When Tarek Rajji, M.D., was a resident at UT Southwestern, the older patients he treated inspired him so much that he decided to focus his career on investigating innovative treatments to improve their lives.

“There is a special joy in working with older adults through the richness of several years of experiences toward a sense of wellness and wisdom,” Dr. Rajji said. “I wanted more of that!”

Twenty years later, Dr. Rajji, whose research centers on restoring brain function in older patients with severe mental illness and Alzheimer’s disease, has been named Chair and Professor of Psychiatry, with a secondary appointment in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, as of Oct. 1.

Dr. Rajji returned to UTSW from the University of Toronto, where he was Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Division, and Executive Director of the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance. He also served as Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and one of the world’s leading research centers in the field.

Dr. Rajji earned his medical degree at the American University of Beirut. He then completed a residency in general psychiatry at UTSW and continued his training as a fellow in psychiatric research and neuroscience sponsored by the VA North Texas Health Care System and UT Southwestern. He then pursued further training in geriatric psychiatry with a clinical fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh and a research fellowship at the University of Toronto.

His research focuses on improving cognition in older adults with or at risk for dementia through brain stimulation, with cognitive, functional, and pharmacological modalities. He has led multiple clinical trials with older patients with depression, neurocognitive disorders, and schizophrenia, including trials that for the last 15 years have been continuously funded by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Brain Canada.

In 2021, Dr. Rajji was elected to the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. He is a member of the American Psychiatry Association, the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, and the Society of Biological Psychiatry.

He has been recognized with awards that include the 2022 Best Clinical Fellowship Supervisor from CAMH, the 2021 Mel Silverman Mentorship Award from the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto, and the 2024 Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry Award for Outstanding Contributions in Geriatric Care.

Center Times Plus spoke with Dr. Rajji about his work and plans for the Department of Psychiatry.

Tell us about your research to restore brain function in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease.

My research focuses on improving brain plasticity in patients with Alzheimer’s or at risk of developing Alzheimer’s, such as older individuals with a history of depression. Brain plasticity refers to the ability of the brain to change itself in response to a treatment, an intervention, or an experience. I use brain stimulation, magnetic and electrical, alone or in combination with other tools such as memory and thinking exercises to improve brain plasticity, slow cognitive decline, and ultimately prevent Alzheimer’s.

What is your vision for the Department and what impact do you think the Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern will have on the community?

Psychiatry at UT Southwestern already has tremendous areas of strength, especially on the basic science end. My vision is to build on these strengths and expand in clinical research toward discovering new treatments for patients with various mental health conditions. A key to accomplishing this goal is to have seamless integration between clinical care and research such that every patient has the opportunity to participate in the latest clinical studies. From this perspective, the Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern will not only have an immense impact on providing clinical services to the community, but also will be a center to innovate and develop new models of care for more effective and higher quality services.

What innovative therapies are on the horizon for psychiatric disorders?

One area that I am personally very excited about, especially as it relates to our environment at UT Southwestern, is the rapid development of what we call interventional psychiatry. It’s not that we did not “intervene” in the past in psychiatry, but this refers to the field of using different forms of noninvasive magnetic, electrical, or other forms of novel treatments to target specific brain circuits that are affected in certain mental health conditions versus others. We can be more specific using these tools – more precise – and individualize treatments. What’s also exciting is that this field aligns very nicely with other brain-related disciplines like neurology and neurosurgery under the O’Donnell Brain Institute. This will lead to new lines of therapies for psychiatric conditions.

What are the biggest changes you have seen in psychiatry?

Some of the most significant changes are the evolving and growing trends of psychiatric conditions in children and youth, in addictions, and the increased understanding between psychiatric conditions and Alzheimer’s or other dementias. There are more challenges across the life span that we need to address as mental health leaders and an academic institution. And with more knowledge, there are opportunities to address these challenges in new ways.