Recent research has shown that forms of suicidal behavior predict future occurrences of the same type of behavior. As suicide rates have increased nationwide in recent years, so has non-fatal suicidal behavior—including suicidal ideation, planning for an attempt and making an attempt. In an article published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, Maria Kovacs, PhD, reported on the impact of impaired mood repair—the...

Treatment for substance use disorders, devastating and pervasive illnesses, are complicated by a high propensity for relapse. Relapse can occur when an individual encounters a familiar stimulus that has, in the past, induced cravings. One strategy for potentially preventing relapse is to weaken these maladaptive memories. Two approaches for doing so include interfering with memory reconsolidation—disrupting the...

The delivery of effective medical and psychiatric treatments in later life can be complicated by the presence of multiple co-occurring conditions. Three such conditions—obesity, diabetes and dementia—co-occur in older adults more frequently than can be expected by chance. While studies have demonstrated that diabetes, high blood pressure and high body mass index in midlife predict dementia in late life, in late...

We are delighted to announce that Sarah Pedersen, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Pedersen graduated from the University of Missouri with a PhD in clinical psychology. During graduate school, she completed a clinical psychology internship at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) and stayed in Pittsburgh as a postdoctoral fellow in...

We are delighted to announce that Ryan Logan, PhD, has been awarded the 2020 International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society (IBANGS) Young Scientist Award. The Young Scientist Award honors an early-career investigator in the field of behavioral and neural genetics. When selecting the recipient for this prestigious honor, IBANGS considers the scientific importance of research discovered, record of achievement...

The Department of Psychiatry is delighted to announce results of the 2020 Residency Match for the General Psychiatry, Child, Triple Board, and Family Medicine/Psychiatry tracks. This year, social distancing measures related to COVID-19 prevented the usual, in-person celebrations that traditionally mark Match Day nationwide—but Pitt Psychiatry’s Office of Residency Training instead introduced the new PGY1 class...

Congratulations to Daniel Buysse, MD (UPMC Endowed Chair in Sleep Medicine and Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science), who has received a University of Pittsburgh Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award (Senior Scholar category), honoring his outstanding record of research and academic activity. Dr. Buysse is known as one of the most impactful thought leaders in the area of sleep medicine...

Over the last few weeks, as hospitals across the UPMC healthcare system adapt to urgent challenges related to the COVID-19 global pandemic, faculty and resident physicians and clinical and administrative staff at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) have demonstrated tremendous flexibility, innovation and stamina. WPH provides behavioral health care for individuals at our Oakland campus, ambulatory and...

We are delighted to announce that Meredith Wallace, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Wallace earned her PhD in biostatistics from the University of Pittsburgh in 2009 and began a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry that same year. Upon completion of her postdoctoral training in psychiatry, she conducted an...

Morgan Faeder, MD, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry) and Sai Folmsbee, MD, PhD (PGY2 psychiatry resident) have been recognized by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM) for outstanding dedication to medical education. The PittMed Professionalism Accolades, featuring medical student testimonials, were prominently posted in Scaife Hall, home to the Pitt School of Medicine: “Dr. Faeder gave...