Professor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Biography
Sheila A.M. Rauch, Ph.D., ABPP, is a Professor in Psychiatry at in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine. She serves as Clinical Director of the Emory University Veterans Program and Director of Mental Health Research and Program Evaluation at the Atlanta VA Medical Center. Dr. Rauch has been conducting research and providing PTSD and Anxiety Disorders treatment for over 20 years. Her research focuses on examination of mechanisms involved in the development and treatment of PTSD and improving access to effective interventions. She is currently Principal Investigator of two PTSD treatment outcome and mechanisms trials including a DOD funded, multi-site PTSD treatment trial comparing prolonged exposure and sertraline and a VA/DOD collaboratively funded trial examining biomarkers in veterans and active duty military service members. She has been training providers in PTSD treatment since 2000 and has served as a VHA Prolonged Exposure Therapy Roll Out Trainer since the start of the program. She has published scholarly articles and book chapters in the areas of anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) focusing on neurobiology and factors involved in the development, maintenance, and treatment of anxiety disorders, psychosocial factors in medical settings, and the relation between physical health and anxiety. Dr. Rauch has been involved in the modification and adaptation of proven psychotherapeutic interventions for anxiety disorders for various populations and settings, including primary care. Her role in VHA continues to focus on growing VA Program Evaluation and Research and establishing new and effective treatment programs for our Veterans. She holds a diplomate in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology. She is a fellow of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy (ABCT) and a member of the Board of Directors and Scientific Council of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. In 2017, she was awarded the Outstanding Mentor Award from the Emory University School of Medicine. She served on the VA/DOD PTSD Clinical Practice Guideline Committee in 2010 and 2015. Dr. Rauch serves as the co-mentor for Dr. Jessica Maples-Keller.
Research
- Biological and psychological mechanisms of change in development and treatment of PTSD and anxiety disorders
- Effectiveness and efficacy clinical trials
- Augmentation or modification of proven treatments
- Improving access to effective treatments