How do Department of Psychiatry faculty support medical students who are interested in psychiatry? On May 9, the Department of Psychiatry Office of Medical School Education hosted Psychiatry Specialty Night, an annual event when medical students can meet and mingle with faculty to learn more about choosing a career in psychiatry. This year, the event began with an enthusiastic welcome from Dr. Jody Glance...

Don't forget to register for the 19th Annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day, which will take place on Thursday, June 13, 2019 at the University Club on the Oakland campus. This full-day event provides an excellent opportunity for attendees to meet investigators, learn more about their work, and share their expertise and interests with other members of the research community. This year Research Day will...

Congratulations to Dr. Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Genetics… and now, Associate Chief of Staff for Behavioral Health at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System! Dr. Nimgaonkar assumes his new role today, May 13, 2019. Dr. Nimgaonkar is the director of the Program for Genetics and Psychoses, where he seeks to identify genetic and environmental factors that can increase the risk for...

We are delighted to announce that Elizabeth Venditti, PhD, has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Venditti earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and completed her clinical psychology internship at New York University-Bellevue. After a successful early career in private practice, she joined the...

This paper was published in Child Maltreatment, the official publication of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, and was recently named Child Maltreatment Article of the Year for 2018. Children who experience physical abuse or harsh physical discipline are particularly vulnerable to adverse mental health outcomes such as trauma symptoms, aggression, interpersonal problems, substance use and...

We are delighted to announce that Meryl Butters, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Translational Science won the Philip Troen, MD, Excellence in Medical Student Research Mentoring Award at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine annual Scholars Day. This prestigious award is presented to a Longitudinal Research Project (LRP) mentor of a graduating Pitt Med student in recognition for outstanding...

The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce the promotion of Amy Byrd, PhD, to Assistant Professor of Psychiatry. Dr. Byrd’s primary research interest is the neurobiological processes underlying the development and persistence of reactive aggression. She focuses on adolescence, a particularly vulnerable developmental window characterized by changes in neural circuitry associated with threat and...

Many patients experiencing first-episode psychosis don’t receive medical care until they have endured psychotic symptoms for an extended period, which is referred to as duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). Such long periods of untreated psychosis—the average length is 74 weeks—are associated with poorer clinical outcomes, creating an urgent need to improve the means to reduce DUP. An important step toward this...

It is our pleasure to announce that Pierre Azzam, MD, has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Azzam is a highly respected specialist in consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatry and is dually certified in psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine. He earned his MD from Baylor College of Medicine in 2005 and completed his psychiatry residency...

Gina Perez, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, is Associate Chief, Behavioral Health Network and Telepsychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Dr. Perez earned her medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and completed her residency at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. After beginning her career at the University of Maryland and then serving as the Regional Medical...