Year in Review: 2024

A Note from Psychiatry Leadership

2024 was a year of remarkable growth and innovation in the Department of Psychiatry. At the heart of our success is a dynamic community of clinicians, researchers, and educators whose diverse expertise drives innovation. Together with UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital—a national leader in mental health and addiction disorders treatment —we’ve continued to pioneer advancements in diagnostics and care that supports each patient.

With over 250 academic faculty members at the forefront of their specific fields, our mission remains steadfast: to deliver superior care, shape the future of mental health research, and train the next generation of trailblazers in the field.

As we look back on the year, we are proud of the milestones we have achieved and remain committed to shaping the future of psychiatric care. Wishing you an abundant year ahead.

Respectfully,

David A. Lewis, MD
Chair of the Department of Psychiatry
Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Thomas Detre Professor of Academic Psychiatry
Director of the Translational Neuroscience Program at the University of Pittsburgh
Medical Director and Director of Research at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital

UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital Recognized as High Performing in Psychiatry

Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital is proud to be nationally recognized by U.S. News & World Report for excellence in psychiatry.

Daniel Buysse, MD, Receives University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute Marlin Mickle Outstanding Innovator Award | University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry
- Daniel Buysse, MD, received the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute Marlin Mickle Outstanding Innovator Award, presented to a Pitt faculty member who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to innovation throughout a distinguished career.

K.N. Roy Chengappa, MD, Named UPMC Grand Champion
- K.N. Roy Chengappa, MD, was named a 2024 UPMC Grand Champion. The Grand Champion Award recognizes an individual who has provided unparalleled leadership in cultivating better communities.

Beatriz Luna, PhD, and Mary Phillips, MD, MD (Cantab) Are Elected Members of the National Academy of Medicine
- The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce that two faculty members, Beatriz Luna, PhD, and Mary Phillips, MD, MD (Cantab), have been elected to membership of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Jody Glance, MD, Recognized by the Association of American Medical Colleges
- Jody Glance, MD, has been accepted to the Association of American Medical Colleges Mid-Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar. The Mid-Career Seminar is designed for women physicians and scientists in academic institutions with demonstrated leadership ability.

Pitt Psychiatry Faculty Members Receive UPMC Physician Excellence Awards
- Abigail Schlesinger, MD, Charles Kahn, MD, and Elizabeth Kistler, MD, received 2024 UPMC Physician Excellence Awards.

Morgan Faeder, MD, PhD, Honored by Association for Academic Psychiatry
- Morgan Faeder, MD, PhD, received an Association for Academic Psychiatry Early Career Development Award, which recognizes the achievements and academic promise early-career faculty in psychiatry.

The Department of Psychiatry Welcomes New Faculty Members Shinnyi Chou, MD, PhD, and Chaeryon Kang, PhD
- Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new faculty members: Shinnyi (Cindy) Chou, MD, PhD, and Chaeryon Kang, PhD.

The Department of Psychiatry Welcomes New Clinical Faculty Members Patrick Frailey, MD, and Michael Rudnac, DO
- Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new clinical faculty members: Patrick Frailey, MD, and Michael Rudnac, DO.

The Department of Psychiatry Welcomes New Faculty Members Varad Deshmukh, MD, and Thomas Kraynak, PhD
- Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new faculty members: Varad Deshmukh, MD, and Thomas Kraynak, PhD.

The Department of Psychiatry Welcomes New Clinical Faculty Members Mark Beuger, MD, and Andrea Montilla, MD
- Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new clinical faculty members: Mark Beuger, MD, and Andrea Montilla, MD.

The Department of Psychiatry Welcomes New Faculty Members Daniel Wonjae Chung, MD, PhD, and Matthew Geramita, MD, PhD
- Pitt Psychiatry extends a warm welcome to two new faculty members: Daniel Wonjae Chung, MD, PhD, and Matthew Geramita, MD, PhD.

Daniel Buysse, MD, Honored by the University of Oxford Sleep & Circadian Science Neuroscience Institute | University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry
- Daniel Buysse, MD, received the University of Oxford Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute Academic Medal.

Daniel Wonjae Chung, MD, PhD, and David Lewis, MD, Receive the American Psychiatric Association Kempf Award
- Daniel Wonjae Chung, MD, PhD (postdoctoral scholar), along with his mentor David Lewis, MD, received the American Psychiatric Association 2024 Kempf Fund Award for Research Development in Psychobiological Psychiatry. The Kempf Award is given to support the career development of a young research psychiatrist working with a senior researcher who has made a significant contribution to research on the causes and treatment of schizophrenia as a researcher and as a mentor.

Justin Shuster, MD, MPH, and Laima Spokas, MD Recognized by School of Medicine for Teaching
- Justin Shuster, MD, MPH, and Laima Spokas, MD, have been honored for excellence in teaching at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s annual Curriculum Colloquium. The Curriculum Colloquium honors outstanding faculty contributions to medical education through classroom and clinical teaching, mentoring, and innovation.

Holly Swartz, MD, Elected President of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders
- Holly Swartz, MD, has been elected President of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders. The ISBD fosters international collaboration in education, research, and clinical care to improve the lives of those with bipolar disorder and related conditions.

Pitt Psychiatry Recognized by the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health & the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Boris Birmaher, MD, received the Eric Taylor “Translational Research Into Practice” Award, which recognizes an individual with a sustained contribution to translating research into practice.
- Aliona Tsypes, PhD; David Brent, MD; Tina Goldstein, PhD; and Peter Franzen, PhD, were recognized with the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Best Paper Award for “Sleep influences daily suicidal ideation through affective reactivity to interpersonal events among high-risk adolescents and young adults.”

Publications by Department of Psychiatry Faculty Rank Among the Top 1% of Cited Works in 2024| University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry
- Thomas Karikari, PhD, and Victor Villemagne, MD, have been named 2024 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers based on their publications ranking in the top 1% by citations for field and year in the Web of Science.

Pitt Psychiatry Awarded $17.8M National Institute of Mental Health U01 Grant Focused on Sleep and Pediatric Mental Health
- The award will support the research team in applying computational methods to identify sleep signatures predictive of mental health outcomes among youth engaged in pediatric primary care.
Pitt Psychiatry Establishes Center for Neural Circuit-Based Technology Interventions in Psychiatry
- The goal of the CNCTI-P is to use our growing understanding of the neural circuit-level abnormalities and associated biological mechanisms underlying major psychiatric disorders to facilitate the development of pathophysiologically guided, new technology-based, targeted treatments that will advance the precision medicine approach in psychiatry.
Pitt Psychiatry's Newest T32 Postdoctoral Training Program: Supportive, Multidisciplinary Addiction Research Training (SMART)
- The goal of the Supportive, Multidisciplinary Addiction Research Training (SMART) T32 program is to provide training in substance use disorder research for postdoctoral fellows engaged in translational research spanning basic research programs to clinical trials.
Pitt Psychiatry Awarded $6M Baszucki Group Grant to Study the Therapeutic Effect of the Ketogenic Diet in Bipolar Disorder
- A team of investigators led by Mary Phillips, MD, MD (Cantab), have received a Baszucki Group grant to support their new center, “Elucidating Neurobiological Mechanisms Underlying the Therapeutic Effect of the Ketogenic Diet in Bipolar Disorder (BD): A Multidisciplinary Mechanistic Study.”

Suicide Prevention: Social Media and Mental Health for Children & Adolescents
- The STAR-Center annual conference presents best practices in clinical care incorporated into practical guidelines. This year, 400 clinicians and educators attended lectures and workshops addressing the theme “Connections that Heal: Communicating with Teens and Families about Social Media and Mental Health.”

Year in Review: 2024

A Note from Psychiatry Leadership

UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital Recognized as High Performing in Psychiatry

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Year in Review: 2024

A Note from Psychiatry Leadership

UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital Recognized as High Performing in Psychiatry

Stay Connected

Follow Us