Pictured above: Drs. Priyanka Amin, Thersilla Oberbarnscheidt, Shelly Kucherer, Dan Bender and Ran Li. The Department of Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to the physicians below, who join our clinician-educator faculty at the rank of assistant professor. Priyanka Amin, MD Dr. Amin earned her MD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Following her graduation from medical school, she joined Western...

Congratulations to Rebecca Thurston, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, Epidemiology and Psychology, who has been named 2019–2020 President, North American Menopause Society. “It is a privilege to lead this fantastic organization devoted to the study and care of midlife women,” said Dr. Thurston. Dr. Thurston is an expert in the field of mid- and late-life women’s mental and...

On Friday, October 4, 2019, scientists, students, art lovers and others interested in the intersection of art and science gathered at Imagebox in Pittsburgh for the third annual Mindscapes exhibition. Mindscapes PGH promotes community awareness of mental illness and fundraises for local organizations that provide mental health care. The event gives artists and scientists the opportunity to display art pertaining to...

The Psychiatry Research Pathway (PRP) Symposium provides UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital residents engaged in research the opportunity to deliver formal presentations to an audience of fellow residents, faculty mentors and directors of T32 postdoctoral research programs. The program comprised a 20-minute talk from each resident on their current research, followed by insightful feedback and energetic discussion...

“It’s not like I don’t have problems anymore, but it’s manageable with my support system. There will be setbacks, but you have to trust the process.” A young adult living with bipolar disorder opened the third Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services (CABS) Conference, speaking to a diverse group of behavioral health professionals, as well as patients and their families, assembled to learn about early...

Children of parents with depression, when compared with their peers, are at increased risk to experience depression or other psychiatric illnesses. However, the neural mechanisms that contribute to the development of psychiatric illness in the offspring of affected parents is not well understood. Existing research has demonstrated that children at high risk for depression, compared with their peers, have...

As opioid use has risen nationwide during the last 15 years, a concurrent epidemic of increased youth suicide has also occurred during this period. Researchers have explored the potential of several cultural factors to explain the increase in the suicide rate of children and adolescents, including a warning from the Food and Drug Administration about the use of antidepressants and potential suicidal ideation, the...

The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce that Lauren Bylsma, PhD, has received a Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution to Psychophysiology from the Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR). Dr. Bylsma received this prestigious award at the Society’s annual meeting in Washington, DC (September 25–29, 2019), where she also delivered the Early Career Award Address, “A...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling illness characterized by obsessions that result in compulsive behavior. Underscoring the need for more effective treatments, existing first-line therapies lead to remission in just 10–15% of patients. However, the development of new therapies requires a better understanding of the molecular abnormalities that are present in OCD. A recent study from Pitt Department...

Skilled and compassionate clinicians and researchers at the Pitt Department of Psychiatry have developed innovative models of care in geriatric psychiatry, as well as training programs that prepare behavioral health care providers to deliver treatment tailored to the specific needs of older adults. Two essential components of effective geriatric psychiatry treatment—access and trust—are key concepts that guide our...