Katherine L. Wisner, M.S., M.D. Associate Chief for Perinatal Mental Health
Katherine L. Wisner, M.S., M.D., joined the Developing Brain Institute in October 2023 as Associate Chief for Perinatal Mental Health. Dr. Wisner obtained her M.S. in Nutrition and M.D. from Case Western Reserve University, followed by a pediatric internship and general/child psychiatry residency and post-doctoral fellowship in epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Wisner also completed fellowships in professional and biomedical ethics. Her research advanced our understanding of the natural
history of mood disorders across childbearing, benefit-harm decision-making for pharmacotherapy, and the pharmacokinetics of medications across pregnancy and lactation. Dr. Wisner is internationally recognized as an expert in the treatment of mood disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period. She has received over $23 million from the National Institutes of Health and has more than 280 peer-reviewed publications (h-index=67) and 23 book chapters.
Dr. Wisner was awarded the Woman in Science Award from the American Medical Women’s Association in 2011. From the American Psychiatric Association (APA), she received the Alexandra Symonds Award in 2012 and the annual Award for Research in 2017. She was honored with Distinguished Mentor Awards from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012 and from Northwestern University in 2022. She received the Marcé International Society for Perinatal Mental Health’s Medal for lifetime contributions. Dr. Wisner served on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Psychiatry and currently on the Boards of JAMA Psychiatry and Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. She is a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the APA. With her experience as president of the Marcé International Society for Perinatal Mental Health, Dr. Wisner developed the business startup plan for Marcé of North America (MONA) and was MONA’s inaugural president.
At Children’s National, Dr. Wisner will be credentialed through her affiliation with the Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, led by Adelaide S. Robb, M.D.
Research, Education and Innovation Week 2024 awards
Wu Y, Niforatos-Andescavage N, Wisner KL, Kapse K, Araki S, Mastracchio CE, Teramoto H, Kasper ML, du Plessis AJ, Limperopoulos C. Prenatal SSRI exposure is associated with reduced regional fetal brain growth and cortical folding. Children’s National Hospital 14th Annual Research, Education and Innovation Week. Washington, D.C. April 2024. (Certificate of Excellence awarded to lead author, Yao Wu. Clinical research: Career-Level Faculty Award.)
Recent publications & presentations
2024 | November
Burchfield TN, Yang A, Wisner KL, Clark CT. “Rates of Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder in Black and White Postpartum Women.” Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2024 Nov;85(4):23m15023
10.4088/JCP.23m15023
2024 | September
Wisner K, Clark C, Burchfield T. “Early Life Trauma in Black and White Postpartum Individuals With Bipolar Disorder” in Supplement: The 26th Annual Conference of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders, Reykjavik, Iceland, 29 September - 1 October 2024. Bipolar Disorders. 2024 Sep;26 Suppl 1:1-161. doi: 10.1111/bdi.13471. PMID: 39289150
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39289150
Wisner KL, et al. “Congressional Briefing on Maternal Suicide.” Invited panelist at virtual briefing convened by the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. September 2024.
2024 | August
Nielsen AM, Stika CS, Wisner KL. “The Pathophysiology of Estrogen in Perinatal Depression: Conceptual Update.” Archives of Women’s Mental Health. 2024 Aug 3. doi: 10.1007/s00737-024-01494-6. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39096394
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39096394
2024 | June
Mayer JLW, Betcher HK, Rasmussen-Torvik LJ, Yang A, George AL, Abramova T, Stika CS, Wisner KL, Clark CT, Gollan J. “Pharmacogenomic Characterization of Childbearing-aged Individuals With Mood Disorders in a Tertiary Care Perinatal Mental Health Clinic.” Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2024 Jun 10;85(2):23m15024. doi: 10.4088/JCP.23m15024. PMID: 38874574
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38874574
2024 | May
Wisner KL, Murphy C, Thomas MM. "Prioritizing Maternal Mental Health in Addressing Morbidity and Mortality." JAMA Psychiatry. 2024 May 1;81(5):521-526. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.5648. PMID: 38381408
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38381408
2024 | April
Wisner K, Arielle E, Keller J, Stika C. Endeavor to Stop Nausea/Vomiting Associated With Pregnancy (E-SNAP). Children’s National Hospital 14th Annual Research, Education and Innovation Week. Washington, D.C. April 2024.
2024 | February
Wisner KL, Avram MJ, George AL, Abramova TV, Yang A, Caritis SN, Costantine MM, Stika CS. Concentrations of Fluoxetine Enantiomers Decline During Pregnancy and Increase After Birth. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 44(2):p 100-106, 3/4 2024. DOI: 10.1097/JCP.0000000000001821
https://journals.lww.com/psychopharmacology/abstract/2024/03000/concentrations_of_fluoxetine_enantiomers_decline.5.aspx
2023 | November
Lapping-Carr L, Dennard A, Wisner KL, Tandon SD. Perinatal Depression Screening Among Sexual Minority Women. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023 Nov 1;80(11):1142-1149. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.2619. PMID: 37531104; PMCID: PMC10398540
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37531104/
2023 | August
Costantine MM, Clifton RG, Boekhoudt TM, Lawrence K, Gyamfi-Bannerman C, Wisner KL, Grobman W, Caritis SN, Simhan HN, Hebert MF, Longo M, Saade GR; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network and the Obstetric-Fetal Pharmacology Research Centers Network. Long-term Neurodevelopmental Follow-up of Children Exposed to Pravastatin in Utero. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2023 Aug;229(2):153.e1-153.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.02.016. Epub 2023 Feb 24. PMID: 36842489; PMCID: PMC10440254
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36842489/
2023 | July
Mayer JLW, Yang A, Wisner KL, Stika CS, Gollan JK. Factors Associated with Depressive and Anxiety Symptom Trajectories Across Pregnancy and Postpartum in Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor-Treated Individuals. Psychiatr Res Clin Pract. 2023 Jul 8;5(4):144-147. doi: 10.1176/appi.prcp.20230010. PMID: 38077274; PMCID: PMC10698702
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38077274/
2023 | May
Nierenberg AA, Margolis P, Strakowski S, Trivedi M, Yatham LN; Bipolar Disorder Learning Health Network (Miklowitz D, Saunders E, Iosifescu D, Marmar C, Kamali M, McInnis M, DelBello M, Sorter M, Singh M, Temes C, Sylvia LG, Katz D, Wozniak J, Blumberg H, Malhotra A, Gorrindo T, Wisner KL, Tohen M, Duckworth K.). A Bipolar Learning Health Network: An Innovation Whose Time Has Come. Bipolar Disord. 2023 May;25(3):177-180. doi: 10.1111/bdi.13339. PMID: 37243451
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37243451/
2023 | April
Wisner KL, Appelbaum PS. Abortion Restriction and Mental Health. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023 Apr 1;80(4):285-286. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.4962. PMID: 36753289
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36753289/
2023 | February
Burnett-Zeigler I, Zhou E, Martinez JH, Zumpf K, Lartey L, Moskowitz JT, Wisner KL, McDade T, Brown CH, Gollan J, Ciolino JD, Schauer JM, Petito LC. Comparative Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-based Intervention (M-Body) on Depressive Symptoms: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Trials. 2023 Feb 17;24(1):115. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-07012-2. PMID: 36803835; PMCID: PMC9936464
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36803835/
Jeong H, Armstrong AT, Isoherranen N, Czuba L, Yang A, Zumpf K, Ciolino J, Torres E, Stika CS, Wisner KL. Temporal Changes in the Systemic Concentrations of Retinoids in Pregnant and Postpartum Women. PLoS One. 2023 Feb 16;18(2):e0280424. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280424. PMID: 36795769; PMCID: PMC9934425
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36795769/
Fejzo MS, MacGibbon KW, Wisner KL. Pregnant, Miserable, and Starving in 21st Century America. AJOG Glob Rep. 2022 Dec 5;3(1):100141. doi: 10.1016/j.xagr.2022.100141. eCollection 2023 Feb. PMID: 36536797; PMCID: PMC9758489
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36536797/
2022 | December
Stika CS, Wisner KL, George AL Jr, Avram MJ, Zumpf K, Rasmussen-Torvik LJ, Mesches GA, Caritis SN, Venkataramanan R, Costantine MM, West HA, Clark S, Ciolino JD. Changes in Sertraline Plasma Concentrations Across Pregnancy and Postpartum. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2022 Dec;112(6):1280-1290. doi: 10.1002/cpt.2746. Epub 2022 Oct 6. PMID: 36094046
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36094046/
2022 | November
Clark CT, Newmark RL, Wisner KL, Stika C, Avram MJ. Lithium Pharmacokinetics in the Perinatal Patient With Bipolar Disorder. J Clin Pharmacol. 2022 Nov;62(11):1385-1392. doi: 10.1002/jcph.2089. Epub 2022 Jul 13. PMID: 35620848; PMCID: PMC9796861
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35620848/
2022 | October
Suarez EA, Bateman BT, Hernández-Díaz S, Straub L, Wisner KL, Gray KJ, Pennell PB, Lester B, McDougle CJ, Zhu Y, Mogun H, Huybrechts KF. Association of Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy With Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children. JAMA Intern Med. 2022 Oct 3;182(11):1149–60. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.4268. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36190722; PMCID: PMC9531086 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36190722/
2022 | July
Massey SH, Estabrook R, Lapping-Carr L, Newmark RL, Decety J, Wisner KL, Wakschlag LS. Are empathic processes mechanisms of pregnancy's protective effect on smoking? Identification of a novel target for preventive intervention. Soc Sci Med. 2022 Jul;305:115071. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115071. Epub 2022 May 25. PMID: 35660692; PMCID: PMC9521609
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35660692/
2022 | June
Torres E, Zumpf KB, Ciolino JD, Clark CT, Sit DK, Miller ES, Wisner KL. C-Reactive protein concentrations in reproductive-aged women with major mood disorders. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2022 Jun;25(3):577-584. doi: 10.1007/s00737-022-01222-y. Epub 2022 Mar 22. PMID: 35316423 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35316423/
2022 | May
Bamgbose Pederson A, Waldron E, Burnett-Zeigler I, Clark CT, Lartey L, Wisner K. Perspectives on Mental Illness Stigma Among African Immigrant Pregnant and Post-Partum Women in an Urban Setting: A Brief Report. Health Equity. 2022 May 25;6(1):390-396. doi: 10.1089/heq.2021.0135. PMID: 35651359; PMCID: PMC9148647
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35651359/
Straub L, Hernández-Díaz S, Bateman BT, Wisner KL, Gray KJ, Pennell PB, Lester B, McDougle CJ, Suarez EA, Zhu Y, Zakoul H, Mogun H, Huybrechts KF. Association of Antipsychotic Drug Exposure in Pregnancy With Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A National Birth Cohort Study. JAMA Intern Med. 2022 May 1;182(5):522-533. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.0375. PMID: 35343998; PMCID: PMC8961398 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35343998/
2022 | April
Clark CT, Sit DK, Zumpf KB, Ciolino JD, Yang A, Fisher SD, Wisner KL. A comparison of symptoms of bipolar and unipolar depression in postpartum women. J Affect Disord. 2022 Apr 15;303:82-90. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.064. Epub 2022 Jan 15. PMID: 35041868 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35041868/