Psychiatry Advances UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital

Neil P. Jones Ph.D. is an expert on the spectrum of Depressions, including their diverse manifestations and impact on cognitive-behavioral processes, for example accompanying rumination, stress-related anxiety, and anhedonia. This podcast focuses on subtypes of depression relating to brain pathways.

Dr. Danella Hafeman MD, PHD is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. She is the Principal Investigator of a NIMH Sponsored Clinical Trial titled “Neurobehavior Targets of Mindfulness in Youth at Risk for Mood-Disorders.” This podcast focuses on research methodology, manifestations, instruction and mindfulness interventions to reduce stress and mood lability among at risk middle school youth, thereby affecting key brain connectivity related to potential Bi-Polar outcomes among youth at risk.

Rebecca Thurston PhD. is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She is a National/International authority on Menopause. This Podcast describes her groundbreaking and continuing research (25 years) on Menopause. This episode includes its manifestations, women's experience, and impact on physical and mental health. We also discuss menopause's effects on the mind, heart, and brain, and diverse interventions if clinically indicated.

A cancer diagnosis and treatment can be difficult on both patients and their families emotionally. But support is available for people who need it. In this podcast, Robin Valpey, MD, medical director, Center for Counseling and Support, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and Elizabeth Hale, MD, clinical assistant professor, Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, discuss the mental health care available for cancer patients and their loved ones from the beginning of treatment onward. They also discuss the role of psychiatrists in the comprehensive cancer care that UPMC provides.

This Podcast describes integrated care at UPMC/PITT between the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology. Psychiatric manifestations/treatment of Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Epilepsy, and Migraine are discussed with Morgan Faeder MD, PHD. Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Medical Director of Neuropsychiatry and Director of the Consultation- Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship, and Alex Israel MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Psychiatrist /UPMC Epilepsy and Headache Centers.

The University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry is involved in efforts to promote and implement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). In this podcast, four faculty members offer brief presentations and discuss the importance of DEI. Guests include Sarah Pederson, PhD; Paul Pikonis, PhD; Piper Carroll, MD; and César Escobar-Viera, MD, PhD. They discuss linking the Department of Psychiatry to the Pittsburgh community; the psychiatry residency training curriculum; departmental surveys; and LGBTQ+ health matters.