Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) opened its brand new Behavioral Health Intensive Care Unit (BHICU) to provide expert care and intensive psychiatric medication management for patients with high clinical acuity. The unit opened in November 2017 as part of a massive redesign of WPIC’s 7th floor and serves as an adjoining, seven-bed sister unit to a general adult unit. The safe, therapeutic environment...

Funding is now available for selected one-year pilot projects through the Department’s Clinical Value Project (CVP) Program. The program aims to improve care in a cost-effective way through quality or safety of care delivered, patient engagement and satisfaction, improved clinical outcomes, access to services, and efficiency of service delivery. Applicants must be physician clinician-educators who are either dually...

Colleen McClung, PhD is a pioneer in the study of how manipulations of limbic circuitry and circadian genes within this circuitry can lead to the development and treatment of psychiatric diseases. She combines molecular, cellular, physiological, and behavioral studies, incorporating new technologies, and these cutting-edge research activities have earned her a superb reputation in her field. Dr. McClung has...

Disruptive behaviors, including aggression, tantrums, and self-injury, are estimated to occur in 20% to 50% of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Atypical antipsychotic medications are one of the most common pharmacologic treatments for such behaviors in the ASD population, but significant increases in weight are frequently reported. There also is evidence of an increased risk of diabetes in children...

Department faculty members Gina Perez, MD and Keith Stowell, MD have accepted associate chief roles in the Behavioral Health Services Line. Dr. Perez, Assistant Professor, has been appointed Associate Chief, Behavioral Health Network, and Dr. Stowell, Assistant Professor, is Associate Chief, Emergency & Crisis Services. In her new role, Dr. Perez will oversee the Behavioral Health Services at UPMC Network hospitals...

Dopamine (DA) neurotransmission within the brain's reward circuit has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression, as well as mechanisms of treatment response. Still, a direct relationship between measures of DA neurotransmission and reward-related deficits in patients with depression has not been demonstrated. In a study led by Marta Peciña, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, investigators used...

Ronald Glick, MD is a recognized leader in integrative medicine and focuses his practice on integrative approaches to chronic pain management and psychiatry. His unique skill set includes acupuncture, biofeedback, prolotherapy, and multi-modality mental health interventions, enabling him to treat patients with the most refractory clinical needs at the intersection of pain management, mental health, and integrative...

Depression. Bipolar disorder. Substance use. Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetes. Obesity. Cardiovascular disease. Accidental death. What do these seemingly disparate psychiatric and physical disorders have in common? Each of them is linked to disruption of sleep and circadian rhythms. The Center for Sleep and Circadian Science (CSCS) is an internationally-recognized group of investigators, educators, and clinicians...

Erika Forbes, PhD has been elected as a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS). Fellow status is awarded to APS members who have made sustained outstanding contributions to the science of psychology in the areas of research, teaching, service, and/or application. Dr. Forbes is Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Affective Neuroscience and Developmental Psychopathology Laboratory. An...

Disruptions in circadian rhythms are associated with an increased risk for bipolar disorder, and the circadian protein CLOCK is involved in regulating monoaminergic systems and mood-related behavior. Colleen A. McClung, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Yanhua Huang, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry set out to clarify the molecular and synaptic mechanisms underlying this relationship. Working in collaboration...