We are pleased to announce that Ashley Parr, PhD, has been promoted to Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Parr received her PhD in neuroscience from Queen’s University (Ontario, Canada), then came to the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry for postdoctoral training in developmental neuroscience. She joined the Psychiatry faculty in 2022...

Congratulations to Thomas Karikari, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), and Rebecca Thurston, PhD (Pittsburgh Foundation Chair in Women's Health and Dementia and Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, Epidemiology and Psychology), who have each received a University of Pittsburgh Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award! Dr. Karikari, who received an award for distinguished research in...

Multiple Pitt Psychiatry investigators have recently published studies in Molecular Psychiatry. Below is a roundup of recent original research on adolescent neurodevelopment, aging and cognition, and the association between sleep and psychosis. Adolescent maturation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex glutamate: GABA and cognitive function is supported by dopamine-related neurobiology Pitt Psychiatry investigators...

In interventional psychiatry research, investigators marry technology development with new knowledge of alterations in neural circuitry in psychiatric disorders. The 2025 Department of Psychiatry Interventional Psychiatry Showcase, attended by faculty, staff, and trainees, focused on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS). Through lively lunchtime roundtables...

Congratulations to Tejal Bhojak, MD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), who has been honored for excellence in teaching by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr, Bhojak received a Clerkship Preceptor of the Year Award at the University of Pittsburgh’s annual Curriculum Colloquium, which recognizes faculty clinical preceptors who consistently provide outstanding clinical instruction in the clerkship...

Neurofibrillary tangles are a defining neuropathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease with little or no quantifiable insoluble brain tau neurofibrillary tangle pathology demonstrate stronger clinical benefits of therapies than those with advanced neurofibrillary tangles. The formation of neurofibrillary tangles can be prevented by targeting the intermediate soluble tau...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to Lilcelia Williams, PhD, MBA-HCM (Research Instructor in Psychiatry). Dr. Williams received her PhD in Instructional Management and Leadership from the Robert Morris University School of Nursing, Education, and Human Studies, and her MBA in healthcare management from Western Governors University. She conducted postdoctoral research training at the University of Pittsburgh...

The University of Pittsburgh’s National Institute of Mental Health-funded Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) recently hosted “From Surviving to Thriving: Lived Experiences and Practical Tips for the Autism Community,” a special event focused on thriving within the autistic community. From Surviving to Thriving featured speakers with varied connections to autism, with the goal of highlighting how to support positive...

Dopamine transmission is essential for reward processes including motivation and reinforcement. Motivation is the internal process activating and directing behavior, and reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior through stimulus–response and action–outcome associations. The nucleus accumbens medial shell within the striatum serves as a key hub for reward-related behaviors, receiving dopaminergic inputs...

Congratulations to Ann Cohen, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), who received the Human Amyloid Imaging 2025 Conference Christopher Clark Award, honoring the late Christopher Clark, MD, a neurologist and Alzheimer’s disease researcher. The Christopher Clark Award recognizes Dr. Cohen’s outstanding work in the use of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease prior...