Dr. Charles Raison is an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and b ehavioral sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine, where he also serves as director of the behavioral immunology clinic. Dr. Raison attended medical school at 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, Calif.. 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 receives research funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His research focuses on bidirectional 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 prevent depressive symptoms in college students via reduction in stress-related inflammatory activity. He is also internationally recognized for his expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of interferon-alpha-induced depression and anxiety.