I am currently a postdoctoral fellow and an attending psychiatrist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh with a career goal of becoming a translational physician-scientist who formulates interdisciplinary research approaches to study the neurobiology of schizophrenia (SZ). To reach my career goal, I joined the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Pittsburgh in 2010. Here, I received training in laser microdissection and quantitative confocal microscopy in human and monkey brain tissues, and in-vitro assays in neuronal culture. My strong work ethic, scientific curiosity, and compassion for those with mental illness resulted in multiple first-author publications during my PhD training, which together revealed molecular mechanisms underlying a novel synaptic pathology that contributes to the core cognitive symptoms in SZ. To further pursue my passion in SZ research, I joined the psychiatry residency program at the University of Pittsburgh. While engaged in full-time clinical training, I learned to perform computational modeling of neuronal physiology and simulated the functional impact of synaptic alterations found in brain tissues of SZ. This work not only resulted in a first and corresponding author paper, but also revealed a powerful synergy between neural circuit studies of SZ and computational modeling. Inspiration from this work and my persistent efforts to understand the nature of cortical circuitry alteration in SZ led to the formulation of my current research framework in which I integrate cutting-edge imaging technique of expansin microscopy and computational modeling to investigate cortical circuit abnormalities in SZ across multiple biological resolutions, ranging from organization of synaptic proteins, to conductance of postsynaptic receptors, and to neural oscillation dynamics. Establishing mechanistic links that integrate these findings will contribute to generating a multi-scale view of cortical circuit abnormalities underlying cognitive symptoms in SZ and identifying circuit-based therapeutic targets for this illness.

• University of Pittsburgh, Psychiatry Residency in Research Pathway, July/2018 - June/2022.

• University of Pittsburgh, M.D./Ph.D. in Medicine and Neuroscience, August/2010 - May/2018.

• Johns Hopkins University, B.A./M.S. in Neuroscience, August/2003 - May/2008.

• Attending psychiatrist at Psychiatric Emergency Service, 2022-current.

Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

I provide psychiatric evaluation for patients with psychiatric emergencies (e.g., suicidal ideation and attempt; acute changes in thought, behavior, and mood; substance intoxication or withdrawal), aid patients to receive appropriate levels of care, and perform crisis therapy to help patients establish safety plans, all in close collaboration with a team of social workers, nurse practitioners and milieu therapists.

• T32 scholar, 2022-current.

Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Bard Ermentrout, I investigate the cortical circuitry of schizophrenia across multiple levels of resolution, ranging from organization of synaptic proteins, to synaptic microphysiology and to neural oscillation dynamics. Mechanistic links that integrate these findings are identified by combining postmortem human brain studies and computational modeling, which allows to generate a multi-scale view of cortical circuit abnormalities in schizophrenia and potentially identify circuit-based therapeutic targets for the core cognitive symptoms of this illness.  

• Psychiatry Research Pathway resident, 2018-2022.

Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh.

Under supervision of Drs. David Lewis and Bard Ermentrout, I combined postmortem human brain study and computational modeling to investigate how changes in synaptic variability contributes to deficient prefrontal cortical gamma oscillations in schizophrenia.

• MD/PhD student researcher, 2010-2018.                                                               

Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Under supervision of Dr. David Lewis, I investigated the role of ErbB4 splicing in prefrontal cortical parvalbumin interneuron maturation and schizophrenia.

• Undergraduate research assistant/Graduate student/Research specialist, 2005-2010.

Laboratory of Genetic Neurobiology, Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.                         Under supervision of Dr. Russell Margolis, I characterized a novel antisense transcript at the huntington’s disease repeat locus and its functional role in the pathogenesis of Huntington’s Disease. I also studied the effect of the CAG repeat on the promoter activity of PPP2R2B and its functional relevance in spinocerebellar ataxia Type 12.

• Chung Y, Dienel SJ, Belch MJ, Fish KN, Ermentrout GB, Lewis DA, Chung DW. Altered Rbfox1-Vamp1 pathway and prefrontal cortical dysfunction in schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry. 2024 (in press). PDF link 

• Chung DW, Geramita MA, Lewis DA. Synaptic Variability and Cortical Gamma Oscillation Power in Schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry. 2022;179:277-287.

First and corresponding authorship.

Highlighted as 2022 Articles of Import and Impact in Am J Psychiatry. 2023;180:20-22.

PDF link 

• Glausier JR, Datta D, Fish KN, Chung DW, Melchitzky DS, Lewis DA. Laminar Differences in the Targeting of Dendritic Spines by Cortical Pyramidal Neurons and Interneurons in Human Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex. Neuroscience. 2021;452:181-191.

• Chung DW, Chung Y, Bazmi HH, Lewis DA. Altered ErbB4 splicing and cortical parvalbumin interneuron dysfunction in schizophrenia and mood disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2018;43(12):2478-2486.

PDF link

• Chung DW, Wills ZP, Fish KN, Lewis DA. Developmental pruning of excitatory synaptic inputs to parvalbumin interneurons in monkey prefrontal cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017;114:E629-E637.

Highlighted as the Editor’s Choice in Science. 2017;355:707-708.

PDF link 

• Chung DW, Fish KN, Lewis DA. Pathological Basis for Deficient Excitatory Drive to Cortical Parvalbumin Interneurons in Schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry. 2016;173:1131-1139.

PDF link  

• Chung DW, Volk DW, Arion D, Zhang Y, Sampson AR, Lewis DA. Dysregulated ErbB4 Splicing in Schizophrenia: Selective Effects on Parvalbumin Expression. Am J Psychiatry. 2016;173:60-68.

PDF link 

• O'Hearn EE, Hwang HS, Holmes SE, Rudnicki DD, Chung DW, Seixas AI, Cohen RL, Ross CA, Trojanowski JQ, Pletnikova O, Troncoso JC, Margolis RL. Neuropathology and Cellular Pathogenesis of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 12. Mov Disord. 2015;30:1813-1824.

• Neddens J, Fish KN, Tricoire L, Vullhorst D, Shamir A, Chung DW, Lewis DA, McBain CJ, Buonanno A. Conserved interneuron-specific ErbB4 expression in frontal cortex of rodents, monkeys, and humans: implications for schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 2011;70:636-645.

• Chung DW, Rudnicki DD, Yu L, Margolis RL. A natural antisense transcript at the Huntington's disease repeat locus regulates HTT expression. Hum Mol Genet. 2011;20:3467-3477.

PDF link 

• Lewis DA, Dienel SJ, Chung DW. Searching for the "final proof" of schizophrenia. Schizophr Res. 2022;242:78-80.

PDF link 

• Chung DW, Fish KN, Volk DW, Wills ZP, Lewis DA. Role of ErbB4 splicing in parvalbumin interneuron maturation and schizophrenia. Society of Biological Psychiatry, 2016.

• Chung DW, Yu L, Zhang C, Ross CA, Rudnicki DD, Margolis RL. A gene antisense to huntingtin may modify huntingtin toxicity. HSG/PSG Symposium, 2009.

• David J. Kupfer Residency Research Fellowship, 2018-2022.

• MSTP Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2018.

• NIMH R25 Fellow, 2014~2015.

• The Kempf Fund Award for Research Development in Psychobiological Psychiatry, 2024, American Psychiatric Association.

• Outstanding Resident Award Program, 2020, National Institute of Mental Health.

• Outstanding PGY2 Resident in Psychiatry Research Award, 2020, University of Pittsburgh.

• MD/PhD student travel award, 2017, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (Mentor: Dr. Thomas Hyde).

• Best poster award, 2016, University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry Research Day.

• Mentor/Mentee travel award, 2016, CINP World Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology (Mentor: Dr. John Krystal).

• Best poster award, 2014, University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry Research Day.

• Chair’s choice travel award, 2014, Society of Biological Psychiatry (Mentor: Dr. David Lewis).

• Departmental Honor, 2008, Johns Hopkins University.

• General Honor, 2008, Johns Hopkins University.

• Dean’s list, 2004-2008, Johns Hopkins University.

• Teaching assistant for Neuroscience and Introduction to Psychiatry (MED 5133), 2012, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

• Chair, MSTP ethics committee, 2012-2013, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

• Co-Chair, MSTP retreat committee, 2013-2014, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

• Free psychiatric consultation to international students and immigrants without insurance, 2022-current, Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh.

• Small group bible study leader, 2012-2022, Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh. ​​