Lauren Bowen, PhD

Lauren
D
Bowen
PhD
Research Instructor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Bowen’s research program uses various neuroimaging tools (e.g., task-based and ‘resting-state’ functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG)) to identify potential biomarkers for disease onset and progression. The focus of her research at Vanderbilt is to understand the heterogenous neurobiological impacts of comorbid drug use and Schizophrenia on cognitive functioning, including cognitive control and working memory. 

lauren.bowen@vumc.org

Dr. Bowen holds a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Florida International University and a MS in Experimental Psychology from Nova Southeastern University. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of drug abuse and psychopathology on brain function. Specifically, her research aims to discern brain mechanisms engaged in executive cognitive functions that may place individuals at risk for future or continued development of these disorders. 

Bavani Rajah, MD

Bavani
Rajah
MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
bavani.rajah@vumc.org

Dr. Bavani Rajah is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Rajah received her undergraduate education at the University of Akron and attended medical school at Northeast Ohio Medical University as part of an accelerated BS/MD program. She completed clinical training in adult psychiatry at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois and served as chief resident during the 2020-2021 academic year.  Dr. Rajah pursued child and adolescent psychiatry training at Northwestern University/Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. In 2023, she joined the faculty at Vanderbilt as an attending on the Child and Adolescent inpatient unit at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and outpatient care for children with neurodevelopmental conditions in the MEND Clinic.  Her clinical interests include anxiety disorders, family therapy, neurodevelopmental disorders and technology/social media in psychiatry.