Tarek K. Rajji, M.D.

Biography

Tarek K. Rajji, M.D., undertook undergraduate studies and obtained his medical degree at the American University of Beirut. He then completed a residency in general psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center and continued his training as a fellow in psychiatric research and neuroscience sponsored by the VA North Texas Health Care System and UT Southwestern. He pursued further training in geriatric psychiatry with a clinical fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh and a research fellowship at the University of Toronto. He is board certified in both general and geriatric psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Rajji's research has focused on neuroplasticity and cognition in older patients with mental illness and neurocognitive diseases. To improve cognition in older adults with dementia or at risk for dementia, he combines brain stimulation, including transcranial magnetic and electrical stimulation, with cognitive, functional, and pharmacological modalities. He also studies standardization of care for patients with dementia. He has led multiple clinical trials with older patients with depression, neurocognitive disorders, and schizophrenia funded by federal agencies such as Brain Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

Prior to joining UTSW, Dr. Rajji was Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Division, and Executive Director of the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance at the University of Toronto. He also served as Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Affiliated with the University of Toronto, CAMH is Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and one of the world’s leading research centers in the field.