Biography

Thomas A. Mellman, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Stress/Sleep Studies Program and codirector of the Clinical Trials Program at Howard University College of Medicine. He is the principal investigator representing Howard for the Georgetown Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science supported by a Clinical Translational Science Award from NIH. He received training at the NIMH Division of Intramural Research Programs and has previously held faculty appointments and achieved the rank of Professor at the University of Miami and Dartmouth. Dr. Mellman has had continuous funding as PI on federal research grants since 1991 including a VA Merit award, and R01, R21, and K24 awards from NIMH, NHLBI, NIMHHD, and the DOD as well as funding from pharmaceutical industries for industry and investigator-initiated trials.

Dr. Mellman led a series of investigations of the role of sleep in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the early aftermath of trauma. His first RO1 grant at Howard University investigated the relationship of PTSD to nocturnal blood pressure in young adult African Americans and subsequent RO1 and R21 grants to investigate the role of sleep in processing traumatic memory, and sleep adaptations to stressful environments. His additional research interests with resulting publications include other aspects of the psychobiology and treatment of PTSD, evidence-based practices in psychopharmacology, and the role of stress and sleep in health disparities. He has a consistent track record of mentoring junior investigators and interdisciplinary collaboration. He has been a member of the NIH study section for Mechanisms of Emotion Stress and Health, NIMH IRGs for Violence and Traumatic Stress and Interventions, and has served on several review committees for the NIH Roadmap and Department of Defense research programs. Dr. Mellman was a member of the original ISTSS committee for developing treatment guidelines for PTSD, APA committee for text revision of the DSM-IV, and the Institute of Medicine Committee for review of the evidence regarding the treatment of PTSD.