Debby Tsuang, MD, MSc
Personal Statement
Over the past 20 years, my research has focused on the genetics of schizophrenia and neurodegenerative disorders, particularly on the use of clinical phenotyping and innovative genomic technologies to elucidate the complex genetic architecture underlying schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). I served as the Director of the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the VA Puget Sound Health (VAPS) from 2011-2022, in order to focus on my research on Alzheimer’s Disease and related disorders. My current research interests are two-pronged: 1) develop machine learning models in VA’s vast electronic health records in order to assign ADRD probability scores in older Black and White Veterans; and 2) use mobile health devices to promote early diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies. In In these capacities, I direct multidisciplinary efforts to better understand the biology, genetics, etiology, prevention, and treatment of these disorders, and I provide clinical expertise for the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders and treatment of behavioral disturbances in dementias.
Education
Additional certification in geriatric psychiatry
Department Affiliations
Centers/Programs
Training Programs
Other Affiliations
University of Washington Alzheimer’s Disease Center
Scholarly Expertise
Teaching Philosophy
| I am interested in helping trainees to discover the patients and their diseases that capture their passions and curiosities. As they seek that niche, I believe it is critical to develop a comprehensive, holistic treatment approach to their patients. To that end, I hope to help trainees develop foundational knowledge concerning the complex medical, psychiatric, and psychosocial challenges that affect patients. I also believe that it is important to view those intersections in the context of the individual. When we see our patients as people who are part of a family and a web of connections beyond the self—and not just a patient ID number or DSM diagnosis—we are better able to understand both our patients’ illnesses and the ways in which their experiences of those illnesses affect them and their families. |
Recent Publications
(2026 May 7)
medRxiv
Sherva R, Bayly H, Zhang R, Harrington K, Mez J, Miller MW, Tsuang D, Wolf E, Zeng Q, Le Guen Y, Tejeda M, VA Million Veteran Program, MVP Cognitive Decline, Dementia During Aging Working Group, Gaziano JM, Panizzon MS, Hauger RL, Merritt VC, Farrer LA, Logue MW
(2025 Dec 15)
medRxiv
Orr VL, Brown K, Wilson K, Dean P, Hu SC, Levendowski D, Seto E, Shutes-David A, Payne S, Cho Y, Tsuang DW
(2025 Dec 23)
Neurology 105(12): e214346
Coughlin DG, Jain L, Khrestian M, Bozoki AC, Galvin JE, Irwin DJ, Lippa CF, Litvan I, Pillai JA, Tousi B, Lopez OL, Berman S, Tsuang DW, Zabetian CP, Fleisher JE, Taylor AS, Leverenz JB, Bekris LM, Galasko D, Dementia With Lewy Bodies Consortium
(2025 Nov)
J Alzheimers Dis 108(2): 873-882
Brown K, Shutes-David A, Wilson K, Shao Y, Logue M, Zeng QT, Tsuang DW
(2025 Sep)
Alzheimers Dement 21(9): e70596
Maly EF, DiFilippo FP, Lapin B, Li Y, Berman S, Bozoki AC, Fleisher JE, Galvin JE, Irwin DJ, Lippa CF, Litvan I, Tsuang DW, Zabetian CP, Taylor AS, Bekris LM, Lopez OL, Galasko D, Leverenz JB
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