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| Katherine
L. Wisner, M.D., M.S.
Director
Katherine L. Wisner, M.D., M.S., has been
involved in clinical work and research since the mid-1980’s.
Prior to her medical training, she achieved a Master’s
Degree in Nutrition. Dr. Wisner did a pediatrics internship,
is board-certified in both adult and child psychiatry, and
completed a 3-year postdoctoral training program (NIAAA-funded)
in epidemiology. Her early faculty work focused on the
development of a clinical research program in infant mental
health. Dr. Wisner’s research has been NIMH funded since she
completed her post-doctoral training in 1988. She served on
NIMH grant review sections continuously from 1994 to the
present. Additionally, Dr. Wisner completed an applied
ethics fellowship and was a founding member of the NIMH Data
Safety and Monitoring Board. Dr. Wisner is only the second
American to be elected President of the Marce International
Society for the study of Childbearing Related Disorders. Her
major interest area is women’s health across the life cycle
with a particular focus on childbearing. She is a pioneer in
the development of strategies to distinguish the effects
(during pregnancy) of mental illness from medications used
to treat it (Wisner et al, JAMA 282:1264-1269, 1999;
MHR01-60335, Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy). She has
described methods for evaluating serum levels of drugs and
metabolites in breastfed infants whose mothers take
antidepressants. In recognition of her work, she was a
participant in activities related to the FDA Committee to
Revise Drug Labeling in Pregnancy and Lactation, a committee
member for the National Children’s Study (Stress in
Pregnancy), a consultant to the CDC Safe Motherhood
Initiative and the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality Report Perinatal Depression: Prevalence, Screening
Accuracy and Screening Outcomes. Dr. Wisner was elected to
membership in the American College of
Neuropsychopharmacology in 2005. She received the Dr. Robert
L. Thompson Award for Community Service from Healthy Start,
Inc., of Pittsburgh in 2006 and the Pennsylvania Perinatal
Partnership Service Award in 2007 from the State of
Pennsylvania. Additional career highlights include: Dr.
Wisner was the first American psychiatrist to collect serum
from mothers and their breastfed infants for antidepressant
quantitation as a technique to monitor possible infant
toxicity. She published the only two placebo-controlled
randomized drug trials for the prevention of recurrent
postpartum depression and showed that a serotonin selective
reuptake inhibitor was efficacious. With her leadership of a
subcommittee of the American Psychiatric Committee on
Research on Psychiatric Treatments, the first comprehensive
model of risk-benefit evaluation for treatment of depression
during pregnancy and breastfeeding was published (Wisner KL
et al, Am J Psych 157:1933-1940, 2000). Dr. Wisner is a
strong advocate for development of somatic non-drug
treatment options for depression during childbearing to
increase the choices available to women, such as omega-3
fatty acids, other nutrients, and bright light therapy. She
performed the first comparative drug study for postpartum
depression, which was funded by NIMH and published in
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. She is the senior
author of the first chapter on psychiatric illness to be
published in any major American obstetrical text,
Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies, 2007, edited by
Steve Gabbe and colleagues. Dr. Wisner’s activities in
health services/public health have resulted in the first
comprehensive NIMH funded demonstration project for
screening for postpartum depression (10,000 deliveries/year
in Pittsburgh, PA).
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| Dorothy Sit,
M.D.
Psychiatrist
Dorothy Sit, M.D. is an Assistant Professor
of Psychiatry, board-certified psychiatrist with special interest
in women's mood disorders, their diagnosis, treatment, and
impact on mother-infant interactions, along with the possible
role that hormones may play in such illnesses. She was
awarded a Young Investigator Award from the National Alliance
for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression to study the
psychiatric outcomes of women seen for family planning.
She has pilot funds from the University of Pittsburgh Office
of Research, Health Sciences CMRF New Investigator Award, and
the School of Medicine GCRC CREFF Award to study the effects
of menstrual cycles on mood symptoms in Bipolar disorder.
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Christopher Famy, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Christopher Famy, M.D. completed his undergraduate, medical school,
and residency training at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is board certified
in both family medicine and psychiatry with subspecialty board certification in addiction
and psychosomatic medicine. His interests include the treatment of mood disorders and
addiction in pregnant and postpartum mothers. In addition to his work as a clinical
investigator at Women's Behavioral HealthCARE, he was appointed Assistant Professor of
Psychiatry at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and medical director of
Magee Counseling Services located at Magee-Womens Hospital. After work, he enjoys running, biking, and yoga.
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Mary McShea
Program Manager
Mary is the Program Manager at Women’s Behavioral HealthCARE.
She has a masters degree in Counseling from Gannon
University and has spent the past 17 years at WPIC working
in Mood and Anxiety Disorders. Mary is experienced in
providing clinical services and managing research protocols.
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Carolyn L. Hughes, LSW
Senior Research Principal
Carolyn Hughes is a senior principal with
Women's Behavioral HealthCARE. She is a Nationally
Licensed Masters Level Social Worker, with 15 years of
experience in working with women with mood and anxiety
disorders. Carolyn specializes in working with women
that are pregnant or in the postpartum period. She has
worked as a clinician for both Western Psychiatric Institute
and Clinic, as well as for Magee Women's Hospital of UPMC.
In her spare time, Carolyn enjoys flea market shopping.
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David Rizzo, LCSW
Senior Research Principal
David is a clinician with Women’s Behavioral HealthCARE.
After receiving his MSW from Boston College he was employed
for St. Vincent Hospital/Fallon Health Care in Worcester,
MA. His tenure at WPIC, which began in 1999, has included
child and adult care in both inpatient and outpatient
settings and his more recent research endeavors. Clinical
areas of interest include mood and anxiety disorders as well
as grief and bereavement. In his spare time, David enjoys
exploring new adventures in the outdoors.
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Rebecca Zoretich
Senior Research Principal
Becky is an experienced clinician with 20+ years of
experience in behavioral healthcare. She has worked in
research for the past 10 years. Her areas of clinical
interest include women’s health issues and grief and
bereavement. Becky has a Bachelor’s Degree in
Psychology and a Master’s degree in Counseling. In her free
time, she enjoys taking care of her 2 dogs, gardening and
playing bridge. |
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Michelle L. Costantino, MHA
Senior Research Principal
Michelle is a senior research principal at Women’s
Behavioral HealthCARE. She received her Bachelor’s degree
from Penn State University in Human Development and Family
Studies and her Master’s degree in Health Administration
from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public
Health. Her research experience has been in late-life mood
and anxiety disorders at Western Psychiatric Institute and
Clinic and Washington University School of Medicine in St.
Louis, Missouri. She enjoys running and spending time with
her family and friends. |
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Rachel San Pedro, LSW
Senior Research Principal
Rachel is a clinician with Women’s Behavioral HealthCARE. After receiving
her MSW from the University of Pittsburgh, she worked as an inpatient
psychiatric social worker. Her research experience started in 1999 at WPIC
and has included studies on borderline personality disorder, eating disorders,
and childhood trauma. In her free time, Rachel enjoys spending time with
friends and family and salsa dancing. |
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Andrea
Confer
Research Project Assistant
Andrea received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology
from Westminster College in 1998. She has been working in the research field
for 10 years. She started working in child and adolescent depression and anxiety
research here in Pittsburgh, and then spent some time working in Bipolar research
at Case Western Reserve University. She enjoys spending her free time with her
husband, her two daughters and her puppy.
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Elizabeth Nuhfer
Research Specialist
Elizabeth is the Research Specialist at
Women’s Behavioral HealthCARE for the clinical trial
entitled Transdermal Estradiol for Postpartum Depression.
She has a masters degree in research psychology from the
University of Strathclyde and is currently working towards a
second masters in counseling at Chatham University. |
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Alicia Detweiler
Research Specialist
Alicia is a Research Specialist at Women’s
Behavioral HealthCARE. She has a Bachelor’s degree in
Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and has worked
on various research projects within UPMC and the University
of Pittsburgh. |
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Adrienne Genovese
Research Specialist
Adrienne is a Research Specialist at Women’s Behavioral
HealthCARE. She received her bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts
and Psychology from Allegheny College, and is currently completing post-baccalaureate
studies at the University of Pittsburgh in pre-medical sciences. In her spare time,
she enjoys vacations to warm and sunny places, and spending time with friends and
family. |
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Karen
Schomer
Research Assistant III
Karen has involvement with recruitment of
our participants, as well as clerical duties. Karen’s prior
research experience was at the Maternal Health Project, a
research study addressing maternal substance use and child
development. She is currently taking courses at Community
College of Allegheny County and working toward a degree to
become a registered nurse. In her spare time, Karen enjoys
boating with her husband Jerry, and taking long walks with her
two dogs, Max and Cody.
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Jonathan Weingarden
Research Assistant
Jon does work with the database, system administration and
as a research assistant. He graduated with a BA in Psychology from
Denison University where he did research in Behavioral and Health Psychology.
Jon is an amateur Luthier, building guitars. During his free time, Jon enjoys
recording and listening to music, as well as playing guitar.
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Alexandra Illes
Research Assistant
Alex is a Research Assistant at Women’s Behavioral HealthCARE.
She received her bachelor’s degree in Public and Community Health from the
University of Maryland, and is currently applying to Masters of Public Health programs.
In her spare time, she enjoys working out, spending time with friends, and travelling.
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Samantha Gainor
Student Employee
Sam is a student employee at Women's Behavioral HealthCARE. In addition
to screening women for post-partum depression, she schedules participants
for follow-up calls and enters the studies' data. She is currently attending
the University of Pittsburgh and is pursuing her degree in English Writing.
Sam loves to play volleyball competitively and enjoys singing and writing poems.
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Alonna Grigsby
Pitt Work Study Student
Alonna Grigsby is a Senior at the University of Pittsburgh and has
been working with Women's Behavioral Health Care since her Freshmen
year. She is double majoring in Psychology and Communications and
hopes to start a career in the Psychology field after she graduates.
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Andreea Gallagher
Systems Programmer/Analyst
Andreea received her Bachelor in Computer Science from the
University of Pittsburgh. Her responsibilities include the
development and maintenance of the WBHC research databases
as well as system administration duties. In her spare
time, Andreea enjoys family time with her husband and two
puppies, and her hobbies include painting, cooking a
variety of cuisines and learning new technologies.
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