Donovan T Maust

Donovan T Maust, MD, MS serves as the Williard C Blackney Jr and Geraldine LaTendresse Blackney Research Professor of Geriatric Psychiatry and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. He maintains dual appointments as Faculty Associate at both the Survey Research Center and Institute for Social Research, while holding Center Member positions at the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, Eisenberg Family Depression Center, and University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center.

His research program critically examines geriatric mental healthcare systems with emphasis on dementia-related behavioral symptoms, CNS-active polypharmacy, and Medicare policy impacts. Key methodologies include health services research, longitudinal data analysis, and clinical intervention design targeting deprescribing practices and care coordination for elderly populations with complex neuropsychiatric conditions.

Analysis of his 2025 publications reveals a cohesive focus on systemic challenges in dementia care across multiple care settings. Recurring themes include clinician decision-making patterns, Medicare beneficiary transitions, and policy-driven cost/utilization variations, demonstrating consistent application of mixed-methods approaches to improve real-world geriatric mental healthcare delivery.

Through interdisciplinary center affiliations, Maust integrates policy analysis with clinical psychiatry to address aging populations' mental health needs. His Injury Prevention Center work examines mental health aspects of elder safety, while Depression Center collaborations focus on mood disorders in dementia, creating synergistic pathways for translating research into practice.