Interdisciplinary Work to Understand the Development of Mental Illness

Dr. Avshalom Caspi uses the tools of psychology, epidemiology and neuroscience in his research, and has made significant contributions to understanding the development of mental illness within the context of specific environments and childhood experiences.

Dr. Caspi's research focuses on human development and mental illness and seeks answers to these questions: How do childhood experiences shape the course of health inequalities across the life span? How do genetic differences between people shape the way they respond to their environments? What are the best ways to assess and measure personality differences between people? He is a professor and researcher at Duke University and the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London.

In addition to his research, he has served on the executive council of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development and has been recognized widely for his research, having received many prestigious awards for his research on adolescents and the developmental process of mental illness.

Dr. Caspi shares this year's Ruane Prize with his life partner, Dr. Terrie Moffitt. Their research takes them around the world - to London and additionally to Dunedin School of Medicine in New Zealand. Click here for more details and a complete program from the NARSAD Mental Health Research Symposium will Dr. Caspi will present his research.