Exceptional education, innovative research.
Watch a message from our chairGuided by our patients-first credo, the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is committed to compassionate patient care, exceptional education and advancements in mental health research.
What We Do
Education
Our faculty are training the future leaders of behavioral sciences through residency, fellowship and degree programs.
Research
Featuring nationally recognized initiatives, our research investigates underlying mechanisms of psychiatric disorders, innovations in treatment and barriers to services.
Our Divisions
Our divisions and associated faculty provide specialized training, research and patient care across the many areas within our comprehensive field. Our faculty members are committed to helping students and trainees develop specialized professional skills, while serving diverse patient populations at our affiliated care sites and hospitals.
Faculty Spotlight
Ashley A. Knapp, MA, PhD
Social media has infiltrated our society more quickly than any other technological advancement. Kids today have access to endless content and social connections by way of the internet than the generations before them. In this 360 Perspective episode of Science Rehashed, Dr. Ashley Knapp explores the issues surrounding social media and mental health, telling us about the digital tools her team is developing for youth to combat anxiety and how we can make these tools accessible and effective for all.
Check out this podcast on Spotify - Social media: the good, the bad, and the hopeful
Veronika Hanko, MD
Dr. Hanko is an Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She recently completed her fellowship in Consultation-Liason Psychiatry here at Northwestern and is clinically active on the C/L service. Her current research projects include seeking ways to improve access to medical care and substance use treatment for medical inpatients with hepatitis C and HIV. Other clinical interests include management of depression in the medically ill, substance use disorders, functional neurological disorders, and somatoform disorders. Dr. Hanko is actively involved in medical education and looks forward to her new role as Associate Psychiatry Clerkship Director.
Inger E. Burnett-Zeigler, PhD
Dr. Burnett-Zeigler’s research focuses on examining the factors associated with mental health service utilization. She is specifically interested in attitudes and beliefs about mental health, access to mental health treatment, engagement in mental health treatment, and barriers to mental health treatment among disadvantaged populations including racial/ethnic minorities and those with low income, limited education, and limited access to resources. She is currently the Principal Investigator for the "Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Depressed Women in a Federally Qualified Health Center" study which examines the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a mindfulness based treatment for depression delivered to women in a community primary care setting.
Evan Goulding, MD, PhD
Dr. Goulding’s clinical research uses smartphones to increase access to strategies that enhance bipolar disorder self-management and provider intervention. At the same time, smartphones allow collection of self-report and behavioral data to create a database for use in improving understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder. His basic research utilizes automated mouse home cage monitoring to elucidate how atypical antipsychotics, that are increasingly used to treat bipolar disorder, alter daily behavioral patterns (e.g. activity, sleep, location). By quantitatively assessing similar behavioral patterns in both humans and mice, Dr. Goulding’s work aims to more effectively translate findings between animal and human research in bipolar disorder.
