Dr. Rajita Sinha

Biography

Rajita Sinha is an endowed professor in Psychiatry and a professor in Neuroscience at the Child Study Center at Yale University School of Medicine. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and clinical neuroscientist serving as the Deputy Chair of Psychiatry and Psychology and Chief of the Psychology Section in the Department of Psychiatry. As the founding director of the Yale Interdisciplinary Stress Center, Dr. Sinha focuses on understanding the neurobiology and psychology of stress and trauma, and the biobehavioral coping mechanisms that differentiate resilient individuals from those vulnerable to neuropsychiatric diseases such as alcohol and substance use disorders, chronic pain, and PTSD. Her research has led to the development of novel paradigms aimed at understanding the mechanisms driving pathologies related to stress and addiction, with the ultimate goal of improving treatment outcomes for addiction. She has received significant recognition for her contributions, including the Distinguished Researcher Award from the Research Society on Alcoholism and the James Tharpe Award for her outstanding contributions to addiction research. Dr. Sinha has served on numerous NIH panels and review committees, has been an active presenter at various national and international conferences, and her work is highly cited in the field.

Research Interests