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...

On June 5, 2020, physicians and health care workers from UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine gathered to protest systemic racism, a chronic and critically urgent public health crisis in this country. At noon, those assembled knelt for eight minutes and 46 seconds in honor of George Floyd, an African-American man who was killed last month in Minneapolis, MN. Below, members of the Department of...

On Friday, June 5, 2020, we announced the creation of the Department of Psychiatry Clinical Research Restart Web Portal for faculty, staff and trainees. The site, which requires a UPMC account and password, includes: Links to guidance and documents to help navigate this transition and submit a research restart plan The COVID-19 training video, required for faculty and research staff The daily COVID-19 screening...

The Services for Teens at Risk (STAR)-Center, established in 1986, is a nationally recognized suicide prevention program for teens and young children, part of UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital’s Child and Adolescent Services. The annual STAR-Center conference presents best-practices in clinical care incorporated into practical guidelines for educational and community settings. This year, more than 600 attendees...

The Office of Residency Training (ORT) and Office of Medical Student Education (OMSE) provide a stimulating learning environment for psychiatry trainees. Below, meet the staff who work closely with faculty leadership to create an outstanding educational experience for medical students, residents and fellows training in the Department of Psychiatry. Kim Kirchner (Director, Operations, Psychiatry Residency Training)...

I acknowledge the pain that we all share as a result of the unconscionable murder of George Floyd, and the resulting demonstrations that have erupted nationwide. Certainly, the murder of George Floyd is part of a larger history of violence and oppression that has been endured by people of color in our country. These events are profoundly distressing, and this most recent tragedy has served as a motivating...

We are pleased to announce that Elizabeth McGuier, PhD, Department of Psychiatry postdoctoral research scholar, has received a Center for Interventions to Enhance Community Health (CiTECH) Practice Innovation Opportunity award. CiTECH is a unique partnership between the School of Social Work and the Department of Psychiatry dedicated to enhancing the quality and length of life of individuals living with behavioral...

Congratulations to Meryl Butters, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science. Dr. Butters has been awarded the Edith Kaplan Award, which is given biannually by the Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society to a clinician/researcher in the field of neuropsychology who has continued to uphold the theory of the Process Approach to Neuropsychology. Dr. Butters is nationally and internationally...

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has recognized recent Pitt Psychiatry research on suicide as a “Notable NIMH Grant.” “2020 Spring Inside NIMH” featured “Notable NIMH Grants” among its Director’s Highlights. Notable grants are a selection of the NIMH’s recently funded projects that exemplify the Institute’s efforts to accelerate research on mental illness, and to advance the NIMH Strategic Plan for...