Robert L. Dufresne, PhD, BCPS, BCPP

Associate Professor of Pharmacy
University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy
Psychiatric Pharmacotherapy Specialist
Providence VA Medical Center

Robert Dufresne, PhD is an associate professor of pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and a psychiatric pharmacotherapy specialist at the Providence VA Medical Center. His educational background includes pharmacy degrees, certifications as a pharmacotherapy specialist and as a psychiatric pharmacist, as well as earned doctorates in both pharmacology and psychology.

Dr. Dufresne is engaged in teaching psychiatric and neurologic pharmacotherapy to students of pharmacy, nursing, medicine, and assorted allied health fields. He also is an active member of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) and is currently honored to be serving on their board of directors. In addition to these activities, he provides clinical service at the Providence VAMC to psychiatric outpatients while often providing consults for inpatients as well. His research over the course of his career has included work in the pharmacotherapy of affective disorders, depression in schizophrenia, antipsychotic pharmacotherapy, mood disorders in the elderly, brain reward mechanisms, and schizophrenic typology. Over the past decade, Dr. Dufresne has focused much of his attention researching the effects of novel antipsychotics on metabolic disorders, and has published extensively in the area of antipsychotic induced dyslipidemia.