Jo Ellen Wilson, MD, PhD, MPH

Dr. Jo Ellen Wilson is a Consultation Liaison Psychiatrist, Epidemiologist at Vanderbilt and a Physician Scientist at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) with a research focus on acute and chronic forms of brain dysfunction that occurs as a part of critical illness and aging.  Dr. Wilson completed medical school, general adult psychiatry residency and a consultation liaison psychiatry fellowship at Vanderbilt.  After joining the Vanderbilt faculty in 2014, Dr. Wilson completed a master's in public health (MPH; 2016), PhD in Epidemiology (2023), and post-doctoral research fellowship at the VA GRECC.  

Dr. Wilson's recent research has focused on acute brain dysfunction (catatonia, delirium and coma) in the setting of critical illness in her prospective cohort study ("Delirium and Catatonia Prospective Cohort Study"), now serving as the co-Principal Investigator on a trial ready cohort for Down Syndrome and clinical trials using novel therapeutics to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease in middle aged adults with Down Syndrome.  

Dr. Wilson is also passionate about access to mental health care, and she serves as the co-Director for an Office of Rural Health (Veterans Affairs) funded tele-mental health initiative at the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System.

One of Dr. Wilson’s favorite aspects of her job at Vanderbilt is serving as a clinical educator and mentor.  Dr. Wilson serves as the co-Course Director for the Research Immersion Program, a Research Director (Bench-to-Bedside), small group facilitator for the PLAN protocol development course and is serving as the co-Director for the Psychiatry clerkship experience for the medical school.