Pitt Psychiatry investigators have examined the social determinants of risk for alcohol use disorder among Black drinkers, who have elevated rates of alcohol-related health problems and mortality compared to White drinkers. Sarah Pedersen, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology); Traci Kennedy, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry); Jordan Holmes, BA, (Research Project Assistant); and Brooke Molina...

Congratulations to Jody Glance, MD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), who has been appointed to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Academy of Master Educators, which recognizes and rewards excellence in education. Dr. Glance has taught learners from graduate and medical students to residents and fellows. Moreover, she has played a key role in shaping Pitt Psychiatry’s educational offerings. Dr...

The WoodNext Foundation has committed $6.2 million to fund two research projects related to the association between genetics and sleep disruptions, led by Colleen McClung, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science, and Director, Center for Adolescent Reward, Rhythms and Sleep), and Stephen Chan, MD, PhD, FAHA (Professor of Medicine, and Director, Vascular Medicine Institute). Project 1...

Over the course of three days in early November, the Center for Sleep and Circadian Science hosted the Fall 2021 SWIM (Sleep and Circadian Workshop on Indispensable Methods) Workshop and the Center’s 6th Annual Sleep and Circadian Science Research Day. SWIM is an intensive training program on state-of-the-art sleep and circadian science research methodologies. Twenty-nine trainees from across the US participated in...

We are delighted to announce that Tobias Teichert, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Teichert received his PhD in psychology from Philipps-Universität Marburg (Germany) and completed postdoctoral training at the Columbia University Department of Neuroscience. After serving for a year as an Associate Research Scientist at Columbia, Dr...

Following a virtual conference in 2020, the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) was presented in a hybrid format, online and in-person in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Honorific Award Congratulations to Susanne Ahmari, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), who received the 2021 ACNP Eva King Killam Research Award. This award honors outstanding translational research...

In fall 2021, Alzheimer’s Disease International published World Alzheimer Report 2021: Journey though the diagnosis of dementia, a compendium of research on the disease, currently the seventh leading cause of mortality worldwide. The report addresses numerous challenges and complexities—including the prevalence of myths and misinformation—that inhibit effective diagnosis and treatment Alzheimer’s disease. Pitt...

The annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference, now in its 38th year, presents the latest clinical and research findings to an audience of psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, psychologists, service coordinators, researchers, and mental health policy administrators, as well as to patients and families. Conference course director K.N. Roy Chengappa, MD (Professor of Psychiatry) leads UPMC Western Psychiatric...

We are delighted to announce that Cecile Ladouceur, PhD, has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Ladouceur earned her PhD in psychology from the University of Quebec, and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Pittsburgh. She has been a member of the Pitt Psychiatry faculty since 2005. At the Cognitive-Affective Neuroscience & Development...

Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new faculty members who have joined our Department: Alain Altamirano-Espinoza, PhD (Research Instructor in Psychiatry) Dr. Altamirano-Espinoza received his PhD in neuropharmacology and experimental therapeutics from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV, Mexico) and conducted postdoctoral research at the...