Naomi M. Simon, MD

My interest in psychiatry began as a teenager when I first worked in a community mental health clinic directed by my mother, a psychiatric social worker. This led me to study psychology as an undergraduate, and to attend medical school with the intention of becoming a psychiatrist. Once in clinical training, I was rapidly drawn to clinical research with an aim to better understand what drives mental health conditions and how to improve treatment outcomes for patients with common conditions related to anxiety, stress, trauma, and loss of a loved one.

I am Professor of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Engagement, and Director of the Anxiety, Stress and Prolonged Grief Program at NYU Langone. I have over 25 years’ experience conducting clinical and translational research in anxiety disorders, prolonged grief, and stress related disorders, including clinical trials examining medications, psychotherapies, and integrative health approaches funded by the NIH, PCORI and the Department of Defense. My research seeks to understand the nature of anxiety, trauma and loss-related conditions as well as potential targets for treatment. My work has contributed to the recognition of the negative impact, phenomenology and biology of prolonged grief, anxiety, and trauma, and evidence supporting a range of treatment approaches to optimize outcomes. 

I am a Fellow in the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), a Distinguished Life Fellow and Research Council member of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and serve on the Board and chair the Scientific Council for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). I have published more than 200 research articles including in top peer reviewed medical and psychiatric journals on the phenomenology, comorbidity, biological correlates, and treatment of prolonged grief, anxiety disorders, and PTSD.

I was lead Editor of the APA Textbook of Anxiety, Trauma and OCD-Related Disorders, and co-editor of the 2024 APA book Grief and Prolonged Grief Disorder. I have mentored scores of students, residents, post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty in clinical and translational research. I received the Mentorship Award for the Exceptional Mentorship of Women Faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital, and in 2021 received the Research Mentorship Award in Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.