Charles L. Raison, MD, is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona School of Medicine and the John & Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences of the University of Arizona. Prior to this, he was an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine, where he also served as Clinical Director of the Mind-Body Program. Dr. Raison received his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha and won the Missouri State Medical Association Award. He completed residency training at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital in Los Angeles. Dr. Raison served as Director of Emergency Psychiatric services and Associate Director of consultation and evaluation services at UCLA prior to joining the faculty at Emory University.

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, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Georgia Department of Human Services. His research focuses on bi-directional relationships between stress and immune systems, especially as these pertain to depression in the medically ill. His research ranges from immune system effects on central nervous system functioning to the application of compassion meditation as a strategy to reduce inflammatory responses to psychosocial stress. In addition to his academic responsibilities, Dr. Raison is the mental health expert for cnn.com and is on the editorial board of Brain, Behavior and Immunity. He has been selected to serve as Chairman for the 2011 U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress and won the Champion of Hope Award from the Africa’s Children’s Fund in 2011.