Research Highlights

Psychiatry Research Award Recipients

Distinguished Professor (DP)

The Distinguished Professorship is conferred upon individuals who have achieved national or international prominence and a distinguished reputation within a chosen field.

Dr. Stephen V. Faraone (DP Awarded 2013)
Stephen V. Faraone, PhD, of Upstate Medical University, has received the State University’s highest academic rank as SUNY Distinguished Professor and has been named to the SUNY Distinguished Academy. Faraone is professor of psychiatry, neuroscience and physiology and director of Research for Upstate’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He also holds appointments as senior scientific advisor to the Research Program Pediatric Psychopharmacology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and as lecturer at Harvard Medical School.

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Dr. Julio Licinio (DP Awarded 2019)
Julio Licinio, MD, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in translational and clinical research in psychiatry and neuroendocrinology, including depression and obesity. He has established, led, and obtained competitive funding for numerous major national and international research and clinical projects and programs in these areas for over 25 years at Yale, NIH, UCLA, the University of Miami, the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, and SUNY Upstate Medical University.

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Dr. Ma-Li Wong, MD PhD (DP Awarded 2022)
Dr. Wong, Professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences, Neuroscience, and Physiology at SUNY Upstate Medical University, is an internationally recognized researcher in foundational, translational, and clinical research in psychiatry and neuroendocrinology. Her laboratory has studied the genomics of antidepressants and major depressive disorders, the role of neuroendocrine and neuroimmune aspects of major depressive disorder, and the biology of human leptin, particularly its role in several endocrine axes. Dr. Wong has conducted this research for over three decades at Yale, the National Institutes of Health, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Miami, the Australian National University, and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, and now the SUNY Upstate Medical University.

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President Award for Excellence in Research (PAER)

The President's Award for Excellence and Leadership in Research recognizes and rewards investigators who have risen to a position of prominence in their field.

Dr. Stephen V. Faraone (PAER Awarded 2008)
Stephen V. Faraone, PhD, of Upstate Medical University, has received the State University’s highest academic rank as SUNY Distinguished Professor and has been named to the SUNY Distinguished Academy. Faraone is professor of psychiatry, neuroscience and physiology and director of Research for Upstate’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He also holds appointments as senior scientific advisor to the Research Program Pediatric Psychopharmacology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and as lecturer at Harvard Medical School.

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Dr. Wei-Dong Yao (PAER Awarded 2019)

The Yao Lab studies neural mechanisms underlying reward, affect, and prosocial behaviors in normal and disease conditions, with a focus in dopamine and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Combining electrophysiology, behavior, optogenetics, and chemogenetics, we investigate how intrinsic and synaptic plasticity and modulation in PFC circuits are impaired in addiction, FTD (frontotemporal dementia), and related brain disorders, leading to behavioral deficits associated with these diseases.

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Distinguished Service Professor (DSP)

The Distinguished Service Professorship honors and recognizes extraordinary service by faculty across SUNY.

Dr. Paula Trief (DSP Awarded 2018)
Dr. Trief, a member of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Medicine and Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University, has made significant contributions locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally in the area of behavioral health and diabetes. She is a well-funded researcher for her work in the role of partner relationships and psychological factors in diabetes control, and the relationship of parenting style and parent-youth conflict in medication adherence in youth with diabetes.

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Chancellor Award for Faculty Service (CAFS)

The criteria for this award includes service to the campus, the State University, the local community, or contributions at the regional, state-wide, national or international levels. There must be positive evidence of outstanding achievement and skill in providing leadership, and/or community service.

Dr. Paula Trief (CAFS Awarded 2007)
Dr. Trief, a member of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Medicine and Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University, has made significant contributions locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally in the area of behavioral health and diabetes. She is a well-funded researcher for her work in the role of partner relationships and psychological factors in diabetes control, and the relationship of parenting style and parent-youth conflict in medication adherence in youth with diabetes.

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President Award for Faculty Service (PAFS)

The criteria for this award includes service to the campus, the State University, the local community, or contributions at the regional, state-wide, national or international levels. There must be positive evidence of outstanding achievement and skill in providing leadership, and/or community service.

Dr. Paula Trief (PASF Awarded 2006)
Dr. Trief, a member of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Medicine and Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University, has made significant contributions locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally in the area of behavioral health and diabetes. She is a well-funded researcher for her work in the role of partner relationships and psychological factors in diabetes control, and the relationship of parenting style and parent-youth conflict in medication adherence in youth with diabetes.

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Dr. Robert Gregory (PAFS Awarded 2022)
Robert Gregory, MD is a Psychiatry Specialist in Syracuse, NY and has over 36 years of experience in the medical field. He graduated from New York State U, School of Medicine - Buffalo medical school in 1986. Dr. Gregory is affiliated with Upstate University Hospital where he is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

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Advancement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (formerly Advancement of Affirmative Action Award) (ADEI)

The President's Award for the Advancement of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a campus-wide honor to be conferred annually to recognize, reward and reinforce outstanding performance by faculty or staff in attaining affirmative action goals and promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Upstate Medical University.

Dr. Paula Trief (ADEI Awarded 2013)
Dr. Trief, a member of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Medicine and Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University, has made significant contributions locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally in the area of behavioral health and diabetes. She is a well-funded researcher for her work in the role of partner relationships and psychological factors in diabetes control, and the relationship of parenting style and parent-youth conflict in medication adherence in youth with diabetes.

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Chancellor Award for Excellence in Teaching (CAET)

The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes consistently superior teaching at the graduate, undergraduate or professional level in keeping with the State University’s commitment to providing its students with instruction of the highest quality.

Dr. Thomas Schwartz (CAET Awarded 2011)
In the Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Schwartz and his colleagues James Megna, M.D., Adekola Alao, M.D., and others, have strong track records of involving students and residents in research. Students and residents routinely present posters at national meetings and have their work published in reputable journals. Students and residents learn how to write case histories, case series, create and conduct surveys, analyze datasets collected by faculty, and occasionally conduct prospective trials. We feel these fundamental research experiences are the gateway to launching careers in more in-depth and formal clinical research for our students and residents.

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President Award for Excellence in Basic Research by a Young Researcher (PAEBRYR)

The President's Award for Excellence in Basic Research by Young Investigators recognize early career faculty with exceptional success initiating their research careers.

Dr. Stephen J. Glatt (PAEBRYR Awarded 2009)
Brain disorders remain such a mystery partly because it's a challenge for researchers to study brain tissue in human subjects. Researchers at Upstate, however, have a new biomarker grant from the National Institutes of Health that they hope will improve the study of brain disorders. Stephen Glatt, PhD, who holds professorships in several departments, and Jon Hess, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, explain biomarkers and their prediction tool, called the BrainGENIE.

• 2021 Healthlink on Air Podcast: 09/14/2021 BrainGENIE: a research tool that aims to improve the study of brain disorders

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Dean’s Award for Scientific Excellence (DASE)

The Dean's Award for Scientific Excellence recognizes faculty accomplishments in research, including both career and recent exceptional contributions to scientific research (basic, clinical and translational).

Dr. Yingxi Lin (DASE Awarded 2019)
Dr. Lin’s work focuses on exploring cellular and molecular mechanisms by which experience is coupled to modifications of neural circuits that lead to long term behavioral changes, with ongoing projects in 4 areas: 1) Molecular & circuit mechanisms of learning & memory; 2) Neural circuit assembly and synapse development; 3) Molecular & circuit mechanisms of Neurological disorders; & 4) Neurogenetic tool development. Lin lab research carry out their studies using multi-disciplinary approaches, i.e. molecular and cellular biology, mouse genetics, electrophysiology, imaging, chemogenetics, optogenetics and mouse behavior.

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President Award for Excellence and Leadership in Research (PALR)

The President’s Award for Excellence and Leadership in Research recognizes and rewards investigators who have risen to a position of prominence in their field.

Dr. Stephen Glatt (PALR Awarded 2022)
Stephen Glatt, Ph.D. holds professorships in several departments and serves as Associate Director of Psychiatry Research, and Director of the Psychiatric Genetic Epidemiology & Neurobiology Laboratory (PsychGENe Lab). Dr. Glatt continues to examine genetic risk factors and genomic biomarkers for a wide variety of disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and Alzheimer’s disease.

• 2020 Healthlink on Air Podcast: 02/21/2020 Scientist explores how genes can help protect some people from schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, post-traumatic stress and other conditions

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President Award for Excellence in Teaching (PAT)

The President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching is offered to recognize full-time faculty with outstanding teaching records; those who work part-time but make an exceptional contribution will also be considered.

Dr. Amruthur Ramamurthy (PAT Awarded 2022)
Amruthur Ramamurthy, MD is a psychosomatic medicine provider in Syracuse, NY specializing in psychosomatic medicine and psychiatry. She graduated from Queen's University School of Medicine in 1989 and has 33 years of experience. Dr. Ramamurthy, MD is affiliated with Upstate University Health System and Upstate University Hospital where she is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Assistant Professor of Family Medicine.