Charles Raison, MD

Charles Raison, MD, is a Professor of Human Ecology and Psychiatry in the School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, WI. Dr. Raison also serves as Director of Clinical and Translational Research for Usona Institute and as Director of Research on Spiritual Health for Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Raison also serves as Director of the Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center.

Dr. Raison is internationally recognized for his studies examining novel mechanisms involved in the development and treatment of major depression and other stress-related emotional and physical conditions, as well as for his work examining the physical and behavioral effects of compassion training. More recently, Dr. Raison has taken a leadership role in the development of psychedelic medicines as potential treatments for major depression.

The recipient of several teaching awards, Dr. Raison has received research funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Raison received the Raymond Pearl Memorial Award from the Human Biology Association “in recognition of his contributions to our understanding of evolutionary biocultural origins of mental health and illness.”

He was named one of the world’s most influential researchers by Web of Science for the decade of 2010-2019. With Vladimir Maletic he is author of “The New Mind-Body Science of Depression” published by W.W. Norton in 2017. Dr. Raison serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Learn more about Dr. Raison's work and how it enriches Emory Spiritual Health in this article published in The Journal of Psychedelic Pharmacology. Read it here.

Education

• 1976-1980 – Stanford University, Stanford, CA, B.A. in Anthropology with honors and departmental distinction
• 1982-85 – University of Denver, Denver, CO, M.A. in English, with emphasis in creative writing
• 1985-86 – Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA, Premedical Program, Post Baccalaureate
• 1987-91 – Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, M.D. degree

Postgraduate Training

• 1991-1992 – Internship, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
• 1992-1995 – Psychiatric Residency, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
• 1994-1995 – Chief Resident, Adult Inpatient Services, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
• 1984 – Colorado State Fellow, University of Denver, Denver, CO

Most Recent Publications

1. Tononi G, Raison C. Artificial intelligence, consciousness and psychiatry. World Psychiatry 2024;23(3):309-310. doi: 10.1002/wps.21222.
2. Palitsky, R., Maples-Keller, J., Peacock, C., Dunlop, B. W., Mletzko, T., Raison, C. L., Grant, G. H., Chao, S., Shub, I., Mendelbaum-Kweller, M., Smolyar, L., Kaplan, D. M., Rothbaum, B., Zarrabi, A. J. (under review) A critical evaluation of psilocybin-assisted therapy protocol components from clinical trial patients, facilitators, and caregivers. Psychotherapy2024; epub.
3. Nicholas CR, Banks MI, Lennertz RC, Wenthur CJ, Krause BM, Riedner BA, Smith RF, Hutson PR, Sauder CJ, Dunne JD, Roseman L, Raison CL. Co-administration of midazolam and psilocybin: differential effects on subjective quality versus memory of the psychedelic experience. Transl Psychiatry 2024;14(1):372. doi: 10.1038/s41398-024-03059-8.
4. Rab SF, & Raison CL, Marseille E. An estimate of the number of people with clinical depression eligible for psilocybin-assisted therapy in the United States. Psychedelics: The Pharmacology of Psychedelics 2024; epub
5. Tyler MP, Wright BJ, Raison CL, Lowry CA, Evans L, Hale MW. Temperature (Austin) 2024;11(3):266-279. doi: 10.1080/23328940.2024.2374097.
6. Ricon-Becker I, West TN, Fredrickson BL, Kaplan DM, Mehl MR, Raison CL, Cole SW. Predicting psychosocial intervention response from baseline gene expression. Brain Behav Immun 2024:121:331-339.
7. Palitsky R, Kaplan DM, Perna J, Bosshardt Z, Maples-Keller JL, Levin-Aspenson HF, Zarrabi AJ, Peacock C, Mletzko T, Rothbaum BO, Raison CL, Grant GH, Dunlop BW. A framework for assessment of adverse events occurring in psychedelic-assisted therapies. J Psychopharmacol 2024;38(8):690-700. doi: 10.1177/02698811241265756.
8. Palmer PK, Siddiqui Z, Moore MA, Grant GH, Raison CL, Mascaro JS. Hospital Chaplain Burnout, Depression, and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2024;21(7):944. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21070944.
9. Siegel JS, Subramanian S, Perry D, Kay BP, Gordon EM, Laumann TO, Reneau TR, Metcalf NV, Chacko RV, Gratton C, Horan C, Krimmel SR, Shimony JS, Schweiger JA, Wong DF, Bender DA, Scheidter KM, Whiting FI, Padawer-Curry JA, Shinohara RT, Chen Y, Moser J, Yacoub E, Nelson SM, Vizioli L, Fair DA, Lenze EJ, Carhart-Harris R, Raison CL, Raichle ME, Snyder AZ, Nicol GE, Dosenbach NUF. Psilocybin desynchronizes the human brain. Nature 2024;632(8023):131-138. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07624-5.
10. Brouwer A, Carhart-Harris RL, Raison CL. Psychotomimetic compensation versus sensitization. Pharmacol Res Perspect 2024;12(4):e1217. doi: 10.1002/prp2.1217.

Full list of publications

Most Recent Honors & Awards:

• 2024 – Distinguished Psychiatrist Seminar Series (DPSS) Awardee and Speaker, Psychiatric Clinical Faculty Association (PCFA) at UCLA.
• 2024 – Emory University Science on Spiritual Health Torch and Trumpet Award, "for a career devoted to the mental and spiritual health of humanity by responding and attending to suffering with a compassionate heart and a keen scientific mind"
• 2019 – Named one of the world’s most influential researchers of the decade
• 2010-2019 – by Web of Science based on article citations
• 2019 – Simson Lecture, Annual Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research (IBMR) Research Day, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
• 2018 – William K. Warren Memorial Lecture, Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK
• 2018 – Eli Robbins Memorial Lecture, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
• 2016 – Xiaohong Wang Memorial Lecture, Department of Psychiatry, Emory University
• 2015 – Named one of five university-wide “Faculty of Excellence” highlighted for the launch of the “All Ways Forward” Capital Campaign, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 2015 – James L. Stinnett Honorary Lecture, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania
• 2014 – Raymond Pearl Award for “contributions to our understanding of evolutionary biocultural origins of mental health and illness,” Human Biology Association
• 2014 – Principal Guest Scientist, 31stMidwest Symposium on Family Systems Theory and Therapy
• 2014 – Invited to give Bench-to-Bedside Keynote Address at the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS) meeting

Full list of Honors & Awards

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