George I. Papakostas, M.D.
Associate Executive Director at CTNI, Massachusetts General Hospital, Clinical Trials Network and Institute; Director, Harvard Catalyst Course, Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials in Medicine; Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Dr. George I. Papakostas is Scientific Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Clinical Trials Network and Institute, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also Director of a Harvard-Wide course on the Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials in Medicine.
The focus of Dr. Papakostas’ research includes the pharmacotherapy of major depressive disorder including treatment-resistant depression, the study of the “placebo” effect and it’s relevance to clinical trial design in mood and anxiety disorders, and the study of clinical and biologic predictors, moderators, and mediators of treatment outcome in major depressive disorder. Dr. Papakostas prominence as a researcher in the field is reflected in his position as overall Principal Investigator of the PCORI-funded ASCERTAIN-TRD trial aimed at comparing augmentation versus switching in TRD, as well as overall Co-Principal Investigator of the RAPID Network, the NIMH-funded series of studies of novel, rapidly-acting antidepressant therapies for TRD.
Dr. Papakostas has received numerous national and international research awards from sources including the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the Collegium Internationale Neuropsychopharmacologium, the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, the American Psychiatric Association, the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry, the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists, the International College of Psychosomatic Medicine, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
He is author or co-author of over 200 clinical and scientific publications and book chapters, and is the author of the book entitled: “Pharmacotherapy for Depression” (World Scientific Publishing and Imperial College Press), and has been awarded two patents by the U.S. Patent Office on novel approaches to treat depression. Dr. Papakostas is often invited throughout the United States and abroad to lecture on a wide range of topics pertaining to the treatment of depression. To date, he has delivered hundreds of lectures at National or International meetings in more than 40 countries. Dr. Papakostas maintains an active clinical practice in Boston, Massachusetts and is listed among the Best Doctors in North America. (Woodward/White, Inc. Aiken, SC).
