Susan V. McLeer, M.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Psychiatry
215-831-7930
smcleer@drexelmed.edu
The Drexel University College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry is committed to developing and implementing programs that are consistent with the College’s tripartite mission of teaching, research and patient care. Priorities have been delineated, with teaching programs being paramount. High quality clinical care and increased research funding have a high priority, as do service and consultation to the public sector.
These are challenging and exciting times for the field of psychiatry. The Department of Psychiatry at Drexel University College of Medicine embraces change as part of life in a complex health care system and unites with its clinical partners to ensure that our responsibilities for our academic missions are fulfilled while supporting the missions and goals of our affiliated clinical partners.
Training medical students and psychiatric residents is central to our mission. Drexel University College of Medicine is a leader nationally in medical education and DUCOM is among the top 10 medical schools in the country for educating medical students who choose to specialize in psychiatry.
The field of psychiatry is extremely exciting, with research findings that are elucidating the underlying molecular and genetic foundations of psychiatric illness. Treatments are emerging that integrate the latest findings from psychopharmacological studies with those psychosocial interventions that have demonstrated efficacy. Such multimodal treatment strategies are effective in not only reducing psychiatric symptoms, but promoting wellness.
Unfortunately, it takes an average of 15 years for research to impact the standard of care in our communities. The DUCOM Department of Psychiatry, through its educational programs, seeks to reduce the gap between emerging research and practice. The support of evidence-based care and the development of new delivery systems that provide state-of-the-art care to patients and their families are central to our clinical mission.
Research programs in the department target the acquisition and dissemination of new scientific knowledge relating to the causes and treatment of serious psychiatric disorders of public health concern throughout Pennsylvania and the nation. Our research includes the treatment of autism and autism spectrum disorders, developmental studies regarding the impact of acute and chronic stressors in childhood (e.g., exposure to cocaine in utero), child maltreatment and other stressors contributing to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders of childhood, rehabilitative systems for patients with substance abuse disorders, treatment of schizophrenia, and the management of metabolic disorders secondary to psychopharmacological interventions. Collaborative research programs between the department and Drexel University’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, as well as with the School of Public Health and multiple departments involved in neuroscience, are well under way. We seek to expand this research base as we move forward over the next five years.
Please explore our website to learn more about Drexel University College of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry.
Susan V. McLeer, M.D.
Professor and Chair |