About the Department of Psychiatry

The Department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, is a vibrant team of experts with a mission to advance the care of those suffering with mind-brain disorders through clinical, research and educational innovation and excellence.

Psychiatry is undergoing a tremendous transformation in which underlying mechanisms of mind-brain disorders are being identified, and associated, evidence-based treatments are being enhanced. This reduces the misunderstandings regarding mental illnesses, and increases hope for the large numbers of patients and families who suffer with difficulties in thought, feelings and behavior. It also provides exciting opportunities for fulfilling academic medical careers.

Our department is helping to define the leading edge of such progress, with a medical approach to psychiatry, including psychiatric problems associated with medical illness. This tradition of medical psychiatry permeates the department's evolution, from a hospital-based service within the Department of Medicine to a leading academic clinical department.

Our department is an integral part of the Neurosciences Center, spanning the departments of psychiatry, neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, and (neuro)pathology; and integrating clinical, research and educational activities at the interface of these fields. The Center has a particular focus on the scientific development of translational, mechanistic diagnostic biomarkers and targeted therapeutics, leading to personalized brain-mind medicine. Patients and families benefit from streamlined access to leading clinical experts and new treatments at the interface of these fields, while the next generation of clinical neuroscientific leaders is trained in a stimulating, collegial academic medical environment that transcends traditional boundaries.

The department has a deep and active commitment to diversity and inclusion. We celebrate a warm, vibrant community in which people of all backgrounds and identities are celebrated and safe, and work together to advance our missions, support each other, and provide equitable care.