Rate My Professor Mark Olfson

Mark Olfson, MD, MPH, is the Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine, and Law at Columbia University Medical Center and Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University. He also serves as Research Psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Olfson earned his MD from Northwestern University Medical School, completed residency training in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, and pursued a fellowship in mental health services research at Rutgers University and Princeton University. His work focuses on identifying gaps between clinical science and practice in behavioral health care, with particular emphasis on suicide prevention and improving treatment for adults with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders. He has highlighted challenges in the quality of assessment and treatment for children and adults with behavioral health disorders, especially among neglected and underserved populations. Dr. Olfson has characterized unmet needs for mental health services, patient flow into care, and evolving national patterns in the assessment and management of psychiatric disorders. He has secured numerous federal and private foundation grants and authored more than 500 academic papers.