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Katie DouglasAssociate Professor
BSc(Hons) (Otago); PGDipClinPsych (Canterbury); PhD (Otago), MNZCCP

Katie is an Associate Professor and a Registered Clinical Psychologist. Her research explores the cognitive, psychological, and hormonal aspects of mood disorders, and how to target these directly, including with cognitive training programmes, psychological therapies, and environmental interventions (e.g., light therapy). She has extensive experience leading clinical trials of novel interventions, including large-scale randomised controlled trials of culturally-adapted cognitive remediation programmes for people with depression and bipolar disorder. Katie has been awarded 10 major research grants as Principal Investigator, including the prestigious Sir Charles Hercus Fellowship from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (2018).

Katie is the current Chair of the Australasian Society for Bipolar and Depressive Disorders, as well as the Early-to-Mid-Career Sub-comittee of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders. She is Deputy Editor for BJPsych Open and Specialty Editor for Bipolar Disorders. She is passionate about supervising new researchers, and has several PhD and masters students.

Katie’s current research interests include:

  • biological, hormonal, and cognitive aspects of mood and anxiety disorder
  • cognitive interventions for mood disorders
  • cognitive and biological impact of earthquake-related PTSD
  • influence of childhood trauma on mental health outcomes
  • women's mental health

In her clinical work, Katie delivers therapy in treatment trials of mood disorders within the Department of Psychological Medicine. She has previous experience working clinically in health psychology and forensic psychology settings.

Professional affiliations

  • Chair of the Australasian Society of Bipolar and Depressive Disorders
  • Deputy Editor – BJPsych Open
  • Founding member of Early- to Mid-Career Researcher Subcommittee of International Society of Bipolar Disorders
  • Specialty Editor – Bipolar Disorders
  • International Editorial Board – Frontiers in Psychiatry
  • Member of University of Otago, Christchurch Research Committee
  • Member of Executive Committee of the New Zealand Special Interest Group in Neuropsychology
  • Member of New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists
  • Registered Clinical Psychologist – New Zealand Psychologists Board

Publications

Allott, K., Bryce, S., Douglas, K., Stainton, A., Wood, S. J., & Bowie, C. R. (2026). Formulating cognitive functioning to guide personalised treatment for people diagnosed with mental disorders. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 153(5), 573-587. doi: 10.1111/acps.13811 Journal - Research Article

Van Rheenen, T. E., Lewandowski, K. E., Pinkham, A., Varo, C., Caruana, G., Gruber, J., … Porter, R. J., … Douglas, K., … Miskowiak, K. W. (2026). Consensus on subdomains and measures of relevance to affective and social cognition research on bipolar disorder (CAS-BD); Outcomes and recommendations from an International Society for Bipolar Disorders Targeting Cognition Taskforce Study. Bipolar Disorders, 28(2), e70083. doi: 10.1111/bdi.70083 Journal - Research Article

Sylvia, L. G., Gold, A. K., Morton, E., Douglas, K. M., Birabwa-Oketcho, H., Miklowitz, D. J., … Murray, G. (2026). Examining stepped care as an innovation in the delivery of psychological treatments for bipolar disorder: Perspectives from members of the International Society of Bipolar Disorders Psychological Interventions Task Force. Bipolar Disorders, 28(2), e70097. doi: 10.1111/bdi.70097 Journal - Research Article

Eggleston, K., Miskowiak, K. W., Porter, R., Frampton, C., & Douglas, K. (2026). Systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between subjective and objective cognitive function in mood disorders. Bipolar Disorders, 28(1), e70077. doi: 10.1111/bdi.70077 Journal - Research Article

Odering, Z. A., Jordan, J., Lacey, C. J., Frampton, C. M., Porter, R. J., & Douglas, K. M. (2026). Predicting cognitive change during treatment for inpatient depression: Secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 153(5), 563-572. doi: 10.1111/acps.70030 Journal - Research Article

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