Tarek K. Rajji, M.D., left Texas in 2005 and made a promise to his new bride that someday they would return to Dallas. Now, almost 20 years later, Dr. Rajji is delivering on that commitment. In October, Dr. Rajji was appointed Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern.

Dr. Rajji’s research focuses on enhancing cognition in older adults with dementia or at risk for dementia. He uses brain stimulation, as well as cognitive, functional, and pharmacological methods, to study and enhance neuroplasticity throughout the life span, with a special focus on later life and those at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, he leads research into whether brain stimulation alone or in combination with other interventions can enhance thinking and memory in Alzheimer’s patients who may also be experiencing mental illness.

What inspired your return to UT Southwestern?

When I was in Dallas, I never thought of leaving. And then I went to Toronto, and I never thought I would leave that city. But when UT Southwestern launched the search for a new Chair of Psychiatry, someone from the search committee reached out to me. Seeing that the opportunity was where I had trained, I dove in. I knew there had been some amazing developments at UT Southwestern with the establishment of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. That’s something that many of us in medicine dream of, to create and work in a well-funded infrastructure, with a mission to create convergence for really powerful innovation and discovery. To me, that was a major attraction. The O’Donnell Brain Institute is an opportunity to transform how we think about the brain, and psychiatry specifically.

The other big attraction is the new hospital being built, the Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern. Construction like that is something that rarely happens in the life of a Department Chair, to be a part of the early establishment of a new hospital and to create an innovative learning health system. This new facility will give the department greater opportunities to support and serve populations suffering from mental illness in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

What excites you about psychiatry and the field of brain research at UT Southwestern?

UT Southwestern leads in understanding the interaction between mental health conditions and how diseases like depression increase the risk of neurodegenerative disorders, dementia, and cognitive decline. There are so many recent studies about the risks in developing dementia in older people with various comorbidities, such as depression, substance abuse, alcoholism, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Better understanding of the links between these psychiatric conditions and the mechanism of how these conditions increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia is going to lead us to developing novel treatments. The Department of Psychiatry and the O’Donnell Brain Institute are wonderful spaces to do that because they bring together people who are experts in different areas to dialogue and collaborate.

You can study neuroplasticity in humans using neuromodulation – the use of magnetic and electrical pulses to alter brain activity. Using this technique to probe the brain shows significant promise in assessing the capacity of the brain to adapt. With further research, we can optimize neuroplasticity to prevent cognitive decline in older people with mental health conditions and, ultimately, prevent dementia.

How would you describe your management style?

I am a big believer in collaboration and in the power of group thinking to generate better ideas than any one individual. I also tend to lean toward action and making decisions as a team. I’m always asking my network and my executive team, “What am I missing? Are there any blind spots I’m not aware of?”

What attracts me to leadership is the joy of serving others and seeing how other people grow and launch their own careers. I enjoy building infrastructure that supports people to grow as academics. It’s really a privilege to be in a leadership position. We are leaders to serve. And all that is only possible through collaborative leadership.

• Dr. Rajji holds the Stanton Sharp Distinguished Chair in Psychiatry.