Dr. George Alexopoulos stands as a preeminent leader in geriatric psychiatry and mental health care for older adults. He serves as Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and previously held the distinguished position of S.P. Tobin and A.M. Cooper Professor of Psychiatry. As the Founding Director of the Weill Cornell Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry, he established one of the nation's premier centers dedicated to research and treatment of mood disorders in elderly patients. Dr. Alexopoulos received his medical degree from the National University of Athens in Greece and completed his psychiatric residency at Cornell University Medical College, building a career defined by excellence in clinical care and academic leadership.
Dr. Alexopoulos pioneered transformative research on neurobiological disturbances in late- and mid-life mood disorders, fundamentally reshaping the understanding and treatment of depression in older adults. He founded and directed the NIMH-supported Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research in Geriatric Mood Disorders, securing four consecutive Center Grants and numerous R01 grants that propelled the field forward significantly. As Director of the T32 NIMH Research Fellowship in Geriatric Mood Disorders since 1989, he has mentored generations of researchers who now lead geriatric psychiatry programs across the United States. His scholarly work continues to advance the field with recent publications addressing brain metabolite levels in remitted psychotic depression and machine learning applications for predicting antidepressant treatment outcomes.
Dr. Alexopoulos has received numerous prestigious honors including the International College of American College of Geriatric Psychoneuropharmacology Research Award, the APA Greenberg Award, and the American College of Psychiatrists Geriatric Research Award. In 2013, he was awarded a Special Presidential Commendation by the American Psychiatric Association recognizing his seminal contributions to research, training, and clinical care in geriatric psychiatry. His editorial leadership as the Western Hemisphere editor of the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry has shaped scholarly discourse in the field for decades, establishing standards for clinical practice and research methodology. Through his visionary work integrating neurobiological and clinical approaches to geriatric mood disorders, Dr. Alexopoulos has created a lasting legacy that continues to improve mental health outcomes for older adults worldwide.
