We are delighted to announce that Meghan Keil, MD (PGY4), has been selected as a 2023 George Ginsberg Fellowship award winner by the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT). The George Ginsberg Fellowship acknowledges the excellence and accomplishments of outstanding residents interested in education and teaching who are pursuing careers as clinician-educators and/or academic...

Models of the aging process are becoming prevalent in multiple fields, and over the last decade, scientists have used brain aging markers to identify important neuroanatomical differences in multiple psychiatric disorders. These markers may provide individualized risk assessments and predictions for age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, and have recently been used to demonstrate the association between greater...

Congratulations to Camellia Herisko, DNP, MSN, RN, PMHCNS-BC, CRNP, who has been recognized for Excellence in Nursing (Leadership/Executive category) by Pittsburgh Magazine. Though Dr. Herisko knew since high school that she wanted to be a nurse, she earned her undergraduate degree in journalism/business, and wrote singing telegrams as her first job. She returned to school to get her degree in nursing and worked...

Jody Glance, MD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical Chief, Addiction Medicine Services) and Eydie Moses-Kolko, MD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Senior Advisor, Outpatient Perinatal Mental Health) recently hosted a National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry (NCRP) Advanced: Intensive Care-based Practicum conference. The NCRP Advanced conference provided a diverse group of psychiatrists, OB...

The annual Sleep & Circadian Science Research Day presents new research in the field to faculty, trainees, and students at the University of Pittsburgh and other local institutions. This year, Samer Hattar, PhD (Chief, Section on Light and Circadian Rhythms, National Institute of Mental Health), delivered the David J. Kupfer Keynote Presentation, “Retinal and Brain Circuits Underlying the Effects of Light on...

Psychosis, an impairment that manifests as hallucinations and/or delusions, is a defining feature of schizophrenia and highly prevalent in bipolar disorder. Individuals suffering with these illnesses also have major disruptions in sleep and circadian rhythms, which can precipitate or exacerbate psychotic symptoms. A group of investigators including Kyle Ketchesin, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), Madeline...

Major depressive disorder is among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders, affecting nearly 300 million people worldwide, and exacting a substantial personal, social, and economic toll. Antidepressant treatment typically involves an individualized trial-and-error approach with an inconsistent success rate. Given the negative outcomes associated with depression, there is a pressing need for the development of...

We are pleased to announce that Cecile Ladouceur, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology), has been elected to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) Scientific Council. The BBRF is the top non-governmental funder of mental health research grants. The Scientific Council reviews and selects the most promising research proposals with the greatest potential to lead to breakthroughs in mental health...

It is our great pleasure to announce that Boris Birmaher, MD (Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Endowed Chair in Early Onset Bipolar Disease), has been honored with two major prizes in the field of psychiatry: the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Ruane Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research, and the Institute of Living’s 2022 C. Charles Burlingame Award. The Ruane...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to three new research faculty members: Candice Biernesser, PhD, LCSW (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) Dr. Biernesser earned her PhD from the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, then joined the Pitt Department of Psychiatry as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department’s National Institute of Mental...