Samuel Wilkinson, MD is an associate professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and the Medical Director of the Yale Depression Research Program. He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University and his medical degree from Johns Hopkins. He completed his residency at Yale, where he joined the faculty following his post-graduate medical training. His first book, Purpose: What Evolution and Human Nature Imply About the Meaning of Our Existence was chosen as a must-read book for 2024 by Malcolm Gladwell’s book club (the Next Big Idea Club). Dr. Wilkinson has interests in a number of topics, including developing better treatments to improve mental health (principally through clinical trials), health outcomes research, human nature and evolutionary psychology, and the intersection of science and religion.
Dr. Wilkinson’s research and articles have been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. He has been the recipient of many awards, including Top Advancements & Breakthroughs from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (2017 and 2020), Top Ten Psychiatry Papers by the New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch, the Early Career Scholar Award from the American Psychiatric Association, and the rank of Eagle Scout. As a young man, he served a mission for his church in Nevada from 2002-2004, where he learned to speak fluent Spanish and to enjoy a variety of Latino cultures. He also served as a bishop to his local congregation from 2017-2023. He continues to serve in his church and community in as many ways as he can. He lives with his wife and their five children in southern Connecticut.
