Programs and Facilities :
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) is a private, non-profit, university-based, tertiary care psychiatric hospital that cares for 3,700 inpatients and more than 13,000 outpatients yearly. WPIC houses the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Pittsburgh and is widely acknowledged as a national leader in psychiatric research, training, education, and service delivery with a long-standing record of commitment and excellence in these endeavors. The Institute receives support from the state and many federal agencies including NIMH, NIDA, NIAAA and from several NIH institutes, as well as private sources.
The Department of Psychiatry maintains and supports a broad scientific perspective that incorporates biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences and carries out multidisciplinary research and educational programs. As a national leader in psychiatric research, WPIC is currently conducting more than 200 research and research training projects that address basic, clinical, and applied research issues relevant to mental health and addictive disorders. Currently active major program projects and clinical research centers in the Department include: The Psychobiology of Depression in Children and Adolescents; Aging, Temperature, and Sleep: Cyclic Regulatory Mechanisms; Molecular Studies in Alzheimer’s Disease; The Mental Health Clinical Research Center for the Study of Affective Disorders; The Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center; Adolescent Alcohol Abuse: Biobehavioral Manifestations; Behavioral Neuroscience and Schizophrenia Research Center; and Drug Abuse Vulnerability: Mechanisms and Manifestations.
The Institute provides extensive resources for research and education, including a ten-story Education and Research Center that features several floors of a laboratory space; a major nuclear magnetic resonance center; a primate research facility; a pharmacology laboratory; a neuroendocrine laboratory; two sleep evaluation units; and an ultramodern computing facility. Many WPIC programs have recently expanded and are now housed in the Biomedical Science Tower, a new facility that provides approximately 350,000 square feet of space for basic and clinical investigations within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Ultimately, the tower will accommodate more than 1,200 investigators. The WPIC library, which houses more than 56,000 volumes, offers the most extensive collection of psychiatric educational materials in the United States, including a newly established laboratory for computer-based learning and information retrieval. WPIC investigators can also use the clinical, research, and educational facilities of several University-affiliated institutions, including two Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, Mayview State Hospital, and the Harmarville Rehabilitation Center. These and other collaborative institutions (such as Carnegie Mellon University) provide basic and clinical scientists with the state-of-the art resources necessary to support investigations of psychiatric illnesses and their treatment.
Research training is a departmental priority that helps to ensure the development of young scientists with research interests relevant to mental disorders, substance abuse and behavioral medicine. The postdoctoral training programs of the Department of Psychiatry are designed to train researchers who can make significant contributions to knowledge and technology in the basic and clinical sciences relevant to mental health. Currently, carefully conceptualized programs provide excellent training opportunities for talented individuals seeking scientific and academic careers. The programs also offer fellows the chance to study and monitor health care planning and policy development. Using a multidisciplinary approach, each program aims to provide students with a thorough understanding of the current knowledge, prevailing theories, and advanced methodologies required for investigating unresolved issues in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention of psychiatric disorders.
WPIC offers Pennsylvania’s largest residency training program in psychiatry. In addition, each year it trains more than 500 students enrolled in 24 health related disciplines.
The following list of WPIC’s clinical resources and programs provides a quick overview of the range of clinical services and facilities currently available:
Clinical Facilities
Primary Assessment and Consultative Services
Diagnostic and Evaluation Center
Clinical Information and Scheduling Office
Division of Internal Medicine
Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory
Sleep Evaluation Center
Neurophysiological Assessment and Rehabilitation Service
Child/Adolescent Sleep Laboratory
Matilda Theiss Day Treatment Center
WPIC Inpatient Units
Child Affective Treatment Service
Attention and Conduct Evaluation Service
Adolescent Affective Treatment Service
Center for Pediatric Psychiatry and Medicine
John Merck Unit
Adolescent Drug Abuse and Psychiatric Treatment Unit
Services for Teens at Risk Units
Center for Overcoming Problem Eating
Geriatric and Behavioral Neurology Unit
Schizophrenia Unit
Mood Disorders Unit
Mood Disorders Clinical Research Unit
Adult Dual Disorders Inpatient Program
Mood Disorders Special Assessment and Treatment Unit
Specialized Assessment and Treatment Modules
Child Psychiatric Treatment Service Module
Adolescent and Young Adult Module
John Merck Multiple Disability Module
Mood Disorders Module
Schizophrenia Module
Geriatric and Behavioral Neurology Module
Child and Adolescent Outpatient Services
Child and Adolescent Outpatient Services
Center for Children and Families
Family Therapy Center
Pregnancy and Infant/Parent Program
Child and Parent Behavior Clinic
Outpatient Treatment Services
After School/After-Care Program
Attention Deficit Disorder Program
Parent Training Courses
Medication Assessment
Summer Treatment Program
Child and Sexual Abuse Program
Child and Adolescent Mood Program
Services for Teens at Risk
Adolescent Drug Abuse and Psychiatric Treatment Outpatient Program
Eating Disorders Outpatient Program
Tourette’s Program
John Merck Multiple Disabilities Module
The Mood Disorders Module
Inpatient Unit (1)
Inpatient Unit (2)
Inpatient Unit (3)
Adult Dual Disorders Inpatient Program
Bellefield Assessment Center
Mood Disorders Module Comprehensive Care Program
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program
Electroconvulsive Therapy
Schizophrenia Module
Inpatient Services
Outpatient Schizophrenia Services
Rehabilitation and Partial Hospital Services
Geriatric Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Module
Geriatric Psychiatry Inpatient Program
Benedum Geriatric Center
Late Life Depression
OTHER SPECIALIZED SERVICES
Hill Satellite Center
Mental Retardation Unit
Mental Retardation Clinic
Therapeutic Activity Center
Law and Psychiatry Program
Consultation Liaison Service
Investigational Drug Service
RESEARCH LABORATORY FACILITIES
Child/Adolescent Sleep and Neuroendocrine Unit
Psychology of Aging Laboratory
Alcohol and Cognitive Processing Laboratory
Psychobiology Center (Sleep and Chronobiology)
Biological Rhythms Center
Molecular Neurobiology and Genetics Program
Neurochemistry Laboratory
Psychopharmacology of Affective Disorders Laboratory
Clinical Neuroendocrinology Laboratories
Clinical Pharmacology Laboratories
Basic Biological Rhythms Laboratory
Basic Neuroendocrinology Laboratories
Technical Core: Electronic and Machine Shop
LABORATORY FACILITIES OUTSIDE WPIC
Primate Neuroscience Program
Neuorpharmacology Program
Neural Mechanisms of Circadian Function Program
Cognitive Neurochemistry Laboratory
Psychobiology Laboratory
Neurophysics Laboratory
ANIMAL FACILITY
OTHER FACILITIES at WPIC
Division of Creative Services
Graphic Art/Design
Photography
Technical Services
Video Production
Information Systems
Clinical Information System
Data Analysis Facilities
WPIC Information Systems Program
Library Service
Educational Programs