Larner College of Medicine

Research

The Department of Psychiatry focuses on four key research areas: Neuroscience, Substance Use, Child Wellness and Psychopathology, and Public Psychiatry, primarily aimed at enhancing patient care. Residents and child fellows can engage in research alongside our dedicated faculty.

Neuroscience

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  • Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit - The Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit and Brain Imaging Program studies biological and psychological mechanisms which underlie changes that occur in cognitive functioning associated with development and aging. The CNRU uses advanced methodologies, including MRI, to understand how brain systems are altered in health and disease. We are a primary site of several consortia including the national ABCD study

Substance Abuse

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  • Vermont Center on Behavior and Health - The VCBH studies environmental and pharmacological factors that influence drug abuse and diverse new treatments for drug abuse. Research includes both clinical research on behavioral and pharmacological treatments for alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, nicotine, and opiate dependence and human laboratory research on behavioral effects of abused drugs.
  • UVM Center on Rural Addiction- Funded by several grants from the Health Research ServicesAdministration, the mission of CORA is to expand addiction-treatment capacity in HRSA-designated rural counties by providing consultation, resources, training, and evidence-based technical assistance to healthcare providers and other staff.

Child Psychiatry

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  • The Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families- The Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families (VCCYF) is actively involved in a number of research projects funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and other state and federal sources. This research focuses on the genetic and environmental factors involved in child psychopathology and wellness and includes studies of behavioral and molecular genetics, temperament, parenting, and dysregulation.
  • The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessments- The University is home to The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessments (ASEBA), which includes widely used tools such as the Child Behavior Checklist that has been translated into over 60 languages and used in thousands of research articles.

Public Psychiatry

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  • The Division of Public Psychiatry serves as a liaison between the Vermont Agency of Human Services Department of Mental Health and the Department of Psychiatry, with a goal to improve access and availability of psychiatric services in Vermont and facilitate recruitment and retention of high caliber psychiatrists and other behavioral health professionals to provide service, training and research in the public sector.