To identify neurocognitive mechanisms of mood and anxiety disorders, scientists are increasingly employing computational models to map latent decision-making processes onto dissociable neural substrates and clinical phenotypes. However, the reliability of measures used in research in this area up to now has been unclear. In a study recently published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging...

We are delighted to announce that Rasim Diler, MD, has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Diler earned his medical degree in Istanbul, Turkey and, following a combined residency/fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Çukurova University, undertook residency training in child and adolescent psychiatry at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH)...

We are delighted to announce that Peter Franzen, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. After completing an internship in clinical psychology at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH), Dr. Franzen received his PhD and joined the Pitt Department of Psychiatry as a postdoctoral scholar and sleep medicine fellow under the mentorship of Daniel...

We are delighted to announce that Priya Gopalan, MD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Gopalan earned her MD from the University of Virginia and completed her residency training in general psychiatry at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH). She is a consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry specialist, as well as an expert in perinatal...

We are delighted to announce that Colleen McClung, PhD, has been appointed Tenured Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. McClung’s research focuses on using animal models to understand how circadian rhythm alterations contribute to the liability for substance dependence, as well as for mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and major depression. She is an expert in the application of cutting...

2020-2021 PGY1 Residents Please join us in welcoming the newest members of our Psychiatry Residency Program! Among seniors graduating from medical school, interest in Psychiatry, and especially in our residency program, has continued to grow in recent years. This year, we are proud to introduce an outstanding class of PGY1 residents entering our General Psychiatry, General and Child, Family Medicine and Psychiatry...

Dysregulated affective dynamics (i.e., how emotions ebb and flow over time) have most often been studied among people with a given disorder compared to an unaffected control group. However, this approach has yielded inconsistent findings because many emotional states are seen across multiple psychopathologies. In fact, research has shown that psychiatric disorders are organized by evidence of internalizing (e.g...

Every year, the UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) residents hold a Kickball Classic Fundraiser to benefit Peoples Oakland, a recovery and wellness center for people living with serious, persistent mental illness and co-occurring disorders. This year, social action chair Emily Smith, MD (PGY3), reimagined the fundraiser, allowing participants to give back to the community through virtual participation....

This year the Department of Psychiatry held our first-ever virtual UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) resident and fellow graduation—a festive and moving online event, hosted by Michael Travis, MD (Senior Director for Postgraduate Physician Training), celebrating the myriad accomplishments of this year’s graduating class. The themes of community and family, as well as the outstanding care delivered during the...

We are delighted to announce that Michele Levine, PhD, has been appointed Tenured Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Levine is a highly regarded and internationally recognized expert in perinatal women’s health. Her research focuses on the intersection of mood, weight and health behavior. She is currently investigating the role of impulsive phenotypes on weight trajectories and...