Neurocognition as a Core Feature in Bipolar Disorder: Leveraging Heterogeneity to Inform Precision Care

Katherine Burdick, PhD
Professor • Dept. of Psychiatry • Harvard Medical School

Jonathan F. Borus, MD Distinguished Chair in Psychiatry • Vice Chair for Research in Psychiatry • Director, Mood and Psychosis Research Program • Brigham and Women's Hospital

About the speaker:
Dr. Katherine E. Burdick is the Jonathan F. Borus, MD Distinguished Chair in Psychiatry and the Vice Chair for Research in Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. She is the Director of the Mood and Psychosis Research Program at BWH and is a Professor at Harvard Medical School. She also serves as Scientific Director for the Integrated Network arm of the new non-profit research foundation Breakthrough Discovery for thriving with Bipolar Disorders (‘BD-squared’). She also participates as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC), and the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD), and as a member of the scientific advisory board for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).
 
Dr. Burdick’s work is focused on neurocognition in major psychiatric disorders, with a specific expertise in bipolar disorder (BD). One of the first in the field to acknowledge the presence of cognitive impairment in BD, she has dedicated the past two decades to investigating the clinical, biological, neuroimaging, genetic, and functional correlates of this phenomenon. Dr. Burdick’s work has also highlighted the need to target this domain directly with treatment to promote full recovery in every patient. She has published more than 175 articles and has received several awards for her work in this area, including the prestigious Colvin Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Mood Disorders Research from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation in 2021 and the Klerman Award from the DBSA in 2023. She is also a dedicated mentor and hopes to help to cultivate the next generation of researchers in the mood disorders field.

Learning objectives:
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Characterize the cognitive profile common to bipolar disorder and compare it with that seen in schizophrenia
• Identify up to five known clinical correlates and novel biomarkers of cognitive impairment in bipolar patients
• Describe the cognitive trajectory in bipolar disorder, including both neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative processes

----------

In addition to the Pritzker Building, DPBS members can also watch this event live at Mount Zion (Room B730) and ZSFG (Bldg. 5, Room 7M30), as well as on Zoom (psychiatry.ucsf.edu/watchgrandrounds).

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds presentations are for educational purposes and intended only for behavioral/mental health professionals and clinical providers.

Continuing education (CE) credit is available for physicians, psychologists, nurses, and therapists who participate in this activity.