Robert Althoff MD, PhD

Robert Althoff, MD, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychological Science at the University of Vermont. With a background in cognitive neuroscience and behavioral genetics, Dr. Althoff studies the development of self-regulation. He and his colleagues have demonstrated that children with problems in self-regulation go on to have severe problems in adulthood. By characterizing these children as having profound problems with attention, mood swings, and aggression, his research aims to identify modifiable genetic and environmental factors to reduce depression, personality disorders, and substance use in adolescence and adulthood.

Most recently, he has been examining the metabolic consequences of impaired self-regulation and possible underlying environmental, genetic, psychophysiological, and epigenetic mechanisms along with a research program to develop novel assessments for suicide risk prediction. For 4 years he was the Division Director of the UVM Health Network Adirondack Division of Psychiatry in Plattsburgh, NY, and was Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the UVM Department of Psychiatry from 2019-2021. He became Chair and Healthcare Service Leader for Psychiatry at UVM in October 2022 after a year as Interim. He is also the Associate Editor for JAACAP, the leading journal in child and adolescent psychiatry.