Dr. Sanacora completed his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics (1992) and his M.D. (1994) at the State University New York at Stony Brook. He then completed the Clinical Neuroscientist Training Program Residency and the Neuroimaging Scientist Training Program Fellowship at Yale. He is currently a Professor of Psychiatry at Yale and the Director of the Yale Depression Research Program. His work has concentrated largely on elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms associated with mood and other neuropsychiatric disorders, and using this information to guide future treatment development. His basic science laboratory explores the effects of chronic stress on brain function, and examines the molecular, cellular and behavioral effects of newly developed treatment strategies. His clinical laboratory employs novel imaging methodologies to investigate the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders and is very active in clinical trial research.

Dr. Sanacora has received the Anna-Monkia Stiftung international award for the investigation of the biological substrate and functional disturbances of depression in 2009 and the Joel Elkes Research Award for Outstanding contributions to Psychopharmacology from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology in 2011.