Myrna M. Weissman, PhD

Dr. Myrna M. Weissman is a distinguished member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Psychopharmacology Bulletin and serves as the Diane Goldman Kemper Family Professor of Epidemiology in Psychiatry at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. She is also Chief of the Division of Translational Epidemiology at New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Research Excellence

Dr. Weissman is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work in psychiatric epidemiology, particularly her pioneering research on the transmission of depression across generations. Her current research includes studying biomarkers of transmission and treatment response, and implementing psychotherapy in low-income countries and populations. She leads a landmark three-generation longitudinal study of families at high and low risk for depression, incorporating MRI, genetic studies, and biomarker research.

She has authored or co-authored over 600 scientific articles and chapters, and 12 books, including the recently updated The Guide to Interpersonal Psychotherapy (Oxford University Press, 2018). Her work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of depression’s familial patterns and the effectiveness of interpersonal psychotherapy as a treatment modality.

Professional Recognition

Dr. Weissman is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and has received numerous prestigious awards for her research contributions. She was selected by the New York Times in 1997 as one of the 12 leaders in the U.S. in women’s health and was honored by the New York Academy of Science as one of the area’s outstanding women in science in 2000. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom and served as President of the American Psychopathological Association.

Her consultancy work spans major organizations including the World Health Organization, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, demonstrating the global impact of her expertise in psychiatric epidemiology and treatment implementation.