Charles F. Reynolds III is an American psychiatrist whose work has focused on the prevention and treatment of depression in older adults, suicide prevention, and the development of models of mental-health care for aging populations. His research has contributed to understanding the role of sleep disturbances in mood disorders and to developing care models specifically designed for aging populations. He is the emeritus Distinguished UPMC Endowed Professor in Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. He has also served as director of the Aging Institute of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh and has directed the John A. Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry.

Early life and education
Reynolds grew up in Virginia and in the Mississippi Delta, where his early life coincided with the civil-rights struggles of the 1960s. He studied philosophy and religious studies at the University of Virginia, graduating with high honors in 1969. His training in philosophy and the humanities, including studies of epistemology and moral philosophy, prepared him for a career in academic psychiatry and continues to inform the humanistic dimension of his clinical and scientific work.
He later earned a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from Yale University in 1973, where his thesis examined the effects of lithium carbonate on electroencephalographic sleep measures in bipolar disorder. After graduating, he trained in internal medicine at McGill University before completing a psychiatry residency at the University of Pittsburgh, where he worked with psychiatrists including David Kupfer and Thomas Detre.

Academic and clinical career
Reynolds joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 1977 following his residency and remained there for four decades. During this period he collaborated with researchers in mood disorders and geriatric psychiatry while building a research program focused on depression in older adults. His work has been supported by numerous grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and other organizations. He received multiple career development awards, including K-series awards and a MERIT award supporting long-term clinical trials on maintenance treatment for depression in older adults.
In addition to his research activities, Reynolds has served as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. since 2016, during which time the journal has grown in impact and influence in the field. He previously served on editorial boards for journals including American Journal of Psychiatry, Archives of General Psychiatry, and JAMA Psychiatry.
He also served as president of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry from 2009 to 2010. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the American College of Psychiatrists. In addition, he has contributed at the national level as a member of the National Institute of Mental Health National Advisory Council, as chair of the DSM-5 Sleep-Wake Disorders Committee, and as a member of advisory panels at the National Academy of Medicine, addressing the nation’s eldercare workforce, sleep disorders, mental health, aging, and suicide prevention.

Research
Reynolds’ research has addressed areas in geriatric mental health, particularly the prevention and treatment of late-life depression and the role of sleep disturbances in mood disorders. His early work examined electroencephalographic sleep patterns as indicators of brain function in aging, depression, and dementia. Over time his research expanded into intervention science and large-scale clinical trials aimed at improving outcomes for older adults with depression, including treatment-resistant depression.
Reynolds has made contributions to suicide prevention research in older adults, serving on Institute of Medicine panels addressing suicide prevention and the nation’s geriatrics workforce. His research includes understanding biological and psychosocial factors influencing treatment response in late-life depression. Reynolds and collaborators have also investigated strategies for treatment-resistant depression in older adults, including augmentation approaches and personalized care models informed by neurocognitive and medical factors.
Reynolds has developed models of mental health care specifically designed for aging populations, integrating collaborative care approaches that address the intersection of physical health, cognitive function, and mood disorders in older adults.

Honors
• 2011: Research Mentor Award, American Psychiatric Association.
• 2016: Herbert Pardes Humanitarian Prize in Mental Health, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.
• 2017: Elected to the Association of American Physicians.
• 2022: Donald Klein Lifetime Achievement Award, American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
• 2022: Julius Axelrod Mentorship Award, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

Selected publications
Reynolds CF III. Maintenance Treatment of Depression in Old Age. New England Journal of Medicine, 2006;354(23):2505-2506. doi:10.1056/NEJMc061020.
Reynolds III CF, Frank E, Perel JM, et al. Nortriptyline and Interpersonal Psychotherapy as Maintenance Therapies for Recurrent Major Depression. JAMA, 1999;281(1):39. doi:10.1001/jama.281.1.39.
Lenze EJ, Mulsant BH, Roose SP, et al. (incl. Reynolds CF III). Antidepressant Augmentation versus Switch in Treatment-Resistant Geriatric Depression. New England Journal of Medicine, 2023;388(12):1067-1079. PMID: 36867173. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2204462.
Herrman H, Patel V, Kieling C, et al. (incl. Reynolds CF III). Time for united action on depression: a Lancet–World Psychiatric Association Commission. The Lancet, 2022;399(10328):957-1022. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02141-3.
Shear MK, Reynolds CF3rd, Simon NM, et al. Optimizing treatment of complicated grief: a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry.2016 Jul1:73(7):685-694. Doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0892.

References

External links
• UPMC expert profile: https://www.upmc.com/media/experts/charles-f-reynolds
• University of Pittsburgh Psychiatry: https://psychiatry.pitt.edu/dr-reynolds-apa-candidate
• Brain & Behavior Research Foundation profile: https://bbrfoundation.org/about/people/charles-reynolds-md