Tarek K. Rajji

Tarek K. Rajji is a Professor of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW). Previously, he held roles as Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Division, and Executive Director of the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance at the University of Toronto. He also served as Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital.

Education: Undergraduate and medical degree from the American University of Beirut; psychiatry residency at UTSW; clinical fellowships in geriatric psychiatry (University of Pittsburgh and University of Toronto); psychiatric research fellowship sponsored by the VA North Texas Health Care System and UTSW.

Research focuses on neuroplasticity, cognition in older adults with mental illness, and neurocognitive disorders. He combines brain stimulation techniques (e.g., TMS, tES) with cognitive, functional, and pharmacological approaches to improve dementia outcomes. He led clinical trials (funded by Brain Canada, CIHR, NIMH) targeting depression, neurocognitive disorders, and schizophrenia in older adults.

Grants and leadership include federal funding for dementia-related research and executive roles in dementia research alliances. His work emphasizes standardizing care for dementia patients and advancing geriatric psychiatry.