Hilary Blumberg, MD
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About
Titles
John and Hope Furth Professor of Psychiatric Neuroscience and Professor of Psychiatry, and in the Child Study Center and of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging
Director, Mood Disorders Research ProgramBiography
Dr. Hilary Patricia Blumberg is the John and Hope Furth Professor of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Professor of Psychiatry, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and in the Child Center, and Director of the Mood Disorders Research Program, at the Yale School of Medicine. She graduated summa cum laude in neuroscience from Harvard University and completed her medical degree, psychiatry training and specialty training in brain scanning research at Cornell University Medical College. Dr. Blumberg’s research is devoted to understanding the brain circuitry differences that underlie mood disorders across the lifespan, with a focus on bipolar disorder and on suicide prevention. She directs the Mood Disorders Research Program at Yale that brings together a multi-disciplinary group of scientists to study the genetic, developmental and environmental factors that cause mood disorders to develop new methods for early detection, more effective interventions, and prevention of the disorders and their associated high risk for suicide. This research includes the use of new state-of-the-art brain scanning methods. The program is also known for training young scientists to be new leaders in the field. Dr. Blumberg has served as principal investigator on awards from the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Department of Veterans Affairs, BD2, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, International Bipolar Disorder Foundation, For the Love of Travis Foundation, MQ Foundation, Stanley Medical Research Institute and Women’s Health Research at Yale. She has received numerous awards including the 2021 International Society of Bipolar Disorders Mogens Schou Award for Research in Bipolar Disorder, 2021 Sethi Award, 2018 American Psychiatric Association Blanche F. Ittleson Award for outstanding and published research in child and adolescent psychiatry and 2017 Brain and Behavior Foundation Colvin Prize for Research Achievement in Mood Disorders. She is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and a member of the Society of Biological Psychiatry.
Appointments
Psychiatry
ProfessorPrimaryChild Study Center
ProfessorSecondaryRadiology & Biomedical Imaging
ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Center for Brain & Mind Health
- Child Study Center
- Division of Women's Behavioral Health Research
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program
- Mood Disorders Research Program
- Neural Disorders
- Neuroscience Research Training Program (NRTP)
- Neuroscience Track
- Obesity Research Working Group
- Psychiatry
- Psychotherapy Development Center
- Radiology & Biomedical Imaging
- Stress & Addiction Clinical Research Program
- WHRY Pilot Project Program Investigators
- Women's Health Research at Yale
- Wu Tsai Institute
- Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Stress Center
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- Research Fellow
- Cornell University, Weill Medical College (1998)
- Internship and Residency
- Cornell University Medical College/New York Hospital (1994)
- MD
- Cornell University Medical College (1990)
- BA
- Harvard University, Neuroscience (1986)
Research
Overview
Dr. Blumberg is the Director of The Yale Mood Disorders Research Program (MDRP). The MDRP is dedicated to understanding the science of mood disorders, including bipolar disorder and depression, related disorders and suicide risk. The MDRP brings together a multi-disciplinary group of scientists from across the Yale campus in a highly collaborative research effort. The scientists use a wide variety of scientific methods to study how genetic and environmental factors affect the brain and influence the expression of mood disorders across the lifespan. Goals of the MDRP include the identification of biological markers for mood and related disorders and discovery of new treatment strategies. It is hoped that these research efforts will lead to new and improved methods for early detection and treatment, and prevention, of suffering and suicide risk of the disorders.
Current studies include:
- MRI Brain Scanning Studies of Adolescents and Adults with Bipolar Disorder and Depression
- MRI Brain Scanning Studies of Healthy Adolescents and Adults
- Study of a non-medication psychobehavioral treatment "BE-SMART" to provide individuals healthy skills they can use to improve their emotion regulation, decrease symptoms of bipolar disorder and depression and reduce their suicide risk.
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
Links & Media
Media
Brain Differences in Adolescents and Young Adults with Bipolar Disorder with Past Suicide Attempts
These images, from Johnston et al, American Journal of Psychiatry, 2017, display regions of the brain important in emotional regulation where adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder who made suicide attempts showed decreases, compared to adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder who did not make attempts. The top left image shows a region of decreased gray matter in ventral prefrontal cortex, the top right image shows a region of decreased functioning in ventral prefrontal cortex and the lower image shows regions of decreases in the structural integrity of white matter in connections from the ventral prefrontal cortex.
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Contacts
Mood Disorders Research Program
60 Temple Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06510
United States
Locations
Mood Disorders Research Program
Academic Office