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David A. Lewis, MD

  • Chair of the Department of Psychiatry
  • Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
  • Thomas Detre Professor of Academic Psychiatry
  • Director of the Translational Neuroscience Program at the University of Pittsburgh
  • Medical Director and Director of Research at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital 
Dr. Lewis also serves as Co-Director of the Physicians Inclusion Council of UPMC-University of Pittsburgh. His clinical interests and research activities focus on schizophrenia and include 1) understanding the alterations in cortical circuitry that contribute to cognitive impairments in people with schizophrenia, 2) determining how these alterations arise during postnatal development, and 3) identifying novel molecular targets for therapeutic interventions to improve cognitive function. 

 

Dr. Lewis received his medical degree from the Ohio State University, completed residencies in both internal medicine and psychiatry at the University of Iowa, and received his research training at the Research Institute of the Scripps Clinic. His research findings have been published in more than 500 scientific articles. Dr. Lewis serves as Deputy Editor of both The American Journal of Psychiatry and Neurobiology of Disease

 

Recognition of Dr. Lewis’ research accomplishments has included the Lieber Prize for Schizophrenia Research from NARSAD, the William K. Warren Award from the International Congress of Schizophrenia Research, the Stanley Dean Research Award from the American College of Psychiatrists, the American Psychiatric Association’s Research Award, the Gold Medal Award from the Society of Biological Psychiatry, and NIMH Senior Scientist and MERIT Awards. In addition, he has twice received the APIRE/Kempf award for mentorship from the American Psychiatric Association. 

 

He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and of the Association of American Physicians. He currently serves as President of the Society of Biological Psychiatry, on the Scientific Councils for the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation and the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, and on the Board of Directors of the Pittsburgh Foundation and the Charles Kaufman Foundation. He previously served as a member of the National Advisory Mental Health Council, as President of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and, for 25 years as Director of a NIMH Conte Center for Translational Mental Health Research.