Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research

The UMass Chan Department of Psychiatry (UMass Chan Medical School, UMass Memorial Health Care) is committed to outstanding patient-centered research, leading to the development of novel treatment approaches and seamless delivery of care. The department is committed to translational science with a broad portfolio of active research projects, including basic science, clinical psychiatry, service delivery and epidemiology. The primary goal of the department's diverse research portfolio is to understand the complex interactions among the brain, body and mind, and to unlock the mysteries of the causes, prevention and treatment of mental illness and addiction across the life span. 

Our Basic Science Research

We are internationally known for our neurobiological research, which focuses on the molecular mechanisms of psychiatric diseases and takes place in the Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute. Here, researchers are working on cutting edge cellular, molecular and genetic approaches to understanding psychiatric diseases.

Our Clinical and Translational Research

The Psychiatry Department houses a state of the art Center for Psychopharmacologic Research and Treatment, with a special focus on mood and anxiety disorders and schizophrenia, and conducts research on new and more effective pharmacological treatments. We also have an internationally known Law and Psychiatry program with faculty studying cutting edge topics including competence to consent to or refuse treatment, violence risk assessment, forensic mental health service delivery, coercion in clinical treatment, identification of mental health needs of youths in juvenile justice settings, and juveniles' competence to stand trial.  The Medical School also has an outstanding portfolio of research in the areas of addictions, child and adolescent mental health, and women’s health. 

The Child and Adolescent Neurodevelopment Initiative (CANDI) is committed to improving the lives of mentally ill youths and their families through neuroimaging and treatment studies, community outreach, and novel collaborative research practices.

Our Health Services Research

The Implementation Science and Practice Advances Research Center (formerly Center for Mental Health Services Research or CMHSR) is one of two centers funded by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. It is an internationally recognized academic center that conducts research on the etiology, structure, effectiveness, and delivery of services for individuals with mental health conditions, and has a broad mission of improving the lives of individuals with psychiatric conditions. 

The research at our academic partner, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center in Waltham, Mass., aims to search out and underst