University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Promotes Eric Golden, MD, to Associate Professor of Psychiatry
We are pleased to announce that Eric Golden, MD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Dr. Golden received his MD from Texas A&M Health Science Center, then completed his psychiatry residency at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Dr. Golden came to Pittsburgh for a clinical fellowship in consultation-liaison psychiatry at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH), and additionally earned an MBA in healthcare business administration from West Virginia University. He joined the Pitt faculty in 2018 as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry.
A uniquely skilled clinical leader, Dr. Golden is known for possessing a deep understanding of health systems and complex operations, as well as for identifying areas for improvement and growth. He currently serves as Clinical Chief of WPH Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) and PsychCare+. In his leadership role of PsychCare+, he oversees the referral of patients from network medical hospitals to WPH, as well as admissions for all of UPMC’s behavioral health units across three states, and admissions to extended acute care units, substance abuse rehabilitation inpatient units, multiple outpatient services, and a residential program. Dr. Golden has served as a consultant to the UPMC Children’s Hospital consultation-liaison psychiatry team to improve service workflow between UPMC Mercy and Children’s Hospital, and he streamlined the process for referrals for community patients to the Center for Eating Disorders at WPH.
Dr. Golden also led the implementation, in numerous UPMC emergency departments, of more than one hundred Behavioral Health Navigators, who address the needs of patients experiencing mental health or substance abuse issues in the emergency room.
As a clinician, Dr. Golden consistently demonstrates excellence in managing high-acuity patients with exceptional clinical insight and has provided clinical care in the PES since joining the Pitt faculty. While a consultation-liaison psychiatrist at UPMC Mercy he worked with medical and surgical inpatients, emergency department patients, and individuals with substance use disorders. At Mercy’s burn center, Dr. Golden developed subspecialty expertise in the psychiatric management of patients with burns, traumatic injuries, and complex rehabilitation needs. Nationally, Dr. Golden is a founding member and the chair of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Burn and Traumatic Injury Special Interest Group.
Dr. Golden is an outstanding teacher, having worked with medical students, residents from Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine, clinical fellows, and early-career faculty members. He annually teaches PsychCare+ to consultation-liaison fellows, and an introduction to psychiatric emergency services to emergency medicine residents. Dr. Golden has mentored multiple psychiatry residents, as well as emergency medicine residents, and an early career-faculty member as part of the Clinician Educator Navigator Program.
Dr. Golden has earned national recognition for his expertise, having published multiple peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals. He has been invited to present at national meetings including the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, where he served as chair and a lecturer for a symposium on burn psychiatry.
“Dr. Golden is a leader in applying core principles of health systems leadership to implement operational improvements, overseeing complex programmatic growth, providing the highest quality care for his patients, and training the next generation of clinical educators and clinical leaders. He has excelled across all these realms, and his innovations have impacted patient care systemwide. We are very fortunate to have him on the Pitt Psychiatry faculty,” said David Lewis, MD (Chair, Department of Psychiatry).
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Golden!