Dr. Jennifer R. Gatchel, MD, PhD

Expert Publications

• A novel interaction of Cap-binding protein complexes eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4F and eIF(iso)4F with a region in the 3'-untranslated region of satellite tobacco necrosis virus.
• Diseases of unstable repeat expansion: mechanisms and common principles.
• Lithium therapy improves neurological function and hippocampal dendritic arborization in a spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 mouse model.
• The insulin-like growth factor pathway is altered in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 and type 7.
• miR-19, miR-101 and miR-130 co-regulate ATXN1 levels to potentially modulate SCA1 pathogenesis.
• Gcn5 loss-of-function accelerates cerebellar and retinal degeneration in a SCA7 mouse model.
• Pharmacometabolomic signature of ataxia SCA1 mouse model and lithium effects.
• Positive Psychiatry: A Clinical Handbook, Edited by Dilip V. Jeste and Barton W. Palmer.
• Sleep duration and its association with demographics, lifestyle factors, poor mental health and chronic diseases in older Chinese adults.

Media Releases

Get to know Psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer R. Gatchel, who serves patients in Massachusetts. 

A well-respected geriatric psychiatrist, Dr. Gatchel is a woman of many titles. She serves as an Assistant Psychiatrist in the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at McLean Hospital, an Assistant Psychiatrist within the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, and as an Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

In her clinical role, Dr. Gatchel sees older adult patients with mood and cognitive disorders and utilizes transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat depression. She is passionate about advocating for patients with dementia and their families, promoting healthy brain aging and positive mental health, and training the next generation of geriatric psychiatrists and clinician-researchers. 

Academically, Dr. Gatchel studied at The University of Texas-Austin, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Honor Liberal Arts in 1999. She then went on to earn a medical degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree in Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine.  

Furthering her training, she completed her residency in adult psychiatry in the Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital residency program, followed by the Partners Healthcare Geriatric Psychiatry Clinical Fellowship Program. 

Serving as a chief resident, Dr. Gatchel received the Thomas P. Hackett Award during her final year of residency. Stemming from her doctoral work on neurodegeneration, her clinical and research interests lie at the interface of mood and cognitive decline in aging.

She has over eight years experience investigating mechanisms of brain-behavior relationships, which has led to publications, presentations, and Travel Fellowships (the Society for Biological Psychiatry, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry).

With years of experience, Dr. Gatchel is board-certified in psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). The ABPN is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to promoting high quality patient care for the public through the initial and continuing certification of psychiatrists and neurologists.

A former P.R.I.T.E. Fellow, Dr. Gatchel was recognized as an Honors Scholar (the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry) and Webb Fellow (the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine).

Serving in leadership roles in resident geriatric psychiatry education, she also assists with the research of Nancy J. Donovan, M.D., a geriatric psychiatrist whose work focuses on the detection of neuropsychiatric symptoms and social behavioral changes in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. 

Her research is focused on understanding the relationships among Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-associated proteins amyloid and tau, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive decline in the preclinical and prodromal stages of AD and related dementias. She is utilizing a combination of neuroimaging and detailed clinical and neuropsychological assessments towards developing better prevention and treatment strategies for individuals at risk for AD.

Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behavior, cognition, and perceptions. Psychiatrists evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. They conduct thorough psychiatric evaluations, develop treatment plans, prescribe medication, and evaluate treatment results.

Throughout her line of work, Dr. Gatchel has been the recipient of the 2016 American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry Member in Training Research Award. She has also been the recipient of the HMS Psychiatry Dupont Warren Fellowship and Livingston Award to carry out research investigating the neurobiology of depression in late life and early Alzheimer’s disease. 

In her spare time, Dr. Gatchel enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking and sampling cuisines, being amused by her Russian blue cats, Cosmo and Whiskers, and pursuing the most beautiful beaches, near and far. 

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