2021 Fall Forum: Depression Across the Lifespan

Alan F. Schatzberg, MD
Kenneth T. Norris, Jr., Professor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Stanford University School of Medicine
 

Alan F. Schatzberg received his M.D. from New York University in 1968.  He did his psychiatric residency at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center from 1969-1972 and was Chief Resident, Southard Clinic in 1971-1972. 

After serving in the United States Air Force, he joined the staff at McLean Hospital and the faculty of Harvard Medical School in 1974.  At McLean Hospital, he held a number of important positions including Service Chief, Interim Psychiatrist in Chief, Co-Director of the Affective Disorders Program (with Dr. J. Cole) and Director of the Depression Research Facility.  In 1988, he became Clinical Director of the Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.  In 1991, Dr. Schatzberg moved to Stanford University to become the Kenneth T. Norris, Jr., Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.  He served as Chair of the Department there until 2010 and directs the Stanford Mood Disorders Center.

Dr. Schatzberg has been an active investigator in the biology and psychopharmacology of depressive disorders.  He has authored over 700 publications and abstracts, including Schatzberg’s Manual of Clinical Psychopharmacology, whose ninth edition appeared in 2019 and which is co-authored by Dr. Charles DeBattista.  He also co-edited with Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff the Textbook of Psychopharmacology whose fifth edition appeared in 2017.  He was Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Psychiatric Research and sits on many other editorial boards as well, including Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Biological Psychiatry, and others.  He is a Past President of the American Psychiatric Association, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) and the Society of Biological Psychiatry and was also the Secretary-General of the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology.  He has received numerous awards, including; the 1998 Gerald L. Klerman, MD Lifetime Research Award from the NDMDA, the 2001 Gerald L. Klerman, MD Award from Cornell University Medical College, the 2001 Edward A. Strecker, MD Award from the University of Pennsylvania, the 2002 Mood Disorders Research Award from the American College of Psychiatrists, the 2002 American Psychiatric Association Award for Research, the 2005 Distinguished Service in Psychiatry Award from the American College of Psychiatrists, the 2005 Falcone Award from NARSAD, the 2013 Anna Monika Award, the 2014 Kraepelin Gold Medal from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, the 2015 Gold Medal from the Society of Biological Psychiatry, the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award of the ISPNE, 2017 Julius Axelrod Mentorship Award from the ACNP, etc.  In 2003, he was elected into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (National Academy of Medicine).  He has received three honorary doctorate degrees.  
 

Gabriela Livas Stein, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Stein’s program of research identifies individual risk and protective processes for Latinx and other minoritized youth when facing cultural stressors (e.g., discrimination, acculturative stress), and seeks to improve mental health treatment access for Latinx families. Broadly, her research investigates the impact of culturally resilience factors like familism and coping on the development of psychopathology and well-being for minoritized samples. She has published more than 60 peer reviewed papers on these topics. Her research has been funded by NIDA, NIMH, and PCORI. She is currently the Vice President of Programming for the Society of Research on Adolescence. Clinically, she specializes in the provision of therapeutic services to Latinx families, and provides training to providers working with Latinx communities. 

Namkee Choi, PhD, is Professor and Louis and Ann Wolens Centennial Chair in Gerontology in the University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work. She received her MSW degree from the University of Minnesota, PhD from the University of California at Berkeley, and intensive geriatric mental health research training at the Advanced Research Institute in Geriatric Mental Health.  

Dr. Choi’s primary research/practice goal is to improve low-income, especially racial/ethnic minority, older adults’ access to mental health services. To realize this goal, Dr. Choi leads a team that has conducted randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of effectiveness of videoconferenced depression treatments and prevention (via improving social connectedness and reducing social isolation) for homebound older adults. Her community partners include Meals on Wheels, Area Agencies on Aging, and other aging service network agencies. She received funding from the NIH, AARP Foundation (national), and St. David’s Foundation. Dr. Choi has also done extensive research on late-life suicide and substance misuse among older adults.  She is the 2021 recipient of the Gerontological Society of America’s Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Contributions to Healthy Aging. 

Dr. Shawn Jones is an Assistant Professor in the Counseling Program in the Psychology Department at Virginia Commonwealth University. He received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Children and Families from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a Child Clinical Psychology Predoctoral intern at UCLA. Dr. Jones endeavors to impact the psychosocial wellbeing of Black youth and their families by: a) exploring mechanisms undergirding culturally-relevant protective and promotive factors; b) translating basic research into interventions that harness the unique strengths of the Black experience; and c) disseminating this research to be consumed, critiqued and enhanced by the communities the work intends to serve.

Gabrielle Liverant, PhD is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychology at Suffolk University. Dr. Liverant's research centers on the identification of shared etiological mechanisms that underlie mood, anxiety, and trauma and stressor related disorders, and the translation of this knowledge into more effective psychotherapeutic and pharmacological interventions. Her recent work has focused on enhancing understanding of anhedonia, associated reward system impairments, and emotional reactivity and regulation dysfunction across psychiatric disorders. The transdiagnostic, phenotypic focus of Dr. Liverant's research is designed to promote the dissemination and application of new interventions across disorders and populations (e.g., depression, PTSD).

Dr. Mischoulon is the Joyce Root Tedlow Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Depression Clinical and Research Program (DCRP) at MGH. He graduated in 1994 from the MD-PhD program at Boston University School of Medicine, and completed his residency in adult psychiatry at MGH in 1998, serving as Chief Resident in Pscyhopharmacology.

Dr. Mischoulon's research has focused on various areas of depression, including psychopharmacology and complementary and alternative medicine. His research on omega-3 fatty acids has been funded my NARSAD, MCCAM/NCCIH, and the NIH. He mentors researchers from all over the world. He has published more than 300 articles, a textbook on natural medications, and a guide to treatments of depression. He has been an invited speaker at various sites around the country and internationally, and is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

In addition to his research activities, Dr. Mischoulon teaches and supervises MGH/McLean psychiatry residents and Harvard medical students, and also lectures in various MGH/Harvard continuing medical education programs. He serves as Director of Training in the MGH Clinical Trials Network and Institute (CTNI), where he educates research clinicians on the proper administrative of diagnostic instruments in clinical trials. He also cares for patients through the DCRP clinical practice, and is regularly sought out for consultation regarding management of treatment-resistant depression and use of complementary therapies for psychiatric disorders.

Member Since 2011

Barbara W. Kamholz, PhD, ABPP is a public health leader, social justice advocate, educator, and clinical psychologist, with a mission to enhance human well-being and benefit society. Her broad background and expertise informs her work in grassroots advocacy, healthcare, non-profit organizations, and political engagement. She has developed in-person and virtual training programs locally and nationally, applied behavioral principles to enhance the messaging and mission of multiple organizations, and is adept at translating complex concepts for different audiences. As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Kamholz builds strong working relationships, develops strategies for behavioral change, and engages others in the hard work of effecting that change.

Dr. Kamholz plays leadership and advisory roles in multiple non-profit organizations and works in political advocacy and electoral politics. She is Associate Director of Outpatient Mental Health Services at VA Boston Healthcare System, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, Board Certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology, and Senior Advisor for Professional Education at ADAA. She also provides direct patient care. Email Barbara.