Dr. Lena Palaniyappan, MD, PhD., is a practicing psychiatrist; he works with youth and families experiencing severe mental illnesses such as psychosis. Following his Bachelor’s degree in psychology, he completed his medical training at Stanley Medical College in Chennai, India followed by a Master’s and PhD in Psychiatry at the University of Nottingham in the UK. He currently holds the Monique H. Bourgeois Research Chair and directs the Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health at the Douglas Research Centre. He is also the Chief Editor of the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology Journal. His work on neuroimaging in psychosis led to the Global Rising Star Award from the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Early Career Foundation Grant. His research program is geared towards optimizing long-term mental health outcomes and pathways of care for individuals with serious mental disorders that often start in adolescence. His work centers on developing an understanding of the brain mechanisms involved in mental states such as psychosis and depression and in generating developmentally informed tools to predict outcome after first-episode psychosis and non-invasive treatment approaches.

You can reach him at lena.palaniyappan@mcgill.ca.