Sophia Vinogradov

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Credentials

MD

Bio

I am the Department Head of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School and the Donald W. Hastings Endowed Chair in Psychiatry. I was previously the Vice-Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and the Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. I received my M.D. from Wayne State University School of Medicine, obtained my psychiatry residency training at Stanford University School of Medicine, where I served as Chief Resident, and completed a Psychiatric Neurosciences Research Fellowship at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center and Stanford University. I direct a translational clinical neuroscience laboratory that focuses on cognitive dysfunction in psychotic disorders. I study the neuroplastic effects of cognitive training on the brain with the goal of understanding how to change brain system functioning and promote recovery. Our work focuses on young adults in the early phases of psychosis, with the goal of providing intensive early interventions to ensure optimal outcomes. We have strong research collaborations with colleagues in the basic neurosciences and I co-facilitate a multi-disciplinary workgroup called Neuroplasticity Research in Support of Mental Health (NeuroPRSMH). My work has contributed to a growing interest in the use of computerized "brain training" to treat brain information processing abnormalities. I was a participant at the past White House conference on "Video Games to Enhance Attention and Well-Being." Professional and public service has also been a key focus of my career. I am a member of the Senior Women's Leadership Group at the Society of Biological Psychiatry and Deputy Editor of Schizophrenia Research Journal. Within my department, I lead the Clinical Neuroscience curriculum for the residency program.

In the Media

• 2023: Helped write this Star Tribune op-ed titled, "Health will suffer with predicted hospital cuts…They may not bring in big money, but we can't afford to lose pediatrics, obstetrics and mental health services"
• 2023: Featured in this MinnPost article titled, “Living beyond diagnoses, Uma Oswald aims for a life ‘in recovery’ from mental illness.”
• 2022: Featured in a video titled, "Tackling Psychiatric Illness Using Translational Models and Computations", shot as part of the American Psychiatric Association's Conference TV with funding from NeuroPRSMH (NeuroPlasticity Research in Support of Mental Health), the U’s multidisciplinary neuroscience research group 
• 2022: Featured for their work on NeuroPRSMH in an issue of UMN’s The Scope
• 2022: Featured in this UMN Medical School article titled, “Collaborating to a Successful Grant,” about the process used to secure their P50 Conte Center Grant.
• 2021: Quoted in a Minneapolis Star Tribune story titled, Minnesota's long haul: One year of COVID-19.
• 2021: Quoted in an editorial in the Star Tribune titled, “Doctor's 'long climb out' after bout with COVID-19”.