Non-prescribed use of stimulant medications, such as Adderall®, by young adults is a growing problem, particularly among college students. It is often fueled by drug diversion, or the transfer of a legally prescribed medication to another person for illicit use. Among college students, stimulant use is frequently motivated by a desire to enhance academic performance or to use the drug recreationally. A team of...

Congratulations to Dr. Neeta Shenai, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, who was recently appointed Director of the Psychiatry Clerkship offered to medical students at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The Psychiatry Clerkship provides third- and fourth-year medical students with the opportunity to work with patients in inpatient and ambulatory settings to develop and refine their skills in...

The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce a new, interdisciplinary predoctoral training program, supported by the National Institute of Mental Health. The Bioengineering in Psychiatry Training Program will prepare students with backgrounds in engineering and other quantitative sciences for careers in mental health research. The program, which capitalizes on existing University of Pittsburgh research...

Major psychiatric disorders often arise during childhood and adolescence, especially among children whose parents have a psychiatric illness. Sleep patterns also shift substantially during the transition from childhood to adolescence. Sleep disturbances, often associated with most forms of psychopathology, have been identified as a promising behavioral intervention target to help treat young people with psychiatric...

Congratulations to Dr. Greg Siegle, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Clinical and Translational Studies, who was awarded the 2019 Frijda Chair in Cognitive Science at the University of Amsterdam. Dr. Siegle’s research focuses on examining the neurophysiological substrates of cognition and emotion in depression and anxiety using self-report, behavioral, physiological and neuroimaging (fMRI)...

Department of Psychiatry clinician-educator faculty devote their time, energy and passion to treating patients and training medical students and residents at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH). To fulfill WPH’s mission of providing the highest quality psychiatric care for our patients, they seek opportunities, on an ongoing basis, to refine and improve our services and treatments, as well as our medical...

Dr. Rameshwari V. Tumuluru, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, is Medical Director of the Adolescent Acute Partial Hospitalization Program (AAPHP) at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH), as well as the afterschool Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). She has devoted her career to community-based care for children and adolescents. In 2017, Dr. Tumuluru received a grant from The Beckwith Institute to create an on...

A deep understanding of the neural basis of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia is critical for the development of treatments for this disorder, as cognitive dysfunction can predict clinical outcomes such a relapse frequency and everyday functioning. Achieving this level of understanding is possible by studying post-mortem human brain tissue. However, thus far, scientists have been prevented from doing so due to...

We are thrilled to announce the launch of a new podcast, Psychiatry Advances, from UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH). WPH is a national leader in the innovative treatment of mental health and addictive disorders. Psychiatry Advances presents original research and patient-centered programs at the cutting edge of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences. Host Loren Roth, MD, MPH, Distinguished Professor Emeritus...

The Department of Psychiatry and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) extend a warm welcome to the newest members of our Psychiatry Residency Program. The new residents will enter one of our four residency tracks: General Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Triple Board and Family Medicine/Psychiatry. Our program has a longstanding reputation for excellence, and those who matched with us are superb...