Specialties
- Schizophrenia
- Psychotic Disorders
- Severe Mental Illness
Dr. Faith Dickerson is a clinical psychologist with public health research training who leads initiatives on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Dr. Dickerson’s work focuses on the role of infectious, immune, and microbiome factors in serious mental illness. She also directs clinical and research programs focused on the physical health of individuals with serious mental illness and interventions to reduce premature mortality such as smoking cessation. At Sheppard Pratt, Dr. Dickerson also serves as the Director of Psychology. She is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The research has been funded by the Stanley Medical research Institute, NARSAD, and the NIH. She has more than 200 research publications and makes presentations at national and international meetings about her research studies. Most recently, she was awarded best paper of the year (2018) from the International Society for Bipolar Disorders.
In her Sheppard Pratt research program, which was initiated in 1999, more than 2,000 persons have been enrolled and more than 10 clinical trials have been completed. She collaborates closely with other research groups, including the Johns Hopkins Stanley Neurovirology Program, and with other groups in the United States and Europe.
Masters Degree
Master of Public Health (MPH), Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Doctoral Degree
PhD in Clinical Psychology, Columbia University
Postdoctoral Training
Intern in Clinical Psychology, Woodburn Center for Community Mental Health, Annandale, VA
Advanced Intern in Clinical Psychology, Washington Psychological Center, Washington, DC.
Postdoctoral Fellow in Psychology, Sheppard Pratt Health System
Professional Organizations
- Member, American Psychological Association
- Fellow, Maryland Psychological Association
- Member, National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Member, International Society for Psychiatric Research
- Member, Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R)
Select Recent Publications
Jerome GJ, Fink T, Brady T, Young DR, Dickerson FB, Goldsholl S, Findling RL, Stepanova EA, Scheimann A, Dalcin AT, Terry A, Gennusa J, Cook C, Daumit GL, Wang NY. Physical Activity Levels and Screen Time among Youth with Overweight/Obesity Using Mental Health Services. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 17;19(4):2261. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042261.PMID: 35206449
Yuan CT, McGinty EE, Dalcin A, Goldsholl S, Dickerson F, Gudzune KA, Jerome GJ, Thompson DA, Murphy KA, Minahan E, Daumit GL. Scaling Evidence-Based Interventions to Improve the Cardiovascular Health of People With Serious Mental Illness. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Feb 4;13:793146. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.793146. eCollection 2022.PMID: 35185650
Dickerson F, Katsafanas E, Newman T, Origoni A, Rowe K, Squire A, Ziemann RS, Khushalani S, Yolken R. Experiences of Persons With Serious Mental Illness During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Psychiatry Serv. 2022 Feb 1;73(2):133-140. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.202100130. Epub 2021 Jun 30.PMID: 3418993
Huang W, Chang CH, Stuart EA, Daumit GL, Wang NY, McGinty EE, Dickerson FB, Igusa T. Agent-Based Modeling for Implementation Research: An Application to Tobacco Smoking Cessation for Persons with Serious Mental Illness. Implement Res Pract. 2021 Jan-Dec;2:10.1177/26334895211010664. doi: 10.1177/26334895211010664. Epub 2021 Apr 29.PMID: 34308355
Yolken RH, Kinnunen PM, Vapalahti O, Dickerson F, Suvisaari J, Chen O, Sabunciyan S. Studying the virome in psychiatric disease. Schizophr Res. 2021 Aug;234:78-86. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2021.04.006. Epub 2021 May 17.PMID: 34016507
Dickerson F, Origoni A, Katsafanas E, Squire A, Newman T, Fahey J, Xiao JC, Stallings C, Goga J, Khushalani S, Yolken R. Randomized controlled trial of an adjunctive sulforaphane nutraceutical in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res. 2021 May;231:142-144. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2021.03.018. Epub 2021 Apr 8.PMID: 33839372
Severance EG, Leister F, Lea A, Yang S, Dickerson F, Yolken RH. Complement C4 associations with altered microbial biomarkers exemplify gene-by-environment interactions in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res. 2021 Aug;234:87-93. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2021.02.001. Epub 2021 Feb 23.PMID: 33632634
Dickerson F, Origoni A, Rowe K, Katsafanas E, Newman T, Ziemann RS, Squire A, Khushalani S, Stallings C, Daumit G, Yolken R. Risk factors for natural cause mortality in a cohort of 1494 persons with serious mental illness. Psychiatry Res. 2021 Apr;298:113755. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113755. Epub 2021 Jan 24.PMID: 33578064
Dickerson F, Katsafanas E, Origoni A, Squire A, Khushalani S, Newman T, Rowe K, Stallings C, Savage CLG, Sweeney K, Nguyen TT, Breier A, Goff D, Ford G, Jones-Brando L, Yolken R. Exposure to Epstein Barr virus and cognitive functioning in individuals with schizophrenia. Schizophr Res. 2021 Feb;228:193-197. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.12.018. Epub 2021 Jan 12.PMID: 33450604
McGinty EE, Murphy KA, Dalcin AT, Stuart EA, Wang NY, Dickerson F, Gudzune K, Jerome G, Thompson D, Cullen BA, Gennusa J, Kilbourne AM, Daumit GL. A Model for Advancing Scale-Up of Complex Interventions for Vulnerable Populations: the ALACRITY Center for Health and Longevity in Mental Illness. J Gen Intern Med. 2021 Feb;36(2):500-505. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06137-x. Epub 2020 Aug 31.PMID: 32869192
Yolken R, Prandovszky E, Severance EG, Hatfield G, Dickerson F. The oropharyngeal microbiome is altered in individuals with schizophrenia and mania. Schizophr Res. 2021 Aug;234:51-57. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.03.010. Epub 2020 Apr 23.PMID: 32334937
Palmer DS, Howrigan DP, Chapman SB... Exome sequencing in bipolar disorder identifies AKAP11 as a risk gene shared with schizophrenia. Nat Genet. 2022 Apr 11. doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01034-x. Online ahead of print.PMID: 35410376
Trubetskoy V, Pardiñas AF, Qi T… Mapping genomic loci implicates genes and synaptic biology in schizophrenia. Nature. 2022 Apr;604(7906):502-508. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04434-5. Epub 2022 Apr 8.PMID: 35396580
Lindgren, M., Holm, M., Markkula, N., Härkänen, T., Dickerson, F., Yolken, R.H., Suvisaari, J. (2020). Exposure to common infections and risk of suicide and self-harm: a longitudinal general population study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. (70), 829-839.
Yolken, R., Prandovsky, E., Severance, E., Hatfield, G., Dickerson, F. (2020) The oropharyngeal microbiome is altered in individuals with schizophrenia and mania. Schizophr Res. Apr 23:S0920-9964(20)30113-4.
Coryell, W., Wilcox, H., Evans, S., Pandey, G., Jones-Brando, L., Dickerson, F., Yolken, R. (2020) Latent Infection, Inflammatory Markers and Suicide Attempt History in Depressive Disorders. J Affective Disorders (270), 97-101.
Daumit, G.L., Dalcin, A.T., Dickerson, F.B., Miller, E.R., Evins, A.E., Cather, C., Jerome, G.J., Young, D.R., Charleston, J.B., Gennusa, J.V., Goldsholl, S., Cook, C., Heller, A., McGinty, E.E., Crum, R.C., Appel, .LJ., Wang, N.Y. (2020) Effect of a Comprehensive Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Intervention in Persons with Serious Mental Illness: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open. Jun 1;3(6):e207247
Jones-Brando, L., Dickerson, F., Ford, G., Stallings, C., Origon,i A., Katsafana,s E., Sweeney, K., Squire, A., Khushalani, S., Yolken, R. (2020) Atypical immune response to Epstein-Barr virus in major depressive disorder. J Affect Disord. (264), 221-226.
Severance, E., Dickerson, F., Yolken, R. (2020) Complex gastrointestinal and endocrine sources of inflammation in schizophrenia Frontiers in Psychiatry (11) 549.
McGinty, E.E., Murphy, K.A., Dalcin, A.T., Stuart, E.A., Wang, N.Y., Dickerson, F., Gudzune, K., Jerome, G., Thompson, D., Cullen, B.A., Gennusa, J., Kilbourne, A.M., Daumit, G.L .(2020). A Model for Advancing Scale-Up of Complex Interventions for Vulnerable Populations: The ALACRITY Center for Health and Longevity in Mental Illness. Journal of General Internal Medicine. (In Press)
Dickerson, F., Schroeder, J.R., Nimgaonkar, V., Gold, J., Yolken, R. (2020) The Association between Exposure to Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1) and Cognitive Functioning in Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research. (291), 113157
Diminich, E. D., Dickerson, F., Bellow, I., Cather, C., Kingdon, D., Rakhshan Roukakhtar, P.J., Hart, K.L., Li, C., Troxel, A.B., Goff, D. C. (2020) D-Cycloserine Augmentation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Delusions: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Schizophrenia Research. (222),145-152.
Dickerson, F., Katsafanas, E., Origoni, A., Squire, A., Khushalani, S., Newman, T., Rowe, K., Stallings, C., Savage, L.G., Sweeney, K., Nguyen, T., Breier, A., Goff, D., Ford, G., Jones-Brando, L., Yolken, R. (2021) Exposure to Epstein Barr Virus and Cognitive Functioning in Individuals with Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research. (228), 193-197.
Dickerson F, Origoni A, Rowe K, Katsafanas E, Newman T, Ziemann RS, Squire A, Khushalani S, Stallings C, Daumit G, Yolken R (2021) Risk Factors for Natural Cause Mortality in a Cohort of 1494 Persons with Serious Mental Illness. Psychiatry Research. (In Press)
Severance, E.G., Leister, F., Lea, A., Yang, S., Dickerson, F., Yolken, R.H. (2021): Complement C4 associations with altered microbial biomarkers exemplify gene-by-environment interactions in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research (In Press)
Dickerson, F., Origoni, A., Katsafanas, E., Squire, A., Newman, T., Fahey, J., Xiao, J-C., Stallings, C., Goga, J., Khushalani, S., Yolken, R. (2021) Randomized Controlled Trial of an Adjunctive Sulforaphane Nutraceutical in Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research (231), 142-144.
Dickerson, F., Karsafanas, E., Newman, T., Origoni, A., Rowe, K., Squire, A., Ziemann, R., Khushalani, S., Yolken. R. (2021) The Experiences of Persons with Serious Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Psychiatric Services In Press.
Yolken R.H., Kinnunen, P.M., Vapalahti, O., Dickerson, F. , Suvisaari, J., Chen, O., Sabunciyan. S. (2021) Studying the virome in psychiatric disease. Schizophrenia Research. 2021 May 17. Online ahead of print.
Huang, W., Chang, C.H., Stuart, E.A., Daumit, G.L., Wang, N.Y., McGinty, E.E., Dickerson, F.B., Igus,a T. (2021) Agent-based modeling for implementation research: an application to tobacco smoking cessation for persons with serious mental illness. Implement Res Pract. 2021 Jan-Dec;2:10. Epub 2021 Apr 29.
Dickerson F, Origoni A, Rowe K, Katsafanas E, Newman T, Ziemann RS, Squire A, Khushalani S, Stallings C, Daumit G, Yolken R (2021) Risk Factors for Natural Cause Mortality in a Cohort of 1494 Persons with Serious Mental Illness. Psychiatry Research.
McGinty, E.E., Murphy, K.A., Dalcin, A.T., Stuart, E.A., Wang, N.Y., Dickerson, F., Gudzune, K., Jerome, G., Thompson, D., Cullen, B.A., Gennusa, J., Kilbourne, A.M., Daumit, G.L .(2020). A Model for Advancing Scale-Up of Complex Interventions for Vulnerable Populations: The ALACRITY Center for Health and Longevity in Mental Illness. Journal of General Internal Medicine. (In Press)
Dickerson, F., Katsafanas, E., Origoni, A., Squire, A., Khushalani, S., Newman, T., Rowe, K., Stallings, C., Savage, L.G., Sweeney, K., Nguyen, T., Breier, A., Goff, D., Ford, G., Jones-Brando, L., Yolken, R. (2021) Exposure to Epstein Barr Virus and Cognitive Functioning in Individuals with Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research. (228), 193-197.
Dickerson, F., Gennusa, J.V., Stalllings, C., Origoni, A., Katsafanas, E., Sweeney, K., Campbell, W.W, Yolken, R. (2020). Protein intake is associated with cognitive functioning in individuals with psychiatric disorder. Psychiatr Res. (284), 112700.
Lindgren, M., Holm, M,, Markkula, N., Dickerson, F,, Yolken, R.H., Suvisaari, J. (2020) Serological evidence of infections does not predict subsequent late-onset psychosis in the general population. Schizophr Res. (218), 306-308.
Lindgren, M., Holm, M., Markkula, N., Härkänen, T., Dickerson, F., Yolken, R.H., Suvisaari, J. (2020). Exposure to common infections and risk of suicide and self-harm: a longitudinal general population study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. (70), 829-839.
Yolken, R., Prandovsky, E., Severance, E., Hatfield, G., Dickerson, F. (2020) The oropharyngeal microbiome is altered in individuals with schizophrenia and mania. Schizophr Res. Apr 23:S0920-9964(20)30113-4.
Coryell, W., Wilcox, H., Evans, S., Pandey, G., Jones-Brando, L., Dickerson, F., Yolken, R. (2020) Latent Infection, Inflammatory Markers and Suicide Attempt History in Depressive Disorders. J Affective Disorders (270), 97-101.
Daumit, G.L., Dalcin, A.T., Dickerson, F.B., Miller, E.R., Evins, A.E., Cather, C., Jerome, G.J., Young, D.R., Charleston, J.B., Gennusa, J.V., Goldsholl, S., Cook, C., Heller, A., McGinty, E.E., Crum, R.C., Appel, .LJ., Wang, N.Y. (2020) Effect of a Comprehensive Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Intervention in Persons with Serious Mental Illness: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open. Jun 1;3(6):e207247
Jones-Brando, L., Dickerson, F., Ford, G., Stallings, C., Origon,i A., Katsafana,s E., Sweeney, K., Squire, A., Khushalani, S., Yolken, R. (2020) Atypical immune response to Epstein-Barr virus in major depressive disorder. J Affect Disord. (264), 221-226.
Severance, E., Dickerson, F., Yolken, R. (2020) Complex gastrointestinal and endocrine sources of inflammation in schizophrenia. Frontiers in Psychiatry (11) 549.
Dickerson, F., Schroeder, J.R., Nimgaonkar, V., Gold, J., Yolken, R. (2020) The Association between Exposure to Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1) and Cognitive Functioning in Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research. (291), 113157
Diminich, E. D., Dickerson, F., Bellow, I., Cather, C., Kingdon, D., Rakhshan Roukakhtar, P.J., Hart, K.L., Li, C., Troxel, A.B., Goff, D. C. (2020) D-Cycloserine Augmentation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Delusions: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Schizophrenia Research. (222),145-152.
Yolken, R., Stallings, C., Origoni, A., Katsafanas, E., Sweeney, K., Squire, A., Dickerson, F. (2019) Exposure to household pet cats and dogs in childhood and risk of subsequent diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. PLOSOne. Dec 2;14(12):e0225320.
Ibrahim, I., Tobar, S., Fathi, W., ElSayed, H., Yassein, A., Eissa, A., Elsheshtawy, E., Elboraei, H., Shahda, M., Elwasify, M., Ibrahim, A., Chen, K., Wood, J., Dickerson, F., Yolken, RH., El Chennawi, F., Gur, R., El Bahaey, W., Nimgaonkar, V., Mansour, H. (2019). Randomized controlled trial of adjunctive Valproate for cognitive remediation in early course schizophrenia. Journal of Psychiatric Research, Volume 118, 66-72. 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.08.011
Dickerson, F., Stallings, C., Origoni, A., Katsafanas, E., Sweeney, K., Khushalani, S., & Yolken, R. (2019). Nitrated meat products are associated with suicide behavior in psychiatric patients. Psychiatry Research, 275, 283–286. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.03.047
Alexander E., Mcginty, E.E., Wang, N.Y., Dalcin, A., Jerome, G.J., Miller, E.R. 3rd, … Daumit, G. L. (2019). Effects of a behavioural weight loss intervention in people with serious mental illness: Subgroup analyses from the ACHIEVE trial. Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, 13(2), 205–210. doi: 10.1016/j.orcp.2019.02.002
Breier, A., Buchanan, R. W., Dsouza, D., Nuechterlein, K., Marder, S., Dunn, W., … Dickerson, F. B. (2019). Herpes simplex virus 1 infection and valacyclovir treatment in schizophrenia: Results from the VISTA study. Schizophrenia Research, 206, 291–299. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.11.002
Dalcin, A. T., Jerome, G. J., Appel, L. J., Dickerson, F. B., Wang, N.-Y., Miller, E. R., … Daumit, G. L. (2019). Need for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in Persons With Serious Mental Illness: Design of a Comprehensive Intervention. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00786
Torniainen-Holm, M., Suvisaari, J., Lindgren, M., Härkänen, T., Dickerson, F., & Yolken, R. (2019). The lack of association between herpes simplex virus 1 or Toxoplasma gondii infection and cognitive decline in the general population: An 11-year follow-up study. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 76, 159–164. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.11.016
Ford, B. N., Yolken, R. H., Dickerson, F. B., Teague, T. K., Irwin, M. R., Paulus, M. P., & Savitz, J. (2018). Reduced immunity to measles in adults with major depressive disorder. Psychological Medicine, 49(2), 243–249. doi: 10.1017/s0033291718000661
Dickerson, F., Adamos, M., Katsafanas, E., Khushalani, S., Origoni, A., Savage, C., Schweinfurth, L.A.B., Stallings, C., Sweeney, K., Goga, J., Yolken, R. (2018). Adjunctive Probiotic Microorganisms to Prevent Rehospitalization in Patients with Acute Mania: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Bipolar Disorders, (20), 614-621.
Dickerson, F. Jones-Brando, L., Ford, G., Genovese, G., Stallings, C., Origoni, A., O'Dushlaine, C., Katsafanas, E., Sweeney, K., Khushalani, S., Yolken, R. (2018) Schizophrenia Is Associated with an Aberrant Immune Response to Epstein Barr Virus. Schizophenia Bulletin. In Press.
Coryell W, Wilcox H, Evans SJ, Pandey GN, Jones-Brando L, Dickerson F, Yolken R. (2018) Aggression, impulsivity and inflammatory markers as risk factors for suicidal behavior. J Psychiatr Res. (106), 38-42.
Xiao, J., Prandovszky, E., Kannan, G., Pletnikov, M.V., Dickerson, F., Severance, E.G., Yolken, R.H. (2018) Toxoplasma gondii: Biological Parameters of the Connection to Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. (44), 983-992.
Dickerson, F., Adamos, M., Katsafanas, E., Khushalani, S., Origoni, A., Savage, C., Schweinfurth, L.A.B., Stallings, C., Sweeney, K., Goga, J., Yolken, R. (2018). Adjunctive Probiotic Microorganisms to Prevent Rehospitalization in Patients with Acute Mania: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Bipolar Disorders, (20), 614-621.
Dickerson, F. (2017) Long way to go to close the mortality gap. Lancet Psychiatry (4), 892-893.
Dickerson, F., Severance, E., Yolken, R., (2017) The microbiome, immunity, and schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity (62), 46-52.
Severance, E., Gressitt, K., Stallings, C., Katsafanas, E., Schweinfurth, L., Savage, C., Banis, M., Sweeney, K., Origoni, A., Khushalani, S., Dickerson, F., Yolken, R. (2017) Probiotic normalization of Candida albicans in schizophrenia: a randomized, placebo-controlled, longitudinal pilot study. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity (62), 41-45.