Woodward is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and current holder of the Bixler-Johnson-Mayes Chair at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Woodward studies psychotic disorders, primarily schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. His research is grounded in the premise that studying the brain is important to understanding the causes, heterogeneity, and treatment of psychotic disorders. His lab uses several methods to study the brain, including brain imaging, neuropsychological testing, and cognitive neuroscience techniques. These methods are applied to address the following related aims: 1) Identify brain abnormalities in psychotic disorders; 2) Inform the neural basis of psychotic symptoms and associated features; and 3) Improve neural models of psychosis. Dr. Woodward is especially interested in the thalamus and how abnormalities in thalamic circuits contribute to cognitive deficits observed in schizophrenia.

Dr. Woodward’s work in psychotic disorders is embedded in a neurodevelopmental framework and is complemented by research focused on characterizing brain development across the lifespan in healthy individuals, people with neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g. autism), and at-risk populations (e.g. psychosis spectrum youth). 

Mentoring the next generation of researchers and clinician-scientists is a core component of Dr. Woodward’s lab. His research program and clinical service serve as a platform for mentoring a range of trainees, including graduate and medical students, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and junior faculty.