About Charles Raison
Born 1957. Charles Raison is an American psychiatrist, cNN.com, professor and researcher, known for Major depression and Stress (psychological).
Charles L. Raison (born December 26, 1957) is an American psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine and Public Health (University of Wisconsin–Madison) as well as the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families and Professor with the School of Human Ecology (University of Wisconsin–Madison).
Prior to this Raison was a professor in the Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, and the Barry and Janet Lang Professor of Integrative Mental Health at the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, at the University of Arizona. In addition to his academic positions, he serves as the founding Director of the Center for Compassion Studies in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arizona and is the Director for Clinical and Translational Research for the Usona Institute, as well as the mental health expert for CNN.com.
Early life and education Raison has an undergraduate degree in anthropology from Stanford University and a Master's degree in English literature from the University of Denver. He received his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine and did his residency training in psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, where he later served as Director of Emergency Psychiatry Services.
Education Undergraduate: 1976–80 Stanford University, Stanford, CA, B.A. in Anthropology with honors and departmental distinction Graduate: 1982–85 University of Denver, Denver, CO, M.A. in English, with emphasis in creative writing PreMedical: 1985–86 Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA, Premedical Program, Post Baccalaureate Medical: 1987–91 Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, M.D. degree
Post-graduate training 1991–1992: Internship, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, Los Angeles, CA 1992–1995: Psychiatric Residency, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, Los Angeles, CA 1994–1995: Chief Resident, Adult Inpatient Services, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
Awards and honors 2014: Principal Guest Scientist, 31st Midwest Symposium on Family Systems Theory and Therapy 2014: Invited to give Bench-to-Bedside Keynote Address at the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS) meeting 2014: Raymond Pearl Award for “contributions to our understanding of evolutionary biocultural origins of mental health and illness”, Human Biology Association 2013: NARSAD Independent Investigator Award (Brain & Behavior Research Society) 2012: Chairman of the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress 2011: Champion of Hope Award from the Africa's Children's Fund 2011: Distinguished Visiting Professorship, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX 2011: Invited Member, Emory University Public Scholars Seminar 2011: Chairman of the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress 2009: Senior Fellow of the Mind & Life Institute 2009–10: Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare 2009: American Psychiatric Association Ninth Annual Research Colloquium for Junior Investigators, Invited Faculty Member 2008: Semi-finalist presidential search for Naropa University, Boulder, CO 2006: Emory College Seed Fund Award to Improve the Research Profile of the Arts and Sciences 2006: Future Leaders in Psychiatry Travel Award 2005: Emory College Seed Fund Award to Improve the Research Profile of the Arts and Sciences 2005: Emory University Teaching Fund Award to develop interdisciplinary course entitled Phenomenology of Depression: Body, Mind and Culture 2005: Who's Who in Medical Sciences Education 2004: National Institutes of Health Extramural Loan Repayment Program Award 2004: American Psychiatric Association Ninth Annual Research Colloquium for Junior Investigators, Invited Member 2003: Emory University Medical Students' Teaching Award for Psychiatry 2002: National Institutes of Health Extramural Loan Repayment Program Award 2002: American Psychiatric Association Seventh Annual Research Colloquium for Junior Investigators, Invited Member 2002–06: K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award, National Institute of Mental Health 2001: Bristol Meyers Squibb Young Faculty Development Award 2001: Emory University Psychiatry Senior Residents' Outstanding Educator Award 2000: Emory University Teaching Fund Award for the development of an interdisciplinary course entitled Psychobiological Foundations of Personhood: Tibetan Buddhist and Western Perspectives 2000: Emory Medical Care Foundation Research Award 2000: Future Leaders in Psychiatry Travel Award 1998: Balm Foundation Research Grant 1993: American Psychoanalytic Association Fellow 1991: Alpha Omega Alpha, Washington University chapter 1991: Missouri State Medical Association Award 1984: Colorado State Fellow, University of Denver
Publications Scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals
Miller, A.H., Haroon, E., Raison, C.L., Felger, J.C. Cytokine Targets in the Brain: Impact on Neurotransmitters and Neurocircuits. Depression & Anxiety 2013; 30::297–306
Hanusch, K., Janssen, C.H., Billheimer, D, Jenkins, I., Spurgeon, E., Lowry, C.A., Raison, C.L. Whole Body Hyperthermia (WBH) for the Treatment of Major Depression: Associations with Thermoregulatory Cooling. American Journal of Psychiatry 2013; 170: 802–804.
Review articles and clinical guidelines Raison C.L., Nemeroff C.B. "Cancer and depression: prevalence, diagnosis and treatment. 2000. Home Health Consultant 7; 9: 34–41. Raison, C.L. "Managing neuropsychiatric side effects of peginterferon. The Treatment Reporter. November 2002 Edition. Projects in Knowledge publications. Demetrashvili, M., Raison, C.L., Miller, A.H. Depression in at-risk populations. CNS news. July 2002: 9–12.
Raison, C.L., Afdhal, N.H. Neuropsychiatric side effects associated with interferon-alfa plus ribavirin therapy: Recognition and risk factors. In: UpToDate, Rose, B.D. (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA, 2006. Raison, C.L., Afdhal, N.H. Neuropsychiatric side effects associated with interferon-alfa plus ribavirin therapy: Treatment and prevention. In: UpToDate, Rose, B.D. (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA, 2006.
Maletic, V. & Raison, C.L. Immune disturbances in chronic pain: cause, consequence or both? Current Immunology Reviews, Accepted for publication
Rook, G.A.W., Raison, C.L., Lowry, C.A. Major Depressive Disorder, Immunoregulation, Inflammation and Our Changing Microbial Environment. www.brainimmune.com. Friday, 4 November 2011.
Rook, G.A.W., Raison, C.L., Lowry, C.A. Microbial “Old Friends”, immunoregulation and psychiatric disorders. Old Herborn University Seminar Monograph 2012 Raison, C.L. & Miller, A.H. Do Cytokines Really Sing the Blues? Cerebrum: the online magazine that can change your mind. Dana Foundation, http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum. August 2013
Books Maletic, V., Jain, R., Raison, C.L. 100 Questions and Answers about Pain. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. Sudbury, MA, 2010. Draud, J.W., Jain, R., Maletic, V, Raison, C.L. Treating the Whole Patient: Exploring the Healing Potential of a Mind-Body Approach to Mental Health. CME LLC, 2011 Raison, C.L., Maletic, V. J. The New Mind-Body Science of Depression, W.W. Norton, New York, 2013
Book chapters Raison, C.L., Miller, A.H. Immune System and Central Nervous System Interactions. In: Kaplan & Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 8th Edition. Eds: Sadock, B.J., Sadock, V.A. Philadelphia. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. 2005, pp. 137–161. Raison, C.L., Purselle, D.C., Capuron, L., Miller, A.H. Treatment of Depression in Medical Illness. In: Biology of Depression. Eds: Licinio, J. and Wong, M. 2005, pp. 253–278. Raison, C.L., Giese-Davis, J., Miller, A.H., Spiegel, D. Depression in Cancer: Mechanisms, Consequences and Treatment. In: The Physician's Guide to Depression and Bipolar Disorders. Eds: Evans, D.L., Charney, D.S., Lewis, L. 2006, pp. 377–409. Norris, E.R., Raison, C.L. Depression. In: Medical Management of the Surgical Patient: a Textbook of the Perioperative Patient. Eds: Lubin, M.F., Smith, R.B., Dobson, T.F., Spell, N., Walker, H.K. 2006, pp. 479–490. Raison, C.L., Miller, A.H. Immune System and Central Nervous System Interactions. In: Kaplan & Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 9th Edition. Eds: Sadock, B.J., Sadock, V.A. Philadelphia. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. 2009, pp. 175–198. Owen-Smith, A.A., Raison, C.L. Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In: Clinical Manual of Prevention Principles in Mental Health Care. Ed: Compton, M. American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, 2009, pp. 105–119. Thompson, D.S., Raison, C.L., Jonas, C., Miller, A.H. Cancer and Depression: Phenomenology and Pathophysiology. In: Internal Medicine Care of Cancer Patients. Eds: Gagel, R.F., Escalante, C.P., and Yeung S-C. In press. Nater, U., Heim, C.M., Raison, C.L. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In: vol: Neurobiology of Psychiatric Disorders. Eds: Schlaepfer, T.; series: Handbook of Clinical Neurology. Eds: Aminoff, M.J, Boller, F., Swabb, D.F., Elsevier, 2012. Miller, A.H., Pace, T.W.W., Raison, C.L. Neuropsychiatric effects of IFN-alpha: relevance to depression. In: Understanding Depression: A Translational Approach. Eds: Pariante, C.M., Nesse, R.M., Nutt, D., Wolpert, L. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 2009, pp. 223–237. Nater, U., Raison, C.L., Miller, A.H., Reeves, W.C. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In: The Concise Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science, 2nd Edition. Eds: Craighead WE and Nemeroff CB. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ. 2004, pp. 177–180. Burke, M.A., Raison, C.L., Miller, A.H. Depression in cancer: pathophysiology at the mind-body interface. In: Cancer Symptom Science: Measurements, Mechanisms, and Management. Eds: Cleeland, C.S., Fisch, M.J., Dunn, A.J. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK, 2010, pp. 75–85. Pace, T.W.W., Raison, C.L., Miller, A.H. Role of inflammation in neuropsychiatric disorders. In: Inflammation, Life Style and Chronic Diseases: The Silent Link. Ed.: Aggarwal, B.B., 2011 Raison, C.L., Mascaro, J.S., Pace, T.W. Research on the Endocrinology of Compassion. In: Compassion: From Theory to Training to Neuroscience. A Multimedia Book. Ed.: Singer, T.A., 2012 Nater UM, Heim CM, Raison C, (2012). Chronic fatigue syndrome. In: Schlaepfer T, Nemeroff CB (Eds.), Neurobiology of Psychiatric Disorders. Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol 106. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 573–587 Raison, C.L., Miller, A.H. The Role of Inflammation in Depression: Implications for Phenomenology, Pathophysiology and Treatment. In: Leonard, B., Halaris, A. (Eds.) Modern Trends in Pharmacopsychiatry, Vol. 28, 2013; Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers, Basel, Switzerland Raison, C.L., Miller, A.H., Rook, G.A.W., Begay, T. "Role of Inflammation in Diseases of the Nervous System (Psychiatry)". In: Zigmond, M.J., Coyle, J.T., Rowland, L.P. (Eds.) Neurobiology of Brain Disorders. Elsevier, 2013 Dodson-Lavelle, B., Ozawa-de Silva, B., Raison, C.L., and Negi, L.T. Healing Through Compassion: Cognitively-Based Compassion Training for Foster Care Youth. In: Rozelle, D., Rome, D. (Eds.) Contemplative Methods in Trauma Treatment: Integrating Mindfulness and Other Approaches. Guilford Press, 2014 Shah, N. & Raison, C.L. Depression and the surgical patient. In: Lubin, M.F., Dodson, T.F., Winawer, N. (Eds.) Medical Management of the Surgical Patient: a Textbook of Perioperative Medicine, Cambridge University Press, 2013 Shah, N. & Raison, C.L. Psychological and emotional reactions to illness and surgery. In: Lubin, M.F., Dodson, T.F., Winawer, N. (Eds.) Medical Management of the Surgical Patient: a Textbook of Perioperative Medicine, Cambridge University Press, 2013 Rook, G.A.W., Lowry, C.A., Raison, C.L. Microbiota and the hygiene hypothesis of psychiatric disorders. In: Cryan, J.., Lyte, M. (Eds.) The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Health and Disease, Springer, 2013
Commentaries and editorials Miller, A.H., Raison, C.L. Cytokines, p. 38 MAP Kinase and the Pathophysiology of Depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2006. 31: 2089–2090. Raison, C.L. Buddhists Meet Mind Scientists in Conference on Meditation and Depression. Psychiatric Times, 25(3), May 2008 Raison, C.L. An Evolutionary View on the Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Compassion. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Winter 2009: Raison, C.L., Maletic, V., Jain, R., Draud, J. From Chaos to Consilience Parts I–III. Psychiatric Times, May–August 2009 Rook, G.A.W., Raison, C.L., Lowry, C.A. Childhood microbial experience, immunoregulation, inflammation and adult susceptibility to psychosocial stressors and depression in rich and poor countries. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health 2012; Epub Raison, C.L. & Miller A.H. Malaise, melancholia and madness: The evolutionary legacy of an inflammatory bias
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Important facts
People in Charles Raison's life
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Charles Raison?
American psychiatrist and academic
When was Charles Raison born?
Charles Raison was born on 26 December 1957 in Dinuba.
What is Charles Raison's occupation?
Charles Raison is a psychiatrist, cNN.com, professor and researcher.
What is Charles Raison known for?
Charles Raison is known for Major depression and Stress (psychological).
What nationality is Charles Raison?
Charles Raison is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Charles Raison. https://biography.guide/charles-raison/
MLA: "Charles Raison." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/charles-raison/.
Chicago: "Charles Raison." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/charles-raison/.
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