Zafiris 'Jeff' Daskalakis named UC Davis School of Medicine dean

Zafiris "Jeff" Daskalakis, an internationally recognized researcher and leader whose work has advanced brain stimulation treatments for severe mental illness, has been named dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine by Chancellor Gary S. May. He will begin the new role Jan. 4, 2027.

Daskalakis is currently a professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and serves as the UC San Diego Dr. Igor and JoAnn Grant Endowed Chair in Psychiatry. His research focuses on developing novel treatments, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), for severe psychiatric disorders.

"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Daskalakis to UC Davis, and I look forward to partnering with him as he leads the UC Davis School of Medicine," said Mary Croughan, UC Davis provost and executive vice chancellor. "He brings strategic vision, integrity, humility and a deep sense of humanity to his leadership. His experience at UC San Diego and his thoughtful approach will strengthen this exceptional medical school and greatly benefit our patients, faculty, students, residents and staff."

Daskalakis will join the School of Medicine at a time of strong momentum in research, education and clinical care.

"For more than half a century, UC Davis School of Medicine has been dedicated to excellence in medical education and conducting life-changing research," said Mark Rosenblatt, UC Davis Health's vice chancellor for human health sciences. "As an internationally recognized clinician and researcher, Dr. Daskalakis is poised to lead our medical school as it continues to grow and train more of the physicians, scientists and physician-scientists our communities will need in the future."

Rosenblatt also expressed gratitude for the exceptional work of Dean Susan Murin over the past five years, which established a strong foundation for the next dean. This includes the School of Medicine's record $439 million in external research funding in fiscal year 2025-26, sustained top national rankings in primary care training and increased philanthropic support.

A career of leadership and pioneering research

"I'm pleased to be moving from one top-ranked UC school to another," said Daskalakis. "UC Davis' mission-driven focus on advancing health for all communities across California, through excellence in primary care education, community partnership and innovative, interdisciplinary research, creates a uniquely compelling platform for leadership in academic medicine."

Daskalakis said he was drawn to UC Davis' commitment to training socially accountable physicians and expanding access to care across urban and rural populations. He said UC Davis' cross-campus ecosystem aligns closely with his experience and values and offers opportunities for new collaborations in research, education and patient care.

"I'm looking forward to taking what I've learned at UC San Diego and finding ways to connect it to the amazing things UC Davis is already doing," Daskalakis said.

Daskalakis is at the forefront of research on TMS for treatment-resistant depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, conditions that do not adequately respond to conventional treatments such as medication and psychotherapy. He is planning to bring his research to the UC Davis School of Medicine.

He has authored more than 580 peer-reviewed publications, including research published in the Lancet, JAMA Psychiatry and other leading journals, and serves on the editorial board of Biological Psychiatry.

Daskalakis founded UC San Diego Health's Interventional Psychiatry Program, the region's largest program dedicated to treating severe depression with brain stimulation therapies.

Before joining UC San Diego Health in 2020, he was a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, co-director of the Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention and chief of the General Adult Psychiatry and Health Systems Division, both at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.

Daskalakis is a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (2018) and has received numerous awards throughout his career. He has been recognized three times as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, a distinction that places him among the top 1% of researchers worldwide by citation impact.

He has received more than $90 million in peer-reviewed operating grants and philanthropic support as principal investigator or co-investigator from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Ontario Mental Health Foundation, Brain Canada, the Wellcome Trust and private foundations.

A Toronto native, Daskalakis completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Toronto in 1999. He was a research fellow in the schizophrenia program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and earned his doctoral degree at the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto in 2002. He earned his medical degree at Queen's University in 1994.