Richard Sloan, PhD

Richard P. Sloan is Nathaniel Wharton Professor of Behavioral Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center.  He also is Chief of the Division of Behavioral Medicine at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

During his nearly 30 years at Columbia University Medical Center, Dr. Sloan’s research has focused on a variety of topics, all revolving around the general theme of understanding the links between psychological, psychosocial, and behavioral factors and physical illness.  He and his research group have studied how depression and hostility influence the risk of heart disease and the mechanisms – nervous system, inflammation, health behaviors like smoking and exercise – that may be responsible for this connection.  This work has led to a series of intervention trials designed to use cognitive behavior therapy, exercise, and nutritional agents to improve health and lower risk. 

In addition, Dr. Sloan is an investigator on several multi-center national studies on the development of atherosclerosis (the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, MESA), aging (Midlife in the U.S., MIDUS), and the origins of coronary heart disease (Coronary Artery Disease in Young Adults, CARDIA).  His publications have appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, Nature Neuroscience, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Circulation, the Journal of the American Heart Association, and many other scientific journals. 

Dr. Sloan is a member of the executive committee of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, a fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and on the editorial board of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.  His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, the Centers for Disease Control, the American Heart Association, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Greenwall Foundation.