Margaret Benningfield, MD, MSc
Dr. Meg Benningfield is a child and adolescent psychiatrist, professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and professor in the Department of Psychology and Human Development in Peabody College. Dr. Benningfield is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and pursued clinical training in psychiatry at Harvard where she completed residency in General Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospitals and a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Cambridge Hospital. In 2008, she joined the faculty at Vanderbilt where she has enjoyed an academic career balanced between research, education and clinical practice.
Clinical Interests
Anxiety disorders; acute care for children and adolescents including inpatient, partial hospital, and emergency settings; integration of behavioral health in pediatric primary care; impact of developmental trauma on family systems
Research Information
Dr. Benningfield is a child and adolescent psychiatrist whose primary interest lies in early intervention and prevention of mental illness through support of caregivers and systems of care. She trained in neuroimaging methods, using functional MRI to study the role of impulsivity, risk taking and reward processing in risk for substance use. Dr. Benningfield is a contributor to multiple NIH funded studies investigating brain mechanisms of disorder and resilience.