services (CABS) conference, focused on pediatric bipolar disorder spectrum disorders, addressed the theme, “Irritability and Bipolar Spectrum Disorders in Youth: Facts and Myths-Assessment, Monitoring and Treatment.” The CABS conference presents current research and clinical knowledge about the treatment of bipolar disorder and comorbid conditions to professionals, patients...

We are delighted to announce that Ann Cohen, PhD, has received conferral of tenure at the rank of associate professor by the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Cohen is widely recognized for her outstanding work in the use of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease prior to the emergence of cognitive symptoms. Recently, she has expanded this work into amyloid imaging in...

On March 21, 2024, Pitt Psychiatry clinician-educator faculty and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) staff, residents, and fellows gathered in the WPH auditorium and classrooms for the Department’s Clinician-Educator Showcase. The Showcase is an annual opportunity for clinician-educators to learn about promising clinical innovations and the latest quality improvement initiatives, as well as to connect and...

A team of investigators led by Mary Phillips, MD, MD (Cantab) (Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and Bioengineering, and Pittsburgh Foundation-Emmerling Endowed Chair in Psychotic Disorders), have received a Baszucki Group grant to support their new center, “Elucidating Neurobiological Mechanisms Underlying the Therapeutic Effect of the Ketogenic Diet in Bipolar Disorder (BD...

Poor sleep health is associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes. Some populations—including Black individuals and those with other minoritized racial and ethnic identities—experience inequities in sleep health. The determinants of sleep health inequities are complex and include social, environmental, behavioral, and biological factors. In particular, interpersonal discrimination can contribute to...

The Department of Psychiatry is delighted to announce results of the 2024 Residency Match for the General Psychiatry, Child, Triple Board, and Family Medicine/Psychiatry tracks. Please welcome the new class of 2024 PGY1 psychiatry residents: GENERAL PSYCHIATRY Alyssa Gehring (The University of Toledo College of Medicine) Hannah James (Eastern Virginia Medical School) Japsimran "Simran" Kaur (University of Rochester...

We are pleased to announce that Alex Dombrovski, MD, has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Dombrovski received his MD from Moscow Medical Academy in Russia, then undertook an internship in internal medicine and residency in psychiatry. He completed psychiatry residency training and a geriatric psychiatry fellowship at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital...

We are delighted to report that Carmen Andreescu, MD (Professor of Psychiatry), has received the Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Psychiatry Perry Award, presented in memory of Samuel Wesley Perry III, MD. The Perry Award recognizes Dr. Andreescu’s exceptional program of research and mentorship that has advanced our understanding of the neural basis of depression and anxiety in older adults, and guided the use...

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a pervasive and common illness that can severely diminish individuals’ quality of life. Among the challenges associated with major depressive disorder, individuals with MDD may have trouble recalling specific memories (a memory of a single event occurring at a specific place and time) in favor of categorical memories (a generalized memory encompassing several distinct episodes)...