F. Xavier Castellanos, M.D., is the Director of Research and Director of the Phyllis Green and Randolph Cōwen Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience at the NYU Child Study Center. He is also the Brooke and Daniel Neidich Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Professor of Radiology at the NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Castellanos is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry and was previously board certified in pediatrics.
Dr. Castellanos received his A.B. in linguistics from Vassar College cum laude, his M.S. in experimental psychology from the University of New Orleans and his M.D. from Louisiana State University Medical Center. Dr. Castellanos completed a combined residency in pediatrics, general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. He completed a research fellowship in child psychiatry at the Child Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Prior to joining the faculty at NYU School of Medicine, Dr. Castellanos worked at the NIMH for 10 years serving as a Staff Physician and Chief of the ADHD Research Unit, Child Psychiatry Branch.
Dr. Castellanos served as permanent member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific Review Initial Review Group on Child Psychopathology and Developmental Disorders from 2002 to 2007, and served as Chair between 2005 and 2007. He served on the Neurodevelopment Workgroup for the National Advisory Council on Mental Health, NIH in 2007-2008 and serves on the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse, NIH (term 2008-2011). Dr. Castellanos chairs the American Psychiatric Association Workgroup on ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders revising the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and is a voting member of the DSM-5 Task Force. Dr. Castellanos has received the 2006 Blanche F. Ittleson Award from the American Psychiatric Association for excellence in research in child and adolescent psychiatry, the 2008 Outstanding Mentor Award from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and is a member of the CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD) ‘Hall of Fame.’
Dr. Castellanos’ research focusing on neuroimaging, neuroscience, psychopharmacology, and genetics of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and related conditions has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the American Journal of Psychiatry, the Archives of General Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, and Trends in Cognitive Sciences, among others.
In the News
Many of the ‘ADD’ Generation Say No to Meds
Dr. Xavier Castellanos spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the transition of children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD into adolescence and young adulthood. Dr. Castellanos said that as children get older, they tend to question the need for their medication and might take a “controlled break” under the guidance of parents and counselors. (December 18, 2006)
International Perspectives on Autism Presented at NYU Child Study Center
Education Update (PDF) reported on a symposium, led by Dr. Harold Koplewicz and moderated by Dr. F. Xavier Castellanos, which gathered world-wide autism experts at the NYU Child Study Center. (May 2004)
Recognized by
Included in 2005–2006 Best Doctors in America database, a leading resource linking consumers to expert medical care
Included in 2007–2008 Best Doctors in America database, a leading resource linking consumers to expert medical care
