It is with great sadness, and with deep and enduring fondness and respect, that we report the passing of our friend and colleague, Martica “Tica” Hall, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Clinical and Translational Science) on March 18, 2023. Dr. Hall joined the Department of Psychiatry faculty in 1998, having earned her PhD in biopsychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and having completed...

The Department of Psychiatry is delighted to announce results of the 2023 Residency Match for the General Psychiatry, Child, Triple Board, and Family Medicine/Psychiatry tracks. Please welcome the new class of 2023 PGY1 psychiatry residents: GENERAL PSYCHIATRY • Mckenzee Chiam (Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine) • Stefan Edemobi (Eastern Virginia Medical School) • Sydney Garrett (McGovern Medical...

Binge eating is a repetitive eating behavior frequently observed in individuals with eating disorder diagnoses, but its underlying neural mechanisms remain largely unknown. Other repetitive behavior disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, are associated with corticostriatal circuitry dysfunction. However, to date, scientists working in the field of eating disorders have not investigated the in vivo neural...

We are delighted to announce that Ariel Gildengers, MD, has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Gildengers received his MD from the New Jersey Medical School and completed his psychiatry residency and a clinical fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, and a research fellowship at the Intervention Research Center for Late...

We are now accepting poster presentation abstracts to be considered for our Annual Research Day, which will take place on Thursday, June 8, 2023 at Soldiers & Sailors Hall in Oakland. This full-day event will feature an exciting poster session, expanded opportunities to participate in roundtable discussions, engaging oral research presentations from a diverse group of scientists, and an awards ceremony—not to...

We are delighted to announce that Stephen Smagula, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Smagula received his PhD in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. He then joined the Department of Psychiatry as a postdoctoral scholar in the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded T32 training program in...

Marta Peciña, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), conducts research focused on the mechanisms of antidepressant treatment response, and uses placebos to investigate how expectancies and learning mechanisms impact mood improvement. In a recent paper published in JAMA Psychiatry, Dr. Peciña and investigators including Alex Dombrovski, MD (Pittsburgh Foundation Endowed Professor in Brain and Mind Research and...

A team of investigators from Pitt Psychiatry, César Escobar-Viera, MD, PhD; Nadine Melhem, PhD; and Marta Peciña, MD, PhD, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of Education, Public Health, and Arts and Sciences, have received a University of Pittsburgh Momentum Fund Award for their project, “Examining Psychosocial Correlates of Loneliness and Perceived Isolation Among...

We are delighted to announce that Howard Aizenstein, MD, PhD (Charles F. Reynolds III and Ellen G. Detlefsen Endowed Chair in Geriatric Psychiatry and Professor of Bioengineering and Clinical and Translational Science), has received the American College of Psychiatrists (ACP) 2023 Geriatric Research Award. The Award recognizes outstanding contributions to research in geriatric psychiatry. An internationally...

We are pleased to announce that James Tew, MD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), has been appointed UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) Vice President, Medical Affairs. Dr. Tew received his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and completed his psychiatry residency training and a clinical fellowship in geriatric psychiatry here at WPH. He joined the Psychiatry faculty in 2006, and he has made...