Tarek K. Rajji, M.D. Professor & Chair Endowed Title Stanton Sharp Distinguished Chair in Psychiatry School Medical School Department Psychiatry | Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute Biography Tarek K. Rajji, M.D., undertook undergraduate studies and obtained his medical degree at the American University of Beirut. He then completed a residency in general psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center 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 pursued further training in geriatric psychiatry with a clinical fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh and a research fellowship at the University of Toronto. Dr. Rajji's research has focused on neuroplasticity and cognition in older patients with mental illness and neurocognitive diseases. To improve cognition in older adults with dementia or at risk for dementia, he combines brain stimulation, including transcranial magnetic and electrical stimulation, with cognitive, functional, and pharmacological modalities. He also studies standardization of care for patients with dementia. He has led multiple clinical trials with older patients with depression, neurocognitive disorders, and schizophrenia funded by federal agencies such as Brain Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. Prior to joining UTSW, Dr. Rajji was Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Division, and Executive Director of the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance at the University of Toronto. He also served as Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Affiliated with the University of Toronto, CAMH is Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and one of the world’s leading research centers in the field. Publications Featured Publications Slowing Cognitive Decline in Major Depressive Disorder and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Rajji TK, Bowie CR, Herrmann N, Pollock BG, Lanctôt KL, Kumar S, Flint AJ, Mah L, Fischer CE, Butters MA, Bikson M, Kennedy JL, Blumberger DM, Daskalakis ZJ, Gallagher D, Rapoport MJ, Verhoeff NPLGP, Golas AC, Graff-Guerrero A, Vieira E, Voineskos AN, Brooks H, Melichercik A, Thorpe KE, Mulsant BH, JAMA Psychiatry 2024 Oct Extent of Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Plasticity and Its Association With Working Memory in Patients With Alzheimer Disease. Kumar S, Zomorrodi R, Ghazala Z, Goodman MS, Blumberger DM, Cheam A, Fischer C, Daskalakis ZJ, Mulsant BH, Pollock BG, Rajji TK, JAMA Psychiatry 2017 Dec 74 12 1266-1274 Ordering Information in Working Memory and Modulation of Gamma by Theta Oscillations in Humans. Rajji TK, Zomorrodi R, Barr MS, Blumberger DM, Mulsant BH, Daskalakis ZJ, Cereb Cortex 2017 Feb 27 2 1482-1490 Evaluation of Antipsychotic Dose Reduction in Late-Life Schizophrenia: A Prospective Dopamine D2/3 Receptor Occupancy Study. Graff-Guerrero A, Rajji TK, Mulsant BH, Nakajima S, Caravaggio F, Suzuki T, Uchida H, Gerretsen P, Mar W, Pollock BG, Mamo DC, JAMA Psychiatry 2015 Sep 72 9 927-34 Prediction of working memory performance in schizophrenia by plasma ratio of clozapine to N-desmethylclozapine. Rajji TK, Mulsant BH, Davies S, Kalache SM, Tsoutsoulas C, Pollock BG, Remington G, Am J Psychiatry 2015 Jun 172 6 579-85 The impact of aging, cognition, and symptoms on functional competence in individuals with schizophrenia across the lifespan. Kalache SM, Mulsant BH, Davies SJ, Liu AY, Voineskos AN, Butters MA, Miranda D, Menon M, Kern RS, Rajji TK, Schizophr Bull 2015 Mar 41 2 374-81 Results 1-6 of 6 1 Books Featured Books Responding to Older Adults with Mental Health and Addiction Problems: A Guide for Supervisors, Clinical and Support Staff Bertram J, Rajji TK, White-Campbell M (Ed.) (2021). Toronto, CAMH Professional Associations/Affiliations American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (2006) American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (2016) American Psychiatric Association (2000) International College of Geriatric Neuropsychopharmacology (2007) Schizophrenia International Research Society (2007) Society of Biological Psychiatry (2014)
