World's Leading Experts In Schizophrenia To Meet At 25th Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference Nov. 21

Main Category: Schizophrenia
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry;  Conferences
Article Date: 14 Nov 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Internationally renowned experts in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, researchers and clinicians, patients and their families and friends, will gather in Pittsburgh to discuss the latest in research and clinical advances at the 25th Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference to be held Friday, Nov. 21 at the Sheraton Station Square, Pittsburgh. Expecting more than 500 attendees this year, the conference is the nation's longest running scientific meeting devoted to exploring the latest research findings related to schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

Scientific presentations will cover a diverse range of topics, including the federal agenda for schizophrenia and related disorders research, the role of basic science in the search for causes of and treatments for psychosis, the neurobiology of schizophrenia, the dissemination of best practices and evidence-based treatment protocols, and the use of cognitive behavioral therapy. Additionally, a panel of patients and family members will address the consumer's viewpoint regarding urgent and relevant research.

At the conference, the 2008 Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Award will be presented to Daniel R. Weinberger, M.D., senior investigator at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) clinical brain disorders branch. Dr. Weinberger's work focuses on basic neurobiological and genetic mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders, especially schizophrenia. He will present a lecture titled "The Simple Truth About the Genetic Complexity of Schizophrenia."

The 2008 Gerald E. Hogarty Excellence in Schizophrenia Research Memorial Award will be presented to Nina Schooler, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center and adjunct professor of psychiatry at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Schooler's research focuses on the treatment of schizophrenia and its long-term effects, specifically in the early stages of the illness, when people first enter the treatment system. She will present a lecture titled "A First Episode of Schizophrenia: Forming a Long Term Alliance for Treatment."

Also speaking at the conference:

Peter F. Buckley, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia, on "Optimizing Treatment for Schizophrenia and Related Psychotic Illnesses"

John Hsiao, M.D., program chief of Adult Psychopharmacology Intervention Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health, on "The Research Agenda for the Management of Schizophrenia: the NIMH Perspective"

Tony P. George, M.D., F.R.C.P.C., professor and chair of the Addiction Psychiatry Program at the University of Toronto and clinical director of the Schizophrenia Program Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, on "Interventions for Smoking Cessation in Persons with Schizophrenia"

For more information about the Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference, please call (412) 802-6917 or visit http://www.wpic.pitt.edu/schizophreniaconference.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center