How to Improve Care In The Clinic: Does Measurement-Based Care Improve Outcomes For Mood Disorders?

Sponsored by the Hans Lowenbach Memorial Fund Dr. Erika Saunders earned her medical degree from the University of Iowa, completed a Howard Hughes Research Fellowship at Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and residency training in Psychiatry at the University of Michigan. She subsequently was awarded a Heinz C. Prechter research fellowship in Bipolar Disorder. Dr. Saunders joined Penn State University in 2008 and has led the department since 2015. She serves as Clinical Co-Director of the Penn State College of Medicine Addiction Center for Translation and has led the Mood Disorders Program. During her tenure, Penn State joined the National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC). Dr. Saunders has served on the board of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute since 2015, and has chaired the board since July 2024. Dr. Saunders has been elected to serve on the board of several national organizations, including the American Association of Chairs of Departments of Psychiatry (Past President), the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (Vice President for Governance) and the American Society for Clinical Psychopharmacology. Dr. Saunders has been a fellow of The Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program (ELAM) and the American Association of Medical Colleges Council of Deans. Dr. Saunders is an expert on improving the delivery of care for psychiatric and behavioral illnesses and developing novel methods for predicting outcome and improving treatments for mood disorders based on neural, biological and social mechanisms. Dr. Saunders' work has been recognized nationally, and she has presented at meetings including the International Society for Bipolar Disorders, the Society for Biological Psychiatry, American Society for Clinical Psychopharmacology and the American Psychiatric Association.