Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to three new faculty members: Douglas D’Agati, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) Dr. D’Agati received his MD from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and completed his psychiatry residency training at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he served as chief resident. Dr. D’Agati then completed a clinical research fellowship (the Alexander Wilson Schweizer...

Please join us in welcoming the 2023-2024 Clinical Psychology Intern class! The American Psychological Association-accredited program is co-led by Tina Goldstein, PhD (Pittsburgh Foundation Endowed Professor in Psychiatry Research and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology), and Michele Levine, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, and Associate Professor of...

We are delighted to announce that Beatriz Luna, PhD (Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Psychology and Bioengineering and Staunton Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry), has received the Flux Society’s Huttenlocher Lecturer Award. The award commemorates a senior scientist who has made outstanding and significant contributions to the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience. An...

In a recent paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Christian Porter (PhD student, Pitt School of Social Work); and Tushita Mayanil, MBBS (MD) (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry); Tina Gupta, PhD (postdoctoral scholar); and Leslie Horton, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), from Pitt Psychiatry, outlined the increased presence of dissociative identity disorder...

We are pleased to announce that Carmen Andreescu, MD, has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Andreescu earned her MD from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” in Bucharest, Romania. She completed residencies in neurology at the University Hospital and psychiatry at the Al. Obregia Clinical Hospital in Bucharest. Dr. Andreescu served on...

Loss of control over eating (the ingestion of food accompanied by the perception of being unable to control the amount of food consumed) is the core psychological phenomenon associated with binge eating. Loss of control over eating during pregnancy impacts prenatal health and often co-occurs with depressive symptoms. Importantly, both loss of control over eating and depression during pregnancy confer risk for poor...

Recent papers from the Department of Psychiatry examine clinical initiatives around integration of behavioral health teams in OB-GYN clinics, fetal inflammatory response and risk for psychiatric disorders, and the association between benzodiazepine use and risk of cognitive impairment among older adults. Impact of colocated behavioral health on OB-GYN clinicians' rate of perinatal behavioral health diagnosis and...

We are pleased to announce that Britny Hildebrandt, PhD, has been promoted to Assistant Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Hildebrandt earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Michigan State University, having completed her clinical internship at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH). She then conducted postdoctoral research training as part of the National Institute...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new clinical faculty members: Samantha Sahi, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) Dr. Sahi earned her MD from the University of San Francisco School of Medicine, and completed psychiatry residency training at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, where she served as chief resident for ambulatory services. Dr. Sahi's clinical interests include collaborative care, autism...

Sexual minority youth have higher rates of substance use and pregnancy than heterosexual youth, and substance use is more common among cisgender individuals assigned female at birth. In addition, substance use during pregnancy is more prevalent among adolescents than adults. Although sexual minority youth are at greater risk for tobacco and cannabis use during pregnancy, there is a lack of research on substance use...