Deanna L. Kelly, PharmD, BCPP, FAAPP
Dr. William and Carol Carpenter Professor in Psychiatry for Mental Illness Research Director, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Deanna Kelly is an internationally renowned clinician-scientist and one of the world’s leading experts in schizophrenia, psychopharmacology, and innovative approaches to the treatment of serious mental illness. At the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), she leads one of the nation’s premier translational research centers dedicated to advancing treatments and improving outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia and related disorders.
For nearly three decades, Dr. Kelly has been at the forefront of clinical research in severe mental illness, leading groundbreaking investigations that have expanded the understanding of the biological, nutritional, immune, and metabolic factors that influence psychiatric disease. Her pioneering work has helped establish the emerging fields of nutritional and metabolic psychiatry. She has conducted innovative clinical trials investigating gluten-free diets, ketogenic diets, prebiotics, and other adjunctive treatments for psychiatric disorders. Supported by National Institutes of Health funding, her research has opened new avenues for science-based, holistic approaches that integrate physical and mental health.
Kelly is a foremost authority on clozapine, the most effective treatment for refractory schizophrenia. Through more than 75 scientific publications focused on this medication, development of clinical practice guidelines, advocacy initiatives, and briefings to Congress and the FDA, she has played a pivotal role in advancing the safe and expanded use of this life-changing therapy. Her contributions have influenced clinical practice and policy nationally and internationally. In recognition of her transformative work, she received the 2026 National Alliance on Mental Illness Scientific Research Award.
Throughout her career, Kelly has conducted landmark studies examining clozapine augmentation strategies, effectiveness, side-effect management, therapeutic drug monitoring, point-of-care technologies, and biomarkers of treatment response. She led the first comprehensive efforts to address disparities in clozapine utilization among underserved populations and conducted a study in the United States and Nigeria demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of clozapine in Black patients with benign ethnic neutropenia. She also has led statewide educational initiatives to improve competency and expand access to evidence-based care.
Kelly is a strong advocate for advancing women’s mental health and has made pioneering contributions in this area. She led the first National Institute of Mental Health-funded study focused specifically on women with schizophrenia and was among the earliest investigators to characterize the metabolic consequences of antipsychotic treatment, including sexual dysfunction and prolactin-related adverse effects.
Kelly has trained and mentored numerous clinicians, scientists, pharmacists, and psychiatrists. She has authored more than 270 peer-reviewed publications, over 25 books and book chapters, and delivered more than 250 invited lectures. She co-wrote “Get Your Brain Off Grain,” a 2025 book that explores the relationship between nutrition and mental health.
Kelly is a fellow and past president of the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists, a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and an MPower Professor through the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State. She has received numerous prestigious honors, including the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation’s Maltz Prize for Innovative and Promising Schizophrenia Research, the Gerard E. Hogarty Excellence in Schizophrenia Research Memorial Award, and the Judith J. Saklad Memorial Award.
Kelly earned her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from Duquesne University; completed residency training in psychiatric pharmacy practice at the University of Maryland, Baltimore; and is board-certified in psychiatric pharmacy practice.
