Hirofumi Morishita M.D. Ph.D

Picture
    Professor
   Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, & Ophthalmology
   Mindich Child Health & Development Institute
   Friedman Brain Institute
   Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
   
   Mount Sinai Faculty Profile


Dr. Hirofumi Morishita is a tenured Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Since 2012, he has directed the Laboratory for Developing Minds, and as of 2024, he also serves as co-director of the NIMH-funded Training Program in Social Neuroscience Research. 

Dr. Morishita earned his MD from Kyushu University, and PhD from Osaka University in Japan following a psychiatry residency at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry in Tokyo, where he currently holds a dual appointment as Director of the Department of Mental Disorder Research, a position he began in October 2024. Before joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Morishita completed his postdoctoral training at Children’s Hospital Boston, affiliated with Harvard Medical School. 
​
Dr. Morishita is a pioneer in identifying the molecular and circuit mechanisms underlying critical periods of brain development that shape perception (Journal of Neuroscience 2020, 2016, 2015, Science 2010), cognition (Neuron 2021, Science Advances 2020, Nature Communications 2020), and social behavior (Nature Neuroscience 2020, Nature Communications 2020), primarily using mouse models. His work has yielded groundbreaking insights into the neurobiological basis of circuit dysfunctions involved in neurodevelopmental disorders. His research has been widely published in leading journals such as Science, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, and Nature Communications. His work is supported by major funding agencies and foundations, including the NIMH, NIDA, NIA, NEI, the Eagles Autism Foundation, and the Severin Hacker Vision Fund. 

His scientific contributions have been recognized through numerous honors, including the One Mind Bipolar Research Award in 2020. He was elected a full member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology in 2021 and joined the editorial board of Science Advances, the flagship open-access journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), in 2022.


Appointments
  • 2024-present, Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Dual Appoinment)
  • 2024-present, Director, Department of Mental Disorder Research, NCNP (Dual Appointment)
  • 2022-24, Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • 2017-22, Associate Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • 2012-17, Assistant Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • 2006-2011, Postdoctoral Fellow, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (Takao Hensch Lab)
  • 2005-2006, Postdoctoral Fellow, RIKEN Brain Science Institute (Takao Hensch Lab), Japan
  • 2001-2005, Graduate School Program, Osaka University (Takeshi Yagi Lab), Osaka, Japan
  • 2000-2001, Psychiatry Residency Program (Director, Dr. Osamu Saitoh), National Hospital of Neurology and Psychiatry, Japan
  • 1994-2000, Medical School Program, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan


Awards & Honors
  • 2022-: Editorial Board (Associate Editor, Neuroscience), Science Advances
  • 2021-: Full Membership,  American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)
  • 2020: One Mind Bipolar Research Award
  • 2020-: Regular Member, NIH study section Neuroscience of Basic Visual Processes (NBVP)
  • 2016-: Associate Member, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)
  • 2015: Inaugural Faculty Innovative Collaborations-Idea Prize, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 
  • ​2012: Travel Award, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)


Funding
   Active
  • 2025-present: R01EY037134, National Eye Institute
  • 2024-present: R01 MH118297, National Institute of Mental Health
  • 2024-present: RF1 AG085887, National Institute of Aging
  • 2024-present: R34 DA061263, National Institute of Drug of Abuse (w Yasmin Hurd)
  • 2024-present: T32 MH135853, National Institute of Mental Health (w Scott Russo)
   
​  Completed
  • 2022-2024: SFARI pilot award
  • 2020-2023: R01 EY031009, National Eye Institute
  • 2019 - 2024: R01 MH119523, National Institute of Mental Health
  • 2019 - 2024: R01 MH120265, National Institute of Mential Health
  • 2021: Richard and Susan Friedman Research Scholar Award (with Dr. Rita Goldstein) 
  • 2019 - 2021: SFARI pilot award
  • 2017 - 2019: R21 NS105119 (BRAIN Initiative), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • 2017 - 2019: R21 EY026702, National Eye Institute
  • 2015 - 2021: R01 EY024918, National Eye Institute
  • 2015 - 2019: R01 EY026053, National Eye Institute
  • 2015 - 2017: R21 MH106919, National Institute of Mental Health
  • 2014,  2016, 2019:  Mindich Child Health & Development Institute Pilot Grant
  • 2013 - 2015: Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Awards, March of Dimes
  • 2012 - 2015: Research Grant, Whitehall Foundation
  • 2012 - 2014: Early Career-Starter Research Grant, Knights Templar Eye Foundation
  • 2012 - 2014: Young Investigator Award, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD)​
​