University of Miami Advanced Psychopharmacology From Neurobiology to Personalized Treatment 2026

1. Overview
Course Date: February 23-27, 2026

The seminal role of child abuse and neglect in increased vulnerability to mood and anxiety disorders will be explored with a focus on the long-term persistent effects of early life trauma on the brain and the body. An update on the pathophysiology of the major mood and anxiety disorders will be described including new data on inflammation. The latest data on suicide will be presented including risk factors and strategies for prevention.
Treatment of depression, anxiety, and women’s psychiatric disorders will be described. The evidence-based effectiveness of antipsychotic medications will be emphasized as augmenting agents in major depression. Newer agents such as brexanolone, bupropion-dextromethorphan combination and augmenting medications including pramipexole for the treatment of mood disorders will be discussed with an emphasis on treatment-resistant depression including bipolar depression. Medications in development will also be described The benefits and risks of ketamine and esketamine will be explored as well as the uses of ECT and TMS. A comprehensive review of depression comorbid with medical illnesses will be highlighted, particularly the role of depression in cancer and cardiovascular illness and the necessity for treatment.
The neurobiological mechanisms of anxiety and anxiety-spectrum disorders (including GAD, OCD, and panic disorders) as well as their treatment will be reviewed with special emphasis on management of treatment resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Advances in personalized or precision medicine will be a major focus of the course including both pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. The controversy concerning the use of pharmacogenomic tests to predict antidepressant treatment response will be discussed in detail. Finally, the burgeoning area of psychedelic medicine in psychiatry will be comprehensively reviewed.
The seminar will emphasize the establishment and importance of the therapeutic alliance when prescribing all psychotropic medications.

2. Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

Apply the latest advances in the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders and understand the potential role of pharmacogenomic testing in the selection of specific psychiatric medications.
Evaluate treatment options for treatment-resistant bipolar and unipolar depression, including psychotherapies.
Assess the neurobiological mechanism and evidence-based treatment of depressive and anxiety spectrum disorders, including PTSD.
Determine when to implement switch versus augmentation strategies for treatment-resistant depression.
Analyze the use of ketamine with benefits and hazards in treatment-resistant depression.
Demonstrate when to use ECT and TMS for the treatment of depression.
Understand novel treatments under development.
Analyze the role of psychopharmacology and psychotherapy in the treatment of PTSD.
Assess the current database on the efficacy and side effect profile of psychedelic medications.

3. Target Audience

Best for psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and clinical psychologists who want updates on advanced psychopharmacology and targeted treatments.

4. Topics

01 PTSD – How Neurobiology Guides Pharmacologic and Behavioral Therapies

02 Managing Patients With Coexisting Medical and Psychiatric Disorders

03 Managing Anxiety & Trauma Disorders – Pharmacologic and Psychotherapeutic Approaches

04 Psychedelic Therapies in Psychiatric Disorders – Efficacy, Risks, and Clinical Integration

05 Ketamine and Esketamine – The Amazing, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

06 Predicting Antidepressant Response in Depression – Clinical Utility of Laboratory Testing

07 Augmentation Strategies in Depression – Role of Atypical Antipsychotics in Clinical Practice

08 Child Abuse and Neglect – Neurobiological Effects on Brain Development (Part 2 of 2)

09 Management of Treatment Resistant Depression – The Art and the Science

10 Psychiatric Disorders – Linking Molecular Mechanisms to Clinical Symptoms

11 Advances in Suicide Research – Risk Factors and Genetics

12 Child Abuse and Neglect – Neurobiological Effects on Brain Development (Part 1 of 2)