Samantha Meltzer-Brody

Samantha Meltzer-Brody is an American psychiatrist who is the Executive Dean at the UNC School of Medicine. She researches new strategies to support people with perinatal depression. She was elected Fellow of the National Academy of Medicine.

Early life and education Meltzer-Brody is from Canton, Ohio. She studied biology at Simmons University and was a medical student at Northwestern University, completing her residency at Duke University. She was a Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, completing a Master's in Public Health. She is a specialist in perinatal depression, which is experienced by one in eight people who give birth. She studies the epidemiological predictors of perinatal depression.

Meltzer-Brody has led clinical trials to identify appropriate medication for postpartum depression, including brexanolone, zulresso and zuranolone. Meltzer-Brody has explained that the “weeks and months following birth are a critical period for mother-infant bonding, so finding a fast-acting treatment is crucial for both mom and baby”.

In 2011, Meltzer-Brody founded the UNC “Taking Care of Our Own” program, which looked to eliminate physician burnout. Physician burnout can impact professional behaviour, home relationships and patient outcomes. 2025 Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Medicine

Selected publications