Davangere P. Devanand, MD

Dr. Davangere P. Devanand is the Director of Geriatric Psychiatry and a Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center. Further, Dr. Devanand is an attending psychiatrist at both the New York State Psychiatric Institute and New York Presbyterian Medical Center. Dr. Devanand is the co-founder of the Memory Disorders Center, where the goal is to evaluate, treat, and follow patients who have mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and related disorders. Clinical research studies, including treatment and investigational studies (e.g., PET, MRI and CSF studies) funded primarily by NIH and secondarily by industry, are conducted with patients (and controls).

Dr. Devanand obtained his medical degree from Christian Medical College in Vellore, India. He then completed his psychiatry residency training from S.U.N.Y. Upstate Medical Center as well as Yale University School of Medicine, where he was Chief Resident. Following his residency, Dr. Devanand completed research fellowships in the Division of Biological Psychiatry and then in Clinical Neuroscience, both at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. At present, in addition to the roles indicated above, Dr. Devanand serves as a research mentor for faculty, post-doctoral fellows, psychiatry residents, and graduate students at Columbia University Medical Center.

Dr. Devanand is currently on four editorial boards, including the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinsonism, American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, and International Psychogeriatrics. He has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, many of which have been published in leading journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Annals of Neurology, Neurology, Archives of General Psychiatry, and the American Journal of Psychiatry. Dr. Devanand has also authored and co-authored three books which are entitled, The Interface between Depression and Dementia (Roose & Devanand, 1998), Treatment of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (Devanand & Lawlor, 2000), and The Memory Program (Devanand, 2001).

He has received several prestigious awards, including the International Psychogeriatrics Association Research Award (1991), the Indo-American Psychiatric Association Distinguished Scientist Award (2000), the American Psychiatric Association Jack Weinberg Memorial Award in Geriatric Psychiatry (2014), the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry Distinguished Investigator Award (2015), and the American College of Psychiatrists Award for Research in Geriatric Psychiatry (2017).

Dr. Devanand is also well-known in the field for his research on mild cognitive impairment, depression, ECT, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and agitation and aggression within these disorders. In fact, his studies have been funded by grants awarded from the National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Mental Health, Alzheimer’s Association, NARSAD, and the Dana Foundation. More specifically, his research has aided in the diagnosis and treatment of dysthymic disorder among elderly participants, as well as the relationship between depression and cognitive impairment in the same patient demographic. His research has also been remarkable in detecting biological indicators of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as exploring treatment options for those experiencing psychosis and agitation in this disease.

Further, Dr. Devanand has conducted several treatment trials, including the landmark study on antipsychotic discontinuation in Alzheimer’s disease, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Devanand has remained active clinically as a psychiatrist throughout his career and has been on the New York and U.S. Best Doctors lists for over a decade. Dr. Devanand has been interviewed and his research findings have been featured in several media outlets including CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and online via Reuters, AP, Medscape, and several other online publications.