David R. Rubinow, MD

Depression and Reproduction: An Evolving State of Mind

Dr. Rubinow, MD, is Professor and Chair Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also founded UNC Women’s Mood Disorders Center. Prior to assuming these positions, he was the Clinical Director of the National Institute of Mental Health from 1987-2006 and the Chief of the Behavioral Endocrinology Branch, NIMH from 1996-2006. His research has focused largely on the mechanisms underlying reproductive endocrine-related mood disorders and the neurobehavioral effects of gonadal steroids. He is the past President of the Society of Biological Psychiatry and the American College of Neuropharmacology. His many awards include the William C. Menninger Memorial Award from the American College of Physicians, the Mood Disorders Research Award from the American College of Psychiatrists, and the Gold Medal Award for Research from the Society of Biological Psychiatry. He is a member of National Academy of Medicine.

Reading List

McHenry, J.A., Otis, J.M., Rossi, M.A., Robinson, J.E., Kosyk, O., Miller, N.W., McElligott, Z.A., Budygin, E.A., Rubinow, D.R., & Stuber, G.D. (2017). Corrigendum: Hormonal gain control of a medial preoptic area social reward circuit. Nature neuroscience, 20(10), 1427-1430. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1017-1427c

Rubinow, D.R., & Schmidt, P.J. (2019). Sex differences and the neurobiology of affective disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology: official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 44(1), 111-128. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-018-0148-x

Rudzinskas, S., Hoffman, J.F., Martinez, P., Rubinow, D.R., Schmidt, P.J., & Goldman, D. (2021). In vitro model of perimenopausal depression implicates steroid metabolic and proinflammatory genes. Molecular psychiatry, 26(7), 3266-3276. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-00860-x

Wei, S.M., Wakim, P., Martinez, P.E., Nieman, L.K., Rubinow, D.R., & Schmidt, P.J. (2025). Differential Effects of Ovarian Steroids in Women With and Without Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: A Replication and Extension of Findings. The American journal of psychiatry, 182(10), 922-934. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20240596

Wei, S.M., Baller, E.B., Martinez, P.E., Goff, A.C., Li, H., Kohn, P.D., Kippenhan, J.S., Soldin, S.J., Rubinow, D.R., Goldman, D., Schmidt, P.J., & Berman, K.F. (2021). Subgenual cingulate resting regional cerebral blood flow in premenstrual dysphoric disorder: differential regulation by ovarian steroids and preliminary evidence for an association with expression of ESC/E(Z) complex genes. Translational psychiatry, 11(1), 206. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01328-4