Heline Mirzakhanian, PhD

Heline Mirzakhanian, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who helps people cope more effectively with life issues and mental health problems. Dr. Mirzakhanian is the clinical director of UC San Diego Health's early psychosis program, which specializes in treating adolescents and young adults who are experiencing changes in their thoughts, behavior or emotions that might be associated with serious mental health issues.

Dr. Mirzakhanian's expertise is in treating individuals with early symptoms of psychosis; schizophrenia; and bipolar disorder with psychotic features.

As an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine, Dr. Mirzakhanian instructs and mentors doctoral students. Her research interests include neuroimaging and understanding the neural basis of psychosis. Specifically, Dr. Mirzakhanian investigates the brain's glutamate system in first-episode psychosis using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Dr. Mirzakhanian has co-authored many articles, and her work has appeared in JAMA Psychiatry, The American Journal of Psychiatry, and NeuroImage, among others. She also serves as an ad hoc reviewer for numerous journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine and Bipolar Disorders, and several others.

Dr. Mirzakhanian completed her postdoctoral fellowship at UC San Diego's Cognitive Assessment and Risk Evaluation (CARE) program. She completed an internship in neuropsychology at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Mirzakhanian earned her PhD from the San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology.

She is a member of the American Psychological Association and the San Diego Psychological Association, where she also serves on the Women's Committee.

UC San Diego Health Links
For more information, see Behavioral and Mental Health.