Research in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

The field of child and adolescent psychiatry is still relatively underrepresented in the medical and scientific literature. The department is particularly committed to advancing the scientific knowledge base regarding the mental health of children, and in training mental health professionals in research investigation and academic writing for the promotion of this knowledge.

Cambridge Health Alliance is a health care system with strong clinical, academic and research programs and diverse faculty interests. The training program and the faculty are committed to providing top educational opportunities for our Fellows within the Cambridge Health Alliance, as well as at affiliated Harvard teaching hospitals.

Margarita Alegria, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Understanding caregivers' recognition of youngsters' mental health problems; concordance in the mental health problem reports of parent-child dyads; gender and ethnic/race differences on youngsters' expression of illness; CBT intervention for youngsters with PTSD.

Nick Carson, MD
Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School.
Clinical Research Associate, Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research; Child Psychiatrist, Center for Child and Adolescent Development.
Cultural psychiatry; mental health needs and service use of ethnic minority youth; clinical trials in psychopharmacology of severe mental illness in youth; popular culture and mass media.

Katherine Grimes, MD, MPH
Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Community systems of care outcomes for children with serious mental health needs, when care is provided by integrated medical, mental health, and social service interventions.

Karlen Lyons-Ruth, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School
How genetic factors and qualities of parent-child attachment interact to influence the adolescent's adaptation or psychiatric disorder.

Nancy Rappaport, MD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Optimizing special education delivery to students; conducting threat assessments in school setting.

Research Electives

Research
The Department of Psychiatry values research as the foundation for improving the quality of clinical care and considers it essential for determining the efficacy of methods of care and for disseminating these methods to the larger professional community. Throughout their training years, Fellows are encouraged to pursue research interests.

Our mentoring system has successfully supported Fellows applying for research awards, Livingston and DuPont-Warren Fellowships from Harvard Medical School, and American Psychiatric Association/NIMH Research Training Grants. Cross-fertilization among child psychiatry and developmental psychology faculty at Harvard has helped increase resources and choices.

Elective
Fellows interested in pursuing academic, research, and/or administrative interest in their first year will be supported in their endeavors. Second year Fellows have one day a week of scheduled elective time to pursue such interests.