The Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at UConn School of Medicine, Dr. David C. Steffens, has been named a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), one of the most prestigious organizations in psychiatry and translational neuroscience.

“Becoming a fellow is an honor,” shared Steffens who as a longtime, select member of ACNP was promoted this January in recognition of his service to the organization and his contributions to the field of geriatric psychiatry.

Steffens’ work focuses on mood and cognitive disorders in older adults. For over two decades he has been continuously funded by The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and other NIH institutes.

ACNP is a non-profit, professional society dedicated to advancing the scientific understanding of and facilitating communication about disorders of the brain and behavior in order to advance their prevention and treatment.

Steffens was first accepted into the ACNP in 2008. It accepts a limited number of members, and the application process is rigorous and competitive.

Most recently, Steffens served as chair of the ACNP Constitution, Rules, and Ethics Committee. Over the years, Steffens has attended the ACNP’s Annual Meeting where he has presented his own research and has had the opportunity to interact with current and future leaders in the fields of psychiatry and basic and clinical neuroscience.

“I am humbled by the organization’s decision to name me as an ACNP Fellow,” shared Steffens. “Most important to me both professionally and personally has been the chance to have discussions with individuals who have contributed to our understanding of the origins, consequences and treatment of mental and substance use disorders and to meet the next generation of researchers in these fields.”

Steffens is professor of psychiatry at UConn School of Medicine and has served as its chair of the Department of Psychiatry since 2012. He joined UConn after more than 20 years at Duke University School of Medicine, where he had served as a professor of psychiatry, vice chair for education and division chief of Geriatric Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is the past president of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed papers and is the primary editor of the leading textbook in geriatric psychiatry. Steffens also has considerable experience in medical education and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, medical students, resident physicians, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty.

Steffens is graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas, Houston Health Science Center School of Medicine, and he completed his internship and residency in psychiatry at Duke.