Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Chair's Message

Psychiatry is a dynamic, exciting field that is changing rapidly today. At Penn State College of Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health provides innovative care for patients, educates the health care providers and academicians of the future, and produces and disseminates new knowledge in its research programs.

The explosion of knowledge about the brain and behavior that has characterized the past century is leading to understanding the connections that will help develop improved care: links between the genome, the cell, cellular networks and clinical symptoms.

Sitting at the intersection of a number of fields, psychiatry brings scientists, clinicians, patients, families and the public together to improve the well-being and mental health of people.

Penn State Psychiatry and Behavioral Health provides a full range of clinical services in Hershey through Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Health Medical Group and the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health embodies the field and its future. As the department pursues its missions to expand and transmit knowledge, it also strives to improve lives.

Erika Saunders, MD
Shively-Tan Professor and Chair
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health