Jennifer Phillips , PhD

Dr. Jennifer Phillips is a Scientist in the Mood Disorders Research Unit at The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), affiliated with the University of Ottawa. 

She received her BSc from Brock University and her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Ottawa. She is the Director of Research (Interim) and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa and an Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University.

Dr. Phillips' expertise is in clinical neuroscience with a focus on depression and suicide prevention. Her research is supported by funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the University of Ottawa Medical Research Fund (UMRF).

Dr. Phillips' ongoing studies investigate the biological underpinnings and consequences of depression using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and peripheral biomarkers, test the efficacy of low-dose ketamine to treat depression in patients resistant to other forms of treatment, and examine clinical and psychosocial determinants to identify sex-specific risk factors for suicidal behaviours.