Anxiety Disorders Research Program

The Anxiety Disorders Research Program, located within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, conducts research which attempts to clarify the causes of anxiety disorders and improves treatments for children, adolescents, and adults who struggle with anxiety and related disorders.

Research within the Anxiety Disorders Research Program is conducted with children, adolescents, and adults affected by anxiety disorders with a focus on the identification of risk factors for these conditions and on predictors of treatment success. Specifically, Dr. Strawn and his collaborators are attempting to understand anxiety disorders in terms of brain activity and brain chemistry through the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In this regard, Strawn hopes to identify early changes in brain circuits that may predict treatment response to psychotropic medications in pediatric patients with anxiety disorders. Additionally, Dr. Strawn and colleagues are evaluating several medications which may be helpful in the treatment of patients with anxiety disorders.

The Anxiety Disorders Research Program at UC is supported by funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and several pharmaceutical companies. The program is directed by Jeffrey R. Strawn, MD, FAACAP, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Originally from northern Kentucky, Dr. Strawn earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Kentucky and went on to earn his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine. He completed his psychiatric residency training at UC and a clinical fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Cincinnati Children’s. He has board certification in general, as well as child and adolescent, psychiatry.

For more information about the program or current research studies please contact Heidi Schroeder at 513-558-4422.