Department of Psychiatry University of Pittsburgh

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Department of Psychiatry University of Pittsburgh

Named a US News & World Report Best Psychiatry Program

Our Department of Psychiatry excels in its mission of providing superb behavioral health services to our patients and their families; pursuing the development of better diagnostic techniques and treatments through innovative research; and providing a stimulating learning environment for medical students, residents, psychology interns, and post-doctoral fellows.

03/13/2026

Congratulations to Pitt Psychiatry faculty members who have received the following recognitions: Paul D. MacLean Award for Outstanding Neuroscience Research in Psychosomatic Medicine (Layla Banihashemi, PhD); University of Notre Dame William D. Reynolds Award (Kelly Beck, PhD, LPC, CRC); Fellows of the International Neuropsychological Society (Meryl Butters, PhD & Stuart Steinhauer, PhD). https://bit.ly/4bmlAs3

03/10/2026

Congratulations to Fabio Ferrarelli, MD, PhD, who has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine! Dr. Ferrarelli’s research focuses on the study of neural oscillations during sleep, and how such oscillations affect fundamental aspects of brain function. He uses multiple cutting-edge clinical neuroscience tools to identify predictive, diagnostic, and response biomarkers, especially in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis and in patients with first episode/early course schizophrenia. https://bit.ly/4unhPvj

03/06/2026

A recent Pitt Psychiatry study, published in JAMA Neurology, tested whether daily low-dose lithium carbonate could delay cognitive decline in adults aged 60+ with mild cognitive impairment. Results confirmed that low-dose lithium was safe and well tolerated in older adults. Most importantly, it generated the methodological insights and effect size estimates needed to design a larger, adequately powered confirmatory trial, including the knowledge that future trials should enroll participants with confirmed Alzheimer’s pathology using blood-based biomarkers. https://bit.ly/46J6ATV

03/04/2026

Congratulations to Thomas Karikari, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine! Dr. Karikari is an internationally recognized expert in plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. He has developed multiple methods for using noninvasive blood biomarkers to measure neurodegenerative disease including a patented method to measure phosphorylated tau. https://bit.ly/3OYF7Y8

03/02/2026

“The brain’s decision‑making systems behave very differently depending on whether a person is exploiting a clearly rewarding option or exploring new possibilities. In the good-enough, exploitation mode, activity increases in both the ventral prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. But the discovery mode depends on synchronization between the hippocampus and ventral prefrontal regions. This coordinated activity allows us to update maps of the environment and find targets for exploration. As failures of exploration are linked to clinical problems such as suicidal behavior, our findings may provide insight into how hippocampal–prefrontal interactions shape high‑stakes decisions,” said Dr. Dombrovski, senior author of the study. https://bit.ly/4ua2lLe

02/20/2026

Congratulations to Victor Villemagne, MD, who has been elected to the Association of American Physicians! One of the most highly regarded global experts in Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, Dr. Villemagne is extremely accomplished in in vivo imaging of brain pathology and aging and neurodegenerative disorders and has made invaluable contributions to his field. https://bit.ly/4aGK0w3

02/18/2026

Due to the generosity of donor families, the Pitt NBB is an invaluable resource for investigators using postmortem human brain tissue for research. It studies of all brain disorders but is uniquely equipped to provide postmortem brain specimens to scientists investigating psychiatric disorders: https://bit.ly/3OfGth3

02/16/2026

Congratulations to Mary Woody, PhD, who has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine! Dr. Woody's research focuses on adolescent depression, with a primary goal of identifying risk factors that can be targeted in clinical prevention and intervention programs. https://bit.ly/4rWoOJD

02/11/2026

Congratulations to Ricki Stiffler, who has been named a 2026 UPMC Dignity & Respect Champion!! The Dignity & Respect Champion Award recognizes individuals who foster a positive environment by making everyone feel welcomed, valued, and appreciated. Ricki is a Research Program Administrator with the Phillips Mood and Brain Lab. https://bit.ly/4aqJCBX

02/05/2026

Pitt Psychiatry investigators recently published articles in Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA Internal Medicine, Molecular Psychiatry, and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that describe advances in clinical care in the diagnosis of bipolar/psychotic disorders, guidelines for deprescribing benzodiazepine, the promise of infant MRI studies, and assessment for risk for suicidal behavior. https://bit.ly/3NQHQm9

01/28/2026

Congratulations to Antoine Douaihy, MD, who has received conferral of tenure at the rank of professor! Dr. Douaihy is an outstanding clinical leader, teacher, and researcher with broad expertise in addiction medicine and dual diagnosis, motivational interviewing, and substance use and co-morbid HIV. https://bit.ly/49O2uMd

01/23/2026

Pitt Psychiatry had lots of good news from ACNP, including awards and new memberships! See our story here: https://bit.ly/4jW2lK3

Address

3811 Ohara Street
Pittsburgh, PA
15213

Website

http://psychiatry.pitt.edu/

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