Ilan Harpaz-Rotem, PhD, ABPP
Glenn H. Greenberg Professor of Psychiatry and of PsychologyDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Appointments
Psychiatry
Primary
Department of Psychology
Secondary
Additional Titles
Director, PTSD Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment
Deputy Director, Evaluation Division at the National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Contact Info
Appointments
Psychiatry
Primary
Department of Psychology
Secondary
Additional Titles
Director, PTSD Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment
Deputy Director, Evaluation Division at the National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Contact Info
Appointments
Psychiatry
Primary
Department of Psychology
Secondary
Additional Titles
Director, PTSD Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment
Deputy Director, Evaluation Division at the National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Contact Info
About
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Titles
Glenn H. Greenberg Professor of Psychiatry and of Psychology
Director, PTSD Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment
Positions outside Yale
Deputy Director, Evaluation Division at the National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Biography
Dr. Harpaz-Rotem is a Professor of Psychiatry and of Psychology at Yale University. He is a clinical psychologist who, for many years, has conducted research and provided treatment to individuals exposed to trauma. Dr. Harpaz-Rotem serves as an investigator at the National Center for PTSD, and he also directs the evaluation of VA PTSD treatment programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Northeast Program Evaluation Center, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, VA Central Office. Research into how to modify traumatic memories and their associated emotions is one of the core questions that guide his work.
Last Updated on December 15, 2022.
Appointments
Psychiatry
ProfessorPrimaryDepartment of Psychology
ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Center for Brain & Mind Health
- Department of Psychology
- Harpaz-Rotem Lab
- MR Core
- Psychiatry
- Psychology Section
- VA National Center for PTSD
- VA-Yale Clinical Neurosciences PTSD Research Program
- Wu Tsai Institute
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- Postdoc
- NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship Yale University Department of Psychiatry (2004)
- PhD
- New School for Social Research (2002)
- Clinical training
- University of California at Davis School of Medicine (2002)
- Clinical training
- Albert Einstein School of Medicine Bronx Lebanon Hospital (2001)
- Clinical training
- New York University Medical Center & Bellevue Hospital (2000)
- Clinical training
- Beth Israel Medical Center (1998)
Research
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Overview
Medical Research Interests
Afghanistan; Anxiety Disorders; Biomarkers, Pharmacological; Depression; Iraq; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mental Health Services; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; Psychiatry; Psychotherapy; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Veterans
ORCID
0000-0002-6066-9406- View Lab Website
Harpaz-Rotem PTSD Treatment & Research Lab
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Ilan Harpaz-Rotem's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Ilan Harpaz-Rotem's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Ilan Harpaz-Rotem is interested in exploring.
Jack Tsai
Or Duek, PhD
John Krystal, MD
Tobias Spiller, MD
Robert Pietrzak, PhD, MPH
Ifat Levy, PhD
194Publications
5,669Citations
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Veterans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Psychotherapy
Mental Health Services
Depression
Publications
2025
The exposure continuum model: A theoretical framework for understanding exposure across trauma-centered psychotherapies
Rubinstein D, Korem N, Bullard D, Harpaz-Rotem I. The exposure continuum model: A theoretical framework for understanding exposure across trauma-centered psychotherapies. Journal Of Anxiety Disorders 2025, 117: 103107. PMID: 41371190, DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2025.103107.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTrauma-focused therapyExposure therapyNeurobiological mechanismsTrauma typesIndividual differencesSymptom severityTrauma treatmentExposure componentPsychotherapyTherapeutic settingData-driven explorationTreatment approachesExposure techniqueTherapistsTraumaSymptomsTheoretical frameworkExposureTheoretical paperTherapeutic approachesCliniciansTherapySeverityTreatmentDimensionsDissecting Fear and Emotional Pain in PTSD: From Symptom Networks to Neural Signatures
Ben-Zion Z, Basol E, Simon A, Abargil M, Samonek K, Patterson M, Spiller T, Duek O, Just S, Preller K, Keynan J, Admon R, Liberzon I, Shalev A, Hendler T, Levy I, Joormann J, Scheinost D, Harpaz-Rotem I. Dissecting Fear and Emotional Pain in PTSD: From Symptom Networks to Neural Signatures. Biological Psychiatry 2025 PMID: 41319905, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.11.016.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsPosttraumatic stress disorderConnectome-based predictive modelingEmotional painSymptom networksNeural signaturesSymptom severityStudy 1PTSD dimensionsPosttraumatic Stress Disorder ChecklistPosttraumatic stress disorder symptomsSubjective ratingsTrauma-exposed individualsTrauma-related psychopathologyDiverse symptom presentationsPost-traumaRatings of fearMechanism-based interventionsCentral executiveEmotional reactivityDSM-5PCL-5Distressing memoriesStress disorderDefault-modeCentral symptomsUnraveling PTSD: Symptom Cluster Change During and 1 Year After Veterans’ Residential PTSD Treatment
Gross G, Spiller T, Ben-Zion Z, Rubenstein A, Pietrzak R, Duek O, Hoff R, Harpaz-Rotem I. Unraveling PTSD: Symptom Cluster Change During and 1 Year After Veterans’ Residential PTSD Treatment. Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice And Policy 2025, 17: 1780-1788. PMID: 38990694, DOI: 10.1037/tra0001734.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsPosttraumatic stress disorderPosttraumatic stress disorder symptom clustersPosttraumatic stress disorder clustersSymptom clustersIntrusive symptomsResidential treatmentTreatment of posttraumatic stress disorderPosttraumatic stress disorder symptomsResidential PTSD treatmentPTSD symptom clustersNovel treatment interventionsDifferential treatment responseReduce symptom severityDifferential patterns of changeAvoidance symptomsPTSD treatmentTreatment gainsStress disorderVeterans AffairsSymptom severityCluster CTreatment interventionsCluster BIndividual symptomsCohort of veteransA preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness of massed delivery of PTSD psychotherapy in VA residential treatment
Holliday R, Holder N, Yamokoski C, Burden J, Sippel L, Harpaz-Rotem I, Smith N. A preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness of massed delivery of PTSD psychotherapy in VA residential treatment. General Hospital Psychiatry 2025, 97: 126-129. PMID: 41086558, DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2025.10.004.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsResidential rehabilitation treatment programsPosttraumatic stress disorderRates of treatment completionHierarchical linear modelingResidential treatmentSymptom changeTrajectories of symptom changeTreatment programsPTSD symptom assessmentsPTSD symptom changeDelivery of psychotherapyTreatment completionRehabilitation treatment programStress disorderPreliminary supportPsychotherapyVeteransPilot projectSymptom assessmentLength of stayPost-dischargeService deliveryPilot sitesTreatment decisionsDelivery approachesUnderstanding PTSD and Dissociation in Wartime: Direct and Indirect Trauma Exposure
Rubinstein D, Lahad M, Aharonson-Daniel L, Proyer R, Mizrahi D, Harpaz-Rotem I. Understanding PTSD and Dissociation in Wartime: Direct and Indirect Trauma Exposure. Journal Of Trauma & Dissociation 2025, ahead-of-print: 1-19. PMID: 41063635, DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2025.2571109.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPost-traumatic stress disorderDissociative symptomsTrauma exposurePost-traumatic stress disorder symptomsSeverity of post-traumatic stress disorderDSM-5 criterion AClinical PTSD symptomsIndirect trauma exposureExposed to traumaPsychological effectsPTSD symptomsStress disorderMental health challengesMental health impactsCriterion ATraumatic eventsPsychological distressIsraeli adultsMental health policyClinical thresholdSymptomsConflict contextsHealth policyIndirect exposureHealth challengesCannabinoid 1 receptor availability in posttraumatic stress disorder: A positron emission tomography study
Korem N, Bassir Nia A, Hillmer A, D’Souza D, Nabulsi N, Ropchan J, Huang Y, Cosgrove K, Levy I, Pietrzak R, Harpaz-Rotem I. Cannabinoid 1 receptor availability in posttraumatic stress disorder: A positron emission tomography study. Translational Psychiatry 2025, 15: 310. PMID: 40846835, PMCID: PMC12373994, DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03519-9.BooksCitationsAltmetricConceptsPathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorderEmotional numbing symptomsCB1R availabilityPosttraumatic stress disorderEndocannabinoid systemStress disorderPositron emission tomographyTrauma-exposed participantsEndocannabinoid system's rolePositron emission tomography studiesCannabinoid receptor 1Emission tomography studiesMulti-faceted disorderFear learningCB1RSymptom expressionHealthy controlsCannabinoidDisordersTomography studiesEmission tomographyPreclinical studiesSymptomsHigher levelsReceptor 1RESET post-traumatic stress disorder: clinical protocol integrating reconsolidation, exposure, short-term emotional transformation
Rubinstein D, Abargil M, Duek O, Harpaz-Rotem I. RESET post-traumatic stress disorder: clinical protocol integrating reconsolidation, exposure, short-term emotional transformation. European Journal Of Psychotraumatology 2025, 16: 2540141. PMID: 40815290, PMCID: PMC12360050, DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2025.2540141.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPost-traumatic stress disorderCase formulationPost-traumatic stress disorder symptom reductionIntegration of traumatic memoriesIntensive treatment formatLong-term psychotherapyTrauma-focused interventionsPsychodynamic case formulationEvidence-based treatmentsStand-alone interventionTime-efficient interventionMemory reconsolidationPTSD treatmentEmotional processingExposure therapyTreatment formatStress disorderSymptom reductionTrauma processingReconsolidation mechanismsTraumatic memoriesDaily sessionsTherapeutic engagementProlonged exposureSession structureA whole-brain voxel-based analysis of structural abnormalities in PTSD: An ENIGMA-PGC study
See C, Si S, Baird C, Haswell C, Hussain A, Olff M, Veltman D, Frijling J, van Zuiden M, Koch S, Nawijn L, Wang L, Zhu Y, Li G, Neria Y, Zhu X, Suarez-Jimenez B, Zilcha-Mano S, Lazarov A, Stevens J, Ressler K, Fani N, Jovanovic T, van Rooij S, Kaufman M, Lebois L, Rosso I, Olson E, Baker J, Sponheim S, Disner S, Davenport N, Etkin A, Maron-Katz A, Stein M, Shenton M, Stein D, Ipser J, Koopowitz S, Seedat S, du Plessis S, van den Heuvel L, Lissek S, Berg H, Straube T, Hofman D, Baugh L, Forster G, Simons R, Simons J, Magnotta V, Fercho K, Wang X, Cotton A, O'Leary E, Xie H, Grupe D, Nitschke J, Davidson R, Larson C, deRoon-Cassini T, Tomas C, Fitzgerald J, Blackford J, Olatunji B, Gordon E, May G, Nelson S, Lanius R, Théberge J, Densmore M, Neufeld R, Abdallah C, Averill C, Harpaz-Rotem I, Levy I, Krystal J, Geuze E, van Lutterveld R, Dennis E, Tate D, Cifu D, Walker W, Wilde E, van der Wee N, Vermeiren R, van der Werff S, McLaughlin K, Sambrook K, Peverill M, Radua J, Salminen L, Jahanshad N, Thomopoulos S, James A, Valmaggia L, Thompson P, Morey R, Kempton M. A whole-brain voxel-based analysis of structural abnormalities in PTSD: An ENIGMA-PGC study. European Psychiatry 2025, 68: e97. PMID: 40692500, PMCID: PMC12344465, DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.10062.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPosttraumatic stress disorder patientsPosttraumatic stress disorderAssociated with GM volumeWhole-brain voxel-based analysisVoxel-based morphometryRegional brain volumesGM volumeBrain volumeDepression severityWhole-brainPosttraumatic stress disorder severityWhole-brain statistical mapsCerebellar WM volumeTrauma-exposed controlsStructural neuroimaging scansSuperior frontal gyrusGray matterStatistical mapsVoxel-wise differencesAnalysis of structural abnormalitiesFrontal gyrusTrauma exposureMemory processesStress disorderWhite matterThe Transdiagnostic Connectome Project: an open dataset for studying brain-behavior relationships in psychiatry
Chopra S, Cocuzza C, Lawhead C, Ricard J, Labache L, Patrick L, Kumar P, Rubenstein A, Moses J, Chen L, Blankenbaker C, Gillis B, Germine L, Harpaz-Rotem I, Yeo B, Baker J, Holmes A. The Transdiagnostic Connectome Project: an open dataset for studying brain-behavior relationships in psychiatry. Scientific Data 2025, 12: 923. PMID: 40456751, PMCID: PMC12130183, DOI: 10.1038/s41597-025-04895-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsTask-based functional MRIHigh-resolution anatomical scansBrain-behavior relationshipsHealthy comparison groupFeatures of brain functionFunctional network organizationClinically relevant symptomsPsychiatric illnessFunctional MRINeuroimaging dataResting-stateBrain functionClinical neuroscienceCognitive AssessmentBehavioral dataConnectome ProjectAnatomical scansComparison groupDiagnostic criteriaNetwork organizationRelevant symptomsPsychiatryActivating effectIndividualsTransdiagnostic445. Neural and Behavioral Correlates of Emotional Stimuli Processing in PTSD Participants
Basol E, Ben-Zion Z, Paterson M, Samonek K, Qu Y, Joormann J, Harpaz-Rotem I. 445. Neural and Behavioral Correlates of Emotional Stimuli Processing in PTSD Participants. Biological Psychiatry 2025, 97: s280. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.02.683.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Eligibility for Participation in Neuroimaging Studies
HIC ID2000027842RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/31/2023Recruiting ParticipantsUsing Neuroimaging to track symptom change in PTSD treatment
HIC ID2000025892RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date07/31/2029Recruiting ParticipantsImaging mGluR5 and synaptic density in psychiatric disorders
HIC ID2000020186RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date01/31/2018Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18 years - 80 yearsIntensive 7-day Treatment for PTSD Combining Ketamine With Exposure Therapy (PTSD)
HIC ID1509016530RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date08/01/2030Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge21 years - 70 yearsImaging Cannabinoid Receptors Using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanning
HIC ID1005006735RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/31/2016Recruiting ParticipantsGenderMaleAge18 years - 55 years
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
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Honors
honor Distinguished Mentorship Award
11/11/2022National AwardInternational Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)DetailsUnited States
News & Links
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News
- October 20, 2025
Understanding PTSD and Dissociation in Wartime: Direct and Indirect Trauma Exposure
- September 18, 2025
Yale Scientists Seek to Uncover Neural and Genomic Mechanisms that Drive Anxiety
- March 10, 2025Source: Yale News
Machine Learning Model Predicts PTSD Symptom Severity Over Time
- September 09, 2024Source: Yale News
Endocannabinoids Are Associated With Emotional Numbing in PTSD
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Mailing Address
Psychiatry
300 George Street
New Haven, CT 06511
United States
Locations
300 George Street
Academic Office
Rm 836
New Haven, CT 06511