Excellence...
The Department of Psychiatry at The University of Iowa is made up of more than 60 full-time faculty members. It combines a high level of clinical competence with excellence in research and provides national and international leadership in the areas of epidemiology, genetics, neuropsychiatry, neuroimaging, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, medical psychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry, and schizophrenia. Faculty members are frequent contributors to the psychiatric literature.
The faculty includes two chief editors of major psychiatric journals and many others serve on editorial boards. Faculty members have made major contributions to the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), beginning with DSM-III and continuing with the upcoming DSM-V, and have made important contributions to the development of modern psychiatric treatments. Because research is a fundamental part of the foundation of clinical medicine, we take great pride in the contributions of the faculty in these areas.
and Tradition
The Department of Psychiatry has a tradition of exploring innovative somatic treatments for psychiatric illness. Important early work on the use of electroconvulsive treatment for depression was begun in the 1940s and 1950s. The department was one of the first in the United States to study lithium before it was clinically approved. The department was involved in the early trials of other drugs as well, including alprazolam, clomipramine, clozapine, and several of the selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors. The discovery of the value of haloperidol for Tourette's syndrome occurred here as well.
Seminal discoveries have been made by faculty members, residents, and fellows in the areas of psychiatric genetics, schizophrenia, mood and anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and Huntington’s disease. The wide range of research interests and the many contributions of faculty members to the literature attest to the genuine spirit of inquiry and discovery that makes the department an exciting place to work and train.