Dudley Allen Sargent Lecture
The Dudley Allen Sargent Distinguished Lecture Series began in 1999 when the College celebrated 70 years since being tendered to Boston University.
In honor of our founder, Dudley Allen Sargent, MD, this lecture series offers the Boston University, Sargent College, and Boston-area communities the opportunity to interact with leading researchers and practitioners in the health and rehabilitation fields.
September 2025 Lecture
Postpartum Depression: A Complication of Childbearing or Childrearing? How Big Data Can Help Clarify Etiology
By: Michael Silverman, MS, PhD
Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025
This lecture aimed to:
- Clarify the nature and diagnosis of Postpartum Depression (PPD)
- Examine the discrepancy between expectations and maternal reality
- Interrogate prevalence claims using Big Data
- Analyze the impact of COVID-19 on postpartum mental health
- Inform public health policy with evidence-based recommendations
The Sargent lecture is approved for professional development credit through ASHA (Speech-Language Pathology), AOTA (eligible for submission by Occupational and Physical Therapy professionals), and CDR (Nutrition). Attendees will receive a QR code at the event linking to a required survey to claim CEUs. For questions, please contact Jenn Keenan at jkkeenan@bu.edu.
About the speaker:
Dr. Michael Silverman, is a licensed psychologist and professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is dual trained in psychotherapeutic techniques and cognitive science, with a clinical and research focus on mood and anxiety disorders, particularly in the perinatal period.
Dr. Silverman is a pioneering researcher in perinatal mental health, having led several landmark studies, including the first fMRI study of postpartum depression (2007), the largest U.S. population-based study of severe postpartum depression (2011), and the development of a universal screening protocol for perinatal mental health (2016). His recent work explores psychiatric outcomes related to childhood food allergies, ALS, schizophrenia, chronic stress, and prenatal dexamethasone exposure.
In addition to his research, Dr. Silverman maintains a clinical practice focused on mood and anxiety disorders, life transitions, and performance-related challenges. He is trained in multiple therapeutic modalities, including CBT, DBT, ACT, IPT, and RO-DBT. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Postpartum Support International.