Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry and Human Genetics

Current Appointments

  • Director, Program for Genetics and Psychosis

Areas of Expertise

  • Psychosis
  • Basic & Translational Neuroscience
Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD
Expertise & Interests Selected Publications Education & Credentials Related News

Expertise & Interests

Research Interests

Interventions for severe mental illness; Cellular models for psychosis; Neurovirology

Clinical Interests

Treatment of psychotic disorders; Treatment of cognitive disorders; Translational virology

Education Interests

Research mentorship; International research training/mentorship; Medical student & resident mentorship

Selected Publications

  1. D'Aiuto L, Caldwell JK, Edwards TG, Zhou C, McDonald ML, Di Maio R, Joel WA, Hyde VR, Wallace CT, Watkins SC, Wesesky MA, Shemesh OA, Nimgaonkar VL, Bloom DC. Phosphorylated-tau associates with HSV-1 chromatin and correlates with nuclear speckles decondensation in low-density host chromatin regions. Neurobiol Dis. 2025 Mar;206:106804. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2025.106804. Epub 2025 Jan 14. PMID: 39818277; PMCID: PMC12001802.
  2. Chen X, Liu Y, Cue J, Han MV, Nimgaonkar VL, Weinberger D, Han S, Zhao Z, Chen J. (2025) Classification of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder with comorbid traits and deep learning algorithms. Schizophrenia. Res Sq [Preprint]. 11(1):14. doi: 10.1038/s41537-025-00564-7. PMID: 39910091
  3. Ganapathiraju MK, Bhatia T, Deshpande S, Wesesky M, Wood J, Nimgaonkar VL. (2024). Schizophrenia interactome-derived repurposable drugs and eandomized controlled trials of rwo xandidates. Biol Psychiatry. 96(8):651-658. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.06.022. Epub 2024 Jun 29. PMID: 38950808.
  4. Rupert PE, Roalf DR, Prasad KM, Kuo SS, Musket CW, Wood J, Gur RC, Almasy L, Gur RE, Nimgaonkar VL, Pogue-Geile MF. Genetic risk for schizophrenia and brain activation during the Penn Conditional Exclusion Test: A multiplex extended pedigree study. J Psychopathol Clin Sci. 2025 Apr;134(3):272-283. doi: 10.1037/abn0000973. Epub 2025 Feb 27. PMID: 40014520; PMCID: PMC11949699.
  5. Bhatia T, Kumari N, Yadav A, Beniwal RP, Shah G, Joel W, Jones JR, Iyenger S, Nimgaonkar VL, DeshpandeSN. Feasibility, acceptability and evaluation of meditation to augment yoga practice among persons diagnosed withschizophrenia. Acta Neuropsychiatr. 2022 May 19:1-14. doi: 10.1017/neu.2022.14. Epub ahead of print. PMID:35586878.

Education & Credentials

Education & Training

Education
MD, Madras University, Christian Medical College
Education
PhD, Neuropharmacology, University of Oxford, Faculty of Medicine
Internship
Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Community Health, Christian Medical College
Residency
Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Residency
Psychiatry, Maudsley Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Fellowship
Biochemistry, University of London, United Kingdom
Postdoctoral
Biochemistry, University of London, United Kingdom

Professional Affiliations

  • Fellow, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
  • Member, Society of Biological Psychiatry
  • Member, International Society of Psychiatric Genetics
  • Member, American Society of Human Genetics
  • Member, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK

Selected Honors & Awards

  • International Mentorship Award, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • Sir Dennis Hill Prize for Best Psychiatric Resident, Maudsley Hospital, Institute of Psychiatry, United Kingdom
  • Rhodes Scholarship, Rhodes Trust, India

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