Gerard Sanacora, PhD, MD
Cards
About
Titles
George D. and Esther S. Gross Professor of Psychiatry
Director, Yale Depression Research Program; Co-Director, Yale New Haven Hospital Interventional Psychiatry ServiceBiography
Dr. Sanacora completed an NIH sponsored Medical Scientist Training Program at the State University New York at Stony Brook, earning his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics in 1992 and his M.D. degree in 1994. He then moved to Yale University where he completed his internship at Yale-New Haven Hospital, the Clinical Neuroscientist Training Program Residency in the Department of Psychiatry, and an NIH funded Neuroimaging Scientist Training Program Fellowship. He is currently an Associate Professor and the Director of the Yale Depression Research Program. Dr. Sanacora’s work is concentrated largely on elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms associated with mood and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Much of his recent research has focused on identifying the contributions of the amino acid neurotransmitter systems (GABA and Glutamate) to the neurobiology of mood disorders and the mechanism of antidepressant action. Specifically, his basic science laboratory employs rodent models to explore the effects of chronic stress on cellular and molecular biology, and examines the molecular, cellular and behavioral effects of novel treatment strategies targeting these affected systems. His clinical laboratory employs novel magnetic resonance spectroscopy methodologies and pharmacological challenge paradigms to identify abnormalities in the function of the amino acid neurotransmitter systems in individuals suffering from mood and anxiety disorders. In addition, he is involved in several early phase clinical trials designed to test the clinical efficacy of newly developed therapeutic agents.
Appointments
Psychiatry
ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Adult Psychiatry
- Center for Brain & Mind Health
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit
- Connecticut Mental Health Center
- Dean's Workshops
- Interventional Psychiatry Service
- Neuroscience Research Training Program (NRTP)
- Psychiatric Symptoms in Neurology Research Program
- Psychiatry
- VA National Center for PTSD
- Yale Depression Research Program
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- Fellow
- Yale University School of Medicine (1999)
- Resident
- Yale University School of Medicine (1998)
- MD
- SUNY at Stonybrook (1994)
- PhD
- SUNY at Stonybrook (1992)
- Post Doctoral
- SUNY Stony Brook (1992)
Research
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
Clinical Care
Overview
Dr. Sanacora is a Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University and the Director of the Yale Depression Research Program. Dr. Sanacora’s work has focused largely on elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms associated with mood and other neuropsychiatric disorders and using this information to inform the development of novel treatment strategies. His preclinical research laboratory explores the effects of stress and pharmaceutical agents on cellular biology, neurophysiology and behavior. His clinical laboratory employs novel imaging methodologies to investigate the pathophysiology of mood and other neuropsychiatric disorders. In addition, he has served as principal investigator on several large clinical trials investigating the efficacy and safety of newly developed therapeutic agents for the treatment of mood disorders. Dr. Sanacora received the Anna-Monkia Stiftung international award for the investigation of the biological substrate and functional disturbances of depression in 2009, the Joel Elkes Research Award for Outstanding contributions to Psychopharmacology from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) in 2011, and is a Fellow of the ACNP.
Clinical Specialties
Fact Sheets
Suicide
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Links & Media
News
- May 02, 2024Source: The New England Journal of Medicine
Depression — Understanding, Identifying, and Diagnosing
- March 25, 2024Source: CNN
Ketamine Therapy on the Rise for Treating Depression, Anxiety
- November 28, 2023Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Perspective
Ketamine and the Neurobiology of Depression: Toward Next-generation Rapid-acting Antidepressant Treatments
- November 28, 2023
Sanacora, Wilkinson Receive $12.6M in Funding for Ketamine Study