Center of Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare
Alexandra Aaronson, MD, MSCI
My career goal is to improve treatments for individuals with complex neuropsychiatric conditions, particularly those with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and co-occurring psychiatric sequelae. A better understanding the of the neuroscience underlying these illnesses will allow us to create better treatments to improve the lives of many and advance the field of psychiatry. I am a Neuropsychiatrist with advanced training in the clinical care of those with complex neuropsychiatric conditions. I completed a Psychiatry Residency followed by a Clinical Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry research fellowship at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine. My residency training involved intensive electives in neuropsychiatric testing as well as care and management of patients undergoing brain and spinal cord injury rehabilitation at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. As a fellow I continued clinical training with both services, rendering me well-versed in the care and management of TBI.
I am a full-time employee of the Hines VA. I work as a clinician 25% of the time, splitting my time between the neuromodulation service (performing electroconvulsive and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapies) and outpatient clinic. I also serve as the team neuropsychiatrist on the Hines VA polytrauma team, the team that caters to the complex needs of Veterans with TBI. 75% of my time is devoted to research endeavors. I am a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC), where I hold a 20% time appointment. At UIC I am involved in a number of research studies, I serve as a clinical attending psychiatrist overseeing residents and fellows and teach multiple didactic courses. I maintain a position in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University as an Adjunct Assistant Professor. I also serve as a research mentor to several medical students and residents at both UIC and Northwestern. I serve as an early career investigator at the Hines VA and was recently awarded an RR&D CDA 2 grant for my project titled “Neuromodulation for impulsivity and suicidality in Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury and common co-occurring mental health conditions,” to develop a frontal-pole neuromodulation treatment for individuals struggling with the aforementioned conditions.
Contact: Alexandra.Aaronson@va.gov
