Michael R. Irwin

Michael R. Irwin is the Norman Cousins Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Professor of Psychology in the UCLA College of Letters and Sciences. He serves as Director of the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience, Director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center, and Director of the Inflammatory Biology Core. His research examines psychoneuroimmunological pathways linking psychosocial factors to health outcomes, with focus areas spanning stress physiology, sleep disturbances, inflammation, and mind-body interventions.

Research Focus: Dr. Irwin investigates how behavioral factors modulate immune responses in conditions including depression, insomnia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and autoimmune disorders. His work integrates molecular mechanisms (e.g., β-adrenergic signaling, cytokine networks) with clinical outcomes, employing randomized trials, epidemiological studies, and laboratory models. Key research themes include:

• Sleep loss effects on inflammatory signaling and disease risk
• Mind-body interventions (yoga, meditation) for immune regulation
• Neuroimmune interactions in aging and cancer survivorship
• Stress-induced alterations in antiviral immunity and inflammation

Publication Trends: Recent articles emphasize inflammation's role in depression pathogenesis, immune biomarkers in oncology populations, and clinical trials of behavioral interventions. Neuroimmunology and psychoneuroendocrinology dominate his research outputs, with frequent cross-disciplinary integration of psychiatry, immunology, and neurology methodologies.

Honors and Awards:

• Early Career Award, American Psychosomatic Society (1991)
• President, Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society (2001)
• Norman Cousins Research Award (2007)
• Best Research Prize, European Society of Integrative Medicine (2014)
• Chairperson, NIH Mechanisms of Emotion, Stress and Health Study Section (2014-2016)

Funding and Leadership: Continuously funded for 25+ years through 25+ NIH R01 grants (NIA, NCI, NHLBI, NIAAA, NIMH). Directs multidisciplinary research centers focused on neuroimmune interactions and mindfulness research. Mentorship recognized via UCLA's Outstanding Faculty Research Mentor Award (2005).