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INFORMATION FOR

Thomas Fernandez, MD

Associate Professor In the Child Study Center and in Psychiatry; Vice Chair for Research, Child Study Center; Co-Director of the Tic and OCD Program, Child Study Center; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

Appointments

Biography

Dr. Fernandez is a child psychiatrist and psychiatric geneticist who has an active clinical practice and research laboratory. Tom is a graduate of Princeton University and Yale School of Medicine, with additional research training at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He completed residency training in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry in the Solnit Integrated Residency Program at Yale. As a faculty member in Yale Child Study Center and the Department of Psychiatry, Tom's research efforts include the following investigations into developmental neuropsychiatric disorders: (1) discovering genetic mutations in Tourette syndrome, motor stereotypies, obsessive-compulsive disorder, ADHD, and anxiety disorders using next generation DNA sequencing (whole genome and exome), and using these discoveries to identify treatment targets; (2) discovering epigenetic marker variation in these disorders; and (3) clinical trials of new behavioral and medication treatments. Tom has received research funding from the NIMH (K08, R01), Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (NARSAD), Simons Foundation, and Allison Family Foundation. Additionally, Tom works clinically as an attending in the Tourette/OCD/ADHD Clinic at Yale Child Study Center.

Education & Training

  • Fellowship
    Yale Child Study Center (2012)
  • Residency
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (2011)
  • Residency
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (2010)
  • MD
    Yale University School of Medicine (2005)
  • BA
    Princeton University, Psychology (1997)

Honors & Recognition

AwardAwarding OrganizationDate
Allison Family Foundation Psychiatric Research ScholarYale Department of Psychiatry and Child Study Center2012
Campaign for America’s Kids/ AACAP Annual Meeting Junior Scholar AwardAmerican Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry2011
Travel AwardAmerican College of Neuropsychopharmacology2011
National Research Service Award (NRSA) T32 Research Training GrantNational Institute of Mental Health2010
Seymour L. Lustman Award for Psychiatric ResearchYale University Department of Psychiatry2010
Pilot Research Award for Junior Faculty and Child Psychiatry Fellows (“Genetic Investigation of Childhood Movement Disorders”) American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry2008
NIH Pediatric Loan Repayment Program2007, 2017

Professional Service

OrganizationRoleDate
NIH Center for Scientific ReviewBehavioral Genetics and Epidemiology Study Section (BGES) Member2018 - Present
American College of NeuropsychopharmacologyProgram Committee2018 - Present
Yale University School of Medicine Dean's Faculty Advisory CouncilMember2018 - Present
American Academy of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryProgram Committee2017 - Present
NIH Center for Scientific ReviewEarly Career Reviewer Program2017 - 2018
American College of NeuropsychopharmacologyAssociate Member2016 - Present
International College of NeuropsychopharmacologyMember2016 - Present
Yale University School of Medicine Admissions CommitteeCommittee Member2016 - Present
American Society of Human GeneticsMember2015 - Present
American Academy of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryMember2008 - Present
Multiple Peer Review JournalsAd hoc reviewer for: Am J Hum Genet, Am J Med Genet, Autism Res Treat, Biol Psychiatry, Child Dev, Eur J Hum Genet, J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, J Autism Dev Disord, J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol, J Med Genet, Mental Illness, Mov Disord, Nat Rev Neurol, PLoS One, Psychiatr Genet, Cerebral Cortex, Neuron2008 - Present

Departments & Organizations