The Brown Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior (DPHB) has a long record of outstanding research training and excellence. With more than 140 academic track faculty members and $67 million in externally sponsored research, the department offers a wealth of opportunities through cutting-edge programs in clinical, basic, and translational research. The development and testing of novel treatments (psychosocial, behavioral, pharmacotherapy and device-based, including neuromodulation approaches) is a particular strength, as is research using technological approaches to study behavior, exposures, and symptoms, and develop effective interventions.
We engage community partners in our research to ensure that the design and execution are relevant and accessible to the people the work is intended to help, and we provide educational opportunities and clinical resources for the community. Expertise in both quantitative and qualitative methods allow sophisticated study design and analysis, and our Dissemination and Implementation Core provides guidance on translating and scaling up evidence-based findings into clinical practice.
Research on psychiatric conditions includes studies of Alzheimer’s disease, suicide, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance use disorders, and women’s mental health, among other domains and disorders. Behavioral medicine research investigates the relationships between behavioral, psychosocial, and biological pathways to prevent and treat psychiatric disorders and a wide variety of health conditions including cardiovascular disease, obesity, and asthma. Developmental work includes basic behavioral studies and research on risk and vulnerability, including biological predispositions and environmental risk and protective factors. Our department also conducts laboratory studies in basic neuroscience in such areas as Alzheimer’s disease and the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying autism. For more information see the research conducted in our Research Centers, and by individual faculty members, and browse our Research Core Facilities and affiliated research resources.