40 Under 40: Alex Rothbaum

Dr. Alex Rothbaum’s commitment to bettering mental health seems to be present in every part of his life.

Having trained to be a fully translational researcher- from bench to population, including a Master of Public Health (MPH, focused on urban health and social determinants of health) and a PhD in Clinical Psychology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, he is now the Inaugural Director of Research and Outcomes at Skyland Trail, a non-profit specializing in the delivery of evidence-based psychiatric treatment in intensive settings.

He’s also engaged in similar charitable pursuits, such as being on the Steering Committee of the Arts + Health Laboratory at Woodruff Arts Center, which links Georgia to the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative.

“Arts are good for people, they’re good for your brain. They’re not necessarily curative, that’s not what we’re saying, but it’s good for wellness, it’s good for well-being, it’s good for connection, and all of that is good for mental health.”

He has taken this towards the next generation as well, with the Elementary Pediatric Health Initiative, “working with a lot of the medical students to go into underserved schools in the Atlanta area to help teach evidence based health curriculum, so that we can help give students in these under resourced environments some of the best skills we can so they can build and lead healthy lives.”

Rothbaum is an active member of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium PTSD working group (PGC-PTSD, and was awarded the prestigious American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Travel Award twice, in 2024 and 2025.

He credits his values to Judaism, and especially his community at Beth Shalom.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t credit Rabbi Mark Zimmerman for continually reinforcing that Judaism is present for and inclusive of all Jews.”