Davangere Devanand

Who is Davangere Devanand?

Davangere P. Devanand, M.D., is Division Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Neurology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Dr. Devanand completed medical school at Christian Medical College, Vellore, in India, and trained in psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India.

He finished psychiatry residency training at S.U.N.Y. Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, and Yale University School of Medicine. He then did a clinical research fellowship in Biological Psychiatry at Columbia University, and has continued on the faculty at Columbia University since 1987.

Currently, he is Co-Director of the Memory Disorders Center, and Co-Director of the Late Life Depression Clinic, at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. His investigations involve Alzheimer's disease, geriatric depression, and electroconvulsive therapy. His research has helped define the clinical features and treatment response in elderly patients with chronic mild to moderate depression, or dysthymic disorder.

He pioneered studies on the interface between depression and cognitive impairment in the elderly, and he is also known for his research into early diagnostic markers of Alzheimer’s disease and the treatment of behavioral complications in this disorder. He has been principal investigator on several research grants from the National Institute of Aging and the National Institute of Mental Health. He has also been funded by the Alzheimer’s Association, NARSAD, and the Dana Foundation. He has received the International Psychogeriatrics Association Research Award and the Indo-American Psychiatric Association scientific research award.