About Me

Deanna L. Kelly, PharmD, BCPP

Dr. Deanna L. Kelly is an internationally recognized expert, researcher and clinician specializing in new treatments for people with mental health conditions.  With 27 years of experience in clinical trials, particularly in people with psychotic disorders and schizophrenia, Dr. Kelly has led the field of psychiatry with studying more holistic science-based approaches with dietary interventions and supplemental treatments.

She is one of the leading experts in understanding the role of gluten and mental health, studies the gut microbiome in connection to brain function and behavior, has tested dietary interventions for improving psychiatric symptoms such as luteolin, prebiotics, ashwagandha, and gluten free diets and is helping to advance the field of metabolic psychiatry with advocating and studying ketogenic diets for mental health conditions. She strongly believes that diet has the potential to help improve mental health conditions and has NIH funded science demonstrating her results. 

She is also an expert in the use of an underused medication clozapine with over 50 publications, national advocacy and has briefed both Congress and the Food and Drug Administration on this topic.     

Dr. Kelly is the Dr. William and Carol Carpenter Professor of Psychiatry for Mental Illness Research at University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine. She is also the Director of the prestigious Maryland Psychiatric Research Center located in Baltimore, Maryland.

With over 240 published peer reviewed scientific papers, 20 books and chapters and over 190 invited lectures under her belt, she has helped to shape treatment guidelines and evidence-based care.  She has been awarded the Maltz Prize for Innovative and Promising Schizophrenia Research by the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, the Judith J. Saklad Memorial Award by the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP) and named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women.  Additionally, she has been given several other honors such as the G. Van Greene Distinguished Lecturer at Mercer University, fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) and designated a prominent MPower Professor in Maryland.

Additionally, her work and scientific expertise has been featured in the New York Times, National Geographic, National Public Radio (NPR) online, Women’s Day Magazine, Gluten-Free Living, MedPage Today, Vice Media, Clinical Psychiatry News, Psychiatric News, Metabolic Mind, and Medscape Medical News.