Pitt Psychiatry Updates from the American College of Neuropsychology Annual Meeting
University of Pittsburgh Psychiatry faculty and trainees attended the recent American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annal meeting to learn about and present new research and to connect with colleagues.
Below is a recap of Pitt Psychiatry news from the meeting:
ACNP Fellow
Nadine Melhem, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science), was promoted from ACNP Member to Fellow. Dr. Melhem’s research focuses on the risk for psychiatric disorders in children who have experienced trauma or prolonged grief, and the familial and genetic contributors to suicide risk.
ACNP Members
Matthew MacDonald, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), Marianne Seney, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), and Kymberly Young, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), were elected to ACNP Member status.
Dr. MacDonald uses mass spectrometry-based proteomics approaches to investigate synaptic protein networks in psychiatric diseases. Dr. Seney’s research employs behavioral, molecular, and anatomical methods combined with large-scale transcriptomics, bioinformatics, and statistical testing and modeling to investigate the biological bases of brain disorders. Dr. Young investigates the onset and recovery from emotional disorders, such as depression and anxiety, with a focus on developing new neuroscience-derived behavioral treatments, including real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback.
Helmet Karim, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Bioengineering), was elected to Associate Member status. Dr. Karim’s research focuses on the predictive role of the acute neural changes associated with treatment response in major depressive disorder.
Award
Max Joffe, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), received the Neuropsychopharmacology Editors' Early Career Award (NEECA), which recognizes the top paper from an early-career researcher published in Neuropsychopharmacology during the previous year. The NEECA recognized Dr. Joffe’s paper entitled “Parvalbumin Interneuron mGlu5 Receptors Govern Sex Differences in Prefrontal Cortex Physiology and Binge Drinking.”
Travel Award
Douglas Teixeira Leffa, MD, PhD (PGY4 psychiatry resident) received an ACNP travel award. Dr. Leffa investigates the epidemiological association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and Alzheimer’s disease using clinical data and in vivo biomarkers of Alzheimer’s pathology.
Congratulations to all!