U N I V E R S I TY O F P I TT S B U R G H S WA N S O N S C H O O L O F E N G I N E E R I N G D E PA RT M E NT O F B I O E N G I N E E R I N G SCHOOL OF MEDICINE D E PA RT M E NT O F P S YC H I AT RY
Bioengineering in Psychiatry Training Program PROGRAM DIRECTORS Howard Aizenstein, MD, PhD
Tamer S. Ibrahim, PhD
The University of Pittsburgh Departments of Bioengineering and Psychiatry received a highly competitive T32 award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a one-of-a-kind multidisciplinary training program that prepares students with a background in engineering and other quantitative sciences for careers in mental health research. Bioengineering predoctoral trainees in the Bioengineering in Psychiatry (BiP) Training Program (T32MH119168) will benefit from a dual mentorship with advisors from the Swanson School of Engineering and the School of Medicine. Their research will focus on neuroimaging, neurostimulation, and neural engineering – all of which are widely used in mental health research, including mood disorder, anxiety disorder, psychotic disorder, suicide, and cognitive impairment.
PROGRAM FOCUS AREAS 1. Neuroimaging including, MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; PET: Positron Emission Tomography; US: Ultrasound; MEG: Magnetoencephalography; EEG: Electroencephalography; FNIRS: Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy; 2PM: Two Photon Microscopy, 2. Neurostimulation including, TMS: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; DBS: Deep Brain Stimulation; ECT: Electroconvulsive Therapy; tDCS: Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation, and 3. Neuroengineering including, CNS DD: Central Nervous System Drug Delivery; NTE: Neuronal Tissue Engineering.
CLINICAL TRAINING In addition to the didactic coursework, all trainees are required to participate in clinical training, which includes a longitudinal clinical experience, tailored by the psychiatry mentor and student, and two one-week intensive observerships. The longitudinal experience starts in the summer after the first year and will continue until the end of the fourth year. CONTACT INFORMATION/HOW TO APPLY Please visit the BiP website at engineering.pitt.edu/BIP or e-mail tibrahim@pitt.edu (Program Director and Professor of Bioengineering) and aizensteinhj@upmc.edu (Program Director and Professor of Psychiatry) for more information. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to be eligible to apply. THE CAMPUS Pittsburgh has been recognized by Forbes, Kiplingers, National Geographic, The Economist, and U.S. News & World Report as a first-rate city for livability, culture, and economy. WalletHub has also recognized it as a top metro area for STEM professionals. The University of Pittsburgh has been rated the #1 Public University in the Northeast (Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings) and is one of the top NIH-funded institutions. The University and the City provide the perfect match for an outstanding graduate school environment.
CURRENT MENTORING FACULTY* Bioengineering Aaron Batista, PhD Tracy Cui, PhD Lee Fisher, PhD Neeraj Gandhi, PhD Theodore Huppert, PhD Tamer S. Ibrahim, PhD Bistra Iordanova, PhD Kang Kim, PhD Takashi D-Y Kozai, PhD Patrick Loughlin, PhD Mark Redfern, PhD Andrew Schwartz, PhD George Stetten, MD, PhD Gelsy Torres-Oviedo, PhD Alberto Vazquez, PhD Doug Weber, PhD Psychiatry Howard Aizenstein, MD, PhD Carmen Andreescu, MD Finnegan Calabro, PhD Alexandre Dombrovski, MD Fabio Ferrarelli, MD, PhD Zachary Freyberg, MD, PhD David Lewis, MD Beatriz Luna, PhD Mary L. Phillips, MD Konasale Prasad, MD, MBBS (MD) Rebecca Price, PhD Dean Francis Salisbury, PhD Tobias Teichert, PhD Kristine Wilckens, PhD Minjie Wu, PhD Kymberly Young, PhD * More Faculty can be added at a later time
engineering.pitt.edu/BIP The information printed in this document was accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of printing and is subject to change at any time at the University’s sole discretion. The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. 09/19