Rachel Yehuda, PhD, Elected to National Academy of Medicine
Rachel Yehuda, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair for Veterans Affairs for the Department of Psychiatry, Professor of Neuroscience, and Director of the Traumatic Stress Studies Division at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine. A renowned leader in the field of trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and resilience, Dr. Yehuda also leads the PTSD clinical research program and the Neurochemistry and Neuroendocrinology laboratory at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center.
“Election to the National Academy of Medicine is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine,” says Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Dr. Yehuda’s election is a distinguished achievement and well-deserved recognition of her leadership and important contributions to uncovering the neurobiology of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Dr. Yehuda’s early-career research on cortisol and brain function produced some of the initial findings on the endocrinology and neurochemistry of PTSD, revolutionizing the understanding and treatment of the disorder worldwide. Her initial cortisol findings shaped the trajectory of her career, with subsequent research discoveries involving risk and resilience factors, psychological and biological predictors of treatment response, genetic and epigenetic studies, and the intergenerational transmission of trauma and PTSD.
Her current research interests include PTSD biomarkers, innovative PTSD prevention strategies, and novel approaches to PTSD treatment, including the use of psychedelic medications.
Immediately upon being hired as a new assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 1991, she established a specialized program for Holocaust survivors and their families at The Mount Sinai Hospital. She also established the first clinical PTSD program at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center.
Dr. Yehuda received her PhD in Psychology and Neurochemistry and her MS in Biological Psychiatry from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She completed her postdoctoral training in biological psychiatry at Yale Medical School. She is the author of more than 450 published papers, chapters, and books in the field of traumatic stress and the neurobiology of PTSD.
New members to the National Academy of Medicine are elected by current active members through a selective process that recognizes people who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, formerly known as the Institute of Medicine, is a national resource that provides independent, objective analysis and advice on health issues.
Dr. Yehuda’s election bring Mount Sinai’s total membership in the prestigious group to 27 present and past faculty members. The distinguished Mount Sinai faculty members whom Dr. Yehuda joins in earning this honor are: • Joseph D. Buxbaum, PhD • Neil S. Calman, MD, MMS • Dennis S. Charney, MD • Kenneth L. Davis, MD • Robert J. Desnick, MD, PhD • Kurt W. Deuschle, MD •Angela Diaz, MD, MPH • Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD • Bruce Gelb, MD • Alison M. Goate, DPhil • E. Cuyler Hammond, DSc • Kurt Hirschhorn, MD • Yasmin L. Hurd, PhD • Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc • Helen S. Mayberg, MD • Diane E. Meier, MD • Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD • Maria Iandolo New, MD • Peter Palese, PhD • Ramon E. Parsons, MD, PhD • Lynn D. Richardson, MD • Hugh A. Sampson, MD • Irving J. Selikoff, MD • Pamela Sklar, MD, PhD • Albert Siu, MD, MSPH • Barbara G. Vickrey, MD, MPH.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2024-2025.
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