University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Promotes Amelia Versace, MD, to Associate Professor of Psychiatry
We are delighted to announce that Amelia Versace, MD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Dr. Versace earned her MD from the University of Verona School of Medicine in Italy, where she also completed her residency, as well as predoctoral and postdoctoral training. Dr. Versace then joined the University of Pittsburgh to conduct a one-year visiting scholarship in neuroscience, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship under the mentorship of Mary Phillips, MD, MD (Cantab). Dr. Versace joined the Department of Psychiatry as a faculty member in 2010.
Dr. Versace’s research examines the neurobiology of emotion regulation and associated psychiatric disorders. She is a recognized expert in diffusion imaging data analyses and she uses innovative diffusion imaging techniques to examine abnormalities in specific white matter tracts important for emotional regulation in a variety of psychiatric disorders. She has examined white matter structural abnormalities in adults with bipolar disorder (BD), youth at risk for BD, and in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Dr. Versace is currently the principal investigator (PI) or co-PI of two National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded R01 grants and one project funded by the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research. Her most recent R01 focuses on emotion regulation circuitries in youth with mild traumatic brain injury. A highly regarded collaborator, Dr. Versace is a co-I on six additional NIMH-funded R01s investigating ADHD, adolescent depression, children of bipolar parents, and the early development of infant brain-behavior relationships.
In addition to her notable research accomplishments, Dr. Versace has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in top scientific journals. Closer to home, she has made substantial contributions to the Department of Psychiatry’s educational mission, having served as a mentor, co-advisor or supervisor to 20 predoctoral students and postdoctoral trainees—many of whom have noted Dr. Versace’s extraordinary contributions to their career development as scientists and researchers.
“Dr. Versace has clearly demonstrated her keen ability to develop innovative research techniques and to conduct cutting-edge research,” said David Lewis, MD (Chair, Department of Psychiatry). “She is the go-to person in our department for her area of expertise and has made important contributions to the Department, the University and broader scientific community.”
Congratulations, Dr. Versace!