David Brent MD

Dr. Brent is Distinguished Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology, Academic Chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Endowed Chair in Suicide Studies. He has served as Program Director since 1994, and beginning in 2020, he now serves as Program Co-Director. He received post-doctoral training in psychiatric epidemiology at WPH from 1982-1985. Dr. Brent has been funded by NIMH continuously since 1985.  His areas of expertise are epidemiology, nosology, family studies, treatment development, and clinical trials, with a clinical emphasis on suicide and mood disorders. He has conducted work on the psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy of depression, as well as case-control, genetic, and longitudinal studies related to suicide. His current work focuses on the uses of modern computational approaches (e.g., machine learning) and technology-supported interventions to assess and attenuate suicidal risk. His work has been recognized with awards from NARSAD, the AFSP, the APA, the AACAP, and the JED Foundation. Dr. Brent also directs the Services for Teens At-Risk (STAR) clinic, which is a specialty clinic serving youth and their families with depression, anxiety, or who are at risk for suicidal behavior.