Clinical Focus

  • Psychiatry
  • Women's Mental Health

Academic Appointments

  • Clinical Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Administrative Appointments

  • Outpatient Clinic Operations Chief, Adult Outpatient Clinics, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences (2016 - Present)
  • Physician Improvement Leader, Adult Division, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences (2017 - Present)

Professional Education

  • Residency: Stanford University Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (2006) CA
  • Medical Education: University of California at Irvine School of Medicine (2002) CA
  • Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Psychiatry (2009)
  • Residency, Stanford University, Psychiatry (2006)
  • M.D., Univ. of California, Irvine, Medicine (2002)
  • M.B.A., Univ. of California, Irvine, Business Administration (2000)
  • B.A., Univ. of California, Berkeley, Molecular Biology (1996)

Contact

  • Academic
    mvemuri@stanford.edu
    University - Staff Department: Psych/General Psychiatry and Psychology (Adult) Position: Clinical Associate Professor
    • MC
    • Stanford,  California  94305-5723 
  • Clinical (Primary)  Women's Wellness Clinic 401 Quarry Rd MC 5723 Stanford, CA 94305 (650) 724-9900 (fax)

Additional Clinical Info

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 5723

Links

Current Research and Scholarly Interests

I am a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, with clinical and research interests in hormonal influences on women’s mental and cognitive health. After Psychiatry residency I completed a NIMH research fellowship studying gender differences in metabolic complications such as dyslipidemia, obesity, and insulin-resistance in patients with bipolar disorder. As a research fellow, I also provided clinical oversight for research participants in studies evaluating hormonal change, metabolic biomarkers and mood. More recently, I have collaborated with PI Duncan and her research group on projects studying relationships between sex hormones and mood/anxiety disorders, particularly in peri-menopausal women. From these experiences I have gained experience in conducting clinical research and collaborating in interdisciplinary research teams. I have also had over 20 years of clinical experience as an attending psychiatrist in Stanford Women’s Wellness psychiatry, general psychiatry and primary care clinics treating a wide range of psychiatric conditions including perimenopausal and geriatric mood disorders. I have published review articles detailing the evidence-basis for treating mood disorders in women during times of hormonal change, and the role of hormones as potential treatments. I also serve as the Stanford Psychiatry Department’s clinical quality improvement leader, where I oversee multiple interdisciplinary improvement teams charged with improving the quality and efficiency of care processes. I currently specialize in managing perimenopausal mood disorders and have an interest in the judicious use of menopausal hormone therapy as an adjunctive treatment for mood symptoms in this population. My clinical and research experience in the intersection of women’s mental health, sex-steroid hormones, and the perimenopause, along with broad experience working on cross-disciplinary teams, will bring valuable input to this research team.

All Publications

  • HOT FLASH GWAS REVEALS SUBSTANTIAL GENETIC OVERLAP WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AND A TOP LOCUS THAT SIGNALS A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE AND NOVEL TREATMENT TARGET Werwath, K., Lawn, R., Shen, H., Salem, M., Li, T., Koenen, K., Martin, N., Gordon, S., Vemuri, M., Duncan, L. ELSEVIER. 2023: S80

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.08.152

    View details for Web of Science ID 001089437400151

  • Shared genetic influences on depression and menopause symptoms. Psychological medicine Meijsen, J. J., Shen, H., Vemuri, M., Rasgon, N. L., Koenen, K. C., Duncan, L. E. 2021: 1-11

    Abstract

    BACKGROUND: Women experience major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) approximately twice as often as men. Estrogen is thought to contribute to sex differences in these disorders, and reduced estrogen is also known to be a key driver of menopause symptoms such as hot flashes. Moreover, estrogen is used to treat menopause symptoms. In order to test for potential shared genetic influences between menopause symptoms and psychiatric disorders, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of estrogen medication use (as a proxy for menopause symptoms) in the UK Biobank.METHODS: The analysis included 232 993 women aged 39-71 in the UK Biobank. The outcome variable for genetic analyses was estrogen medication use, excluding women using hormonal contraceptives. Trans-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses were conducted along with genetic correlation analyses on the European ancestry GWAS results. Hormone usage was also tested for association with depression and PTSD.RESULTS: GWAS of estrogen medication use (compared to non-use) identified a locus in the TACR3 gene, which was previously linked to hot flashes in menopause [top rs77322567, odds ratio (OR) = 0.78, p = 7.7 * 10-15]. Genetic correlation analyses revealed shared genetic influences on menopause symptoms and depression (rg = 0.231, s.e.= 0.055, p = 2.8 * 10-5). Non-genetic analyses revealed higher psychiatric symptoms scores among women using estrogen medications.CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that menopause symptoms have a complex genetic etiology which is partially shared with genetic influences on depression. Moreover, the TACR3 gene identified here has direct clinical relevance; antagonists for the neurokinin 3 receptor (coded for by TACR3) are effective treatments for hot flashes.

    View details for DOI 10.1017/S0033291721004037

    View details for PubMedID 34865661

  • HOT FLASH: A GWAS WITH NOTABLE INTERPRETABILITY AND PSYCHIATRIC RELEVANCE Duncan, L., Werwath, K., Shen, H., Li, T., Vemuri, M., Meijsen, J. ELSEVIER. 2021: E45

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.07.102

    View details for Web of Science ID 000704035500089

  • Shared Genetic Effects may Partially Explain Higher Depression and PTSD Prevalence Among Women Using Hormone Therapy (HT) Duncan, L., Meijsen, J., Shen, H., Vemuri, M., Rasgon, N., Koenen, K. ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2021: S101-S102

    View details for Web of Science ID 000645683800242

  • Connecting tobacco users in the primary care setting to comprehensive tobacco treatment: a quality improvement initiative JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH-HEIDELBERG Kendra, M. S., Dang, J., Artandi, M., Vemuri, M. 2020

    View details for DOI 10.1007/s10389-020-01401-0

    View details for Web of Science ID 000580437800001

  • Ethical and Clinical Issues in Integrated Care Settings: Patient Privacy Concerns and Electronic Health Records. Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) Vemuri, M. n., Dunn, L. B. 2017; 15 (3): 301–5

    View details for DOI 10.1176/appi.focus.20170018

    View details for PubMedID 31975863

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC6519548

  • Ethical and Clinical Issues in Integrated Care Settings: Patient Privacy Concerns and Electronic Health Records FOCUS Vemuri, M., Dunn, L. 2017; 15 (3)
  • Gender-specific lipid profiles in patients with bipolar disorder JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH Vemuri, M., Kenna, H. A., Wang, P. W., Ketter, T. A., Rasgon, N. L. 2011; 45 (8): 1036-1041

    Abstract

    High rates of dyslipidemia and insulin resistance (IR) are reported in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). We assessed gender effects upon rates of dyslipidemia/IR in outpatients with BD.Data from 491 outpatients (ages 18-88) seen in the Stanford Bipolar Disorders clinic between 2000 and 2007 were evaluated. Patients were followed longitudinally and received naturalistic treatment. BD patients (n = 234; 61% female; 42% Type I, 47% Type II, 11% NOS) with a mean age of 40.3 ± 14.0 years, mean BMI 26.8 ± 6.4, and 81% Caucasian, who had one of four lipid measures (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, TG) at clinicians' discretion, a psychiatry clinic visit within 2 months of laboratory, and were not medicated for dyslipidemia were included. IR was imputed from TG/HDL ratio.Women, compared with men, had significantly lower mean triglycerides (105.58 ± 64.12 vs. 137.99 ± 105.14, p = 0.009), higher mean HDL cholesterol (60.17 ± 17.56 vs. 46.07 ± 11.91 mg/dl, p < 0.001), lower mean LDL cholesterol (109.84 ± 33.47 vs. 123.79 ± 35.96 mg/dl, p = 0.004), and lower TG/HDL ratio (1.98 ± 1.73 vs. 3.59 ± 3.14 p < 0.001). Compared to men, women had a significantly lower prevalence of abnormal total cholesterol, LDL, TG, HDL, and TG/HDL ratio. No significant differences were found between men and women with regard to age, BMI, ethnicity, educational attainment, smoking habits, bipolar illness type, illness severity or duration, or weight-liable medication exposure.In outpatients with BD, women had more favorable lipid profiles than men despite similar demographic variables. This sample of primarily Caucasian and educated patients, receiving vigilant clinical monitoring, may represent a relatively healthy psychiatric population demonstrating gender differences similar to those in the general population.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2011.02.002

    View details for Web of Science ID 000293938900006

    View details for PubMedID 21377167

  • Update on Estrogen and Progesterone as Treatment for Mood Disorders in Women Vemuri, M., Williams, K. E. Psychiatric Times. 2011
  • Metabolic dysfunction in women with bipolar disorder: the potential influence of family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus BIPOLAR DISORDERS Rasgon, N. L., Kenna, H. A., Reynolds-May, M. F., Stemmle, P. G., Vemuri, M., Marsh, W., Wang, P., Ketter, T. A. 2010; 12 (5): 504-513

    Abstract

    Overweight/obesity, insulin resistance (IR), and other types of metabolic dysfunction are common in patients with bipolar disorder (BD); however, the pathophysiological underpinnings of metabolic dysfunction in BD are not fully understood. Family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (FamHxDM2), which has been shown to have deleterious effects on metabolic function in the general population, may play a role in the metabolic dysfunction observed in BD.Using multivariate analysis of variance, the effects of BD illness and/or FamHxDM2 were examined relative to metabolic biomarkers in 103 women with BD and 36 healthy, age-matched control women.As a group, women with BD had higher levels of fasting plasma insulin (FPI) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), higher homeostatic assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) scores, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC) compared to control women. FamHxDM2 was associated with significantly worse metabolic biomarkers among women with BD but not among healthy control women. Among women with BD, there was a significant main effect of FamHxDM2 on FPI, HOMA-IR, BMI, WC, and HC, even after controlling for type of BD illness, duration of medication exposure, and depression severity. Metabolic biomarkers were not influenced by use of weight-liable psychotropic medication (WLM), even after controlling for type of BD illness, duration of medication exposure, and depression severity.Women with BD have overall worse metabolic biomarkers than age-matched control women. The use of WLM, duration of medication use, type of BD illness, and depression severity did not appear to be associated with more pronounced metabolic dysfunction. FamHxDM2 may represent a risk factor for the development of IR in women with BD. Further, focused studies of the endocrine profiles of families of BD patients are needed.

    View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2010.00839.x

    View details for Web of Science ID 000280987800005

    View details for PubMedID 20712751

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC2941396

  • A case of olanzapine-induced gestational diabetes mellitus in the absence of weight gain JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHIATRY Vemuri, M. P., Rasgon, N. L. 2007; 68 (12): 1989-1989

    View details for Web of Science ID 000252045900026

    View details for PubMedID 18162037

  • Historical and Current Conceptualizations of Eating Disorders: A Developmental Perspective Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents Vemuri M, Steiner H 2007: 3-11
  • Diagnosing and Treating Bipolar Disorder in Women of Reproductive Age Vemuri, M., Rasgon, N. L. Continuing Medical Education LLC. 2007
  • Bipolar Disorders in Women Depression: Mind and Body Marsh W, Vemuri M 2007; 3 (1): 2-11
  • Treating Bipolar Disorder in Women During Their Childbearing Years Psychiatric Times Vemuri M, Rasgon N