Warren Taylor, MD, MHSc, James G. Blakemore Professor of Psychiatry, has been appointed vice-chair for Research in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
“Dr. Taylor is an outstanding physician-scientist and mentor who has been the principal investigator for multiple studies and collaborative projects in late-life depression,” said Stephan Heckers, MD, MSc, William P. and Henry B. Test Professor of Schizophrenia Research and chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. “He has served the department for many years as director for both the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and the Division of General Psychiatry. I am grateful that he will now focus strategically on how to expand our research and collaborations in the department.”
Taylor was recruited to VUMC in 2012 as an associate professor from Duke University, where he served as faculty after completing his residency and fellowship. His NIH-supported clinical neuroscience research program concentrates on late-life depression, focusing on neurobiological factors influencing acute and long-term outcomes, including cognitive decline and risk for dementia. He is recognized as being an outstanding mentor, having received the Departmental Research Mentorship Award for several years and serving on the steering committee for two NIH-funded national mentoring programs in geriatric mental health.
“I am honored to accept the responsibility of enhancing and expanding opportunities for mental health research at VUMC. Neuroscience-driven research exploring mental health issues is a truly multidisciplinary team effort,” Taylor said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to expand the research we are conducting in the department. I am also excited to build collaborations with faculty in other centers, institutes and departments who are invested in better understanding and improving mental health outcomes.”
