Ainsley Burke, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University. She is a Co-Investigator in the Conte Center for Suicide Prevention, Clinical Evaluation Core 2.

Dr. Burke received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. She received both her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the New School for Social Research. Dr. Burke joined the department in 1997 after completing her internship at the Brooklyn, VA Medical Center.

Research Focus

Dr. Burke’s interests include an emphasis on the diagnostic process and suicidal behavior. She is in charge of training clinicians on a variety of instruments and she provides direct clinical supervision to the clinical assessors.

Select Publications

1. Venezia RG, Gorlyn M, Burke AK, Oquendo MA, Mann JJ, Keilp JG. The impact of
cognitive reserve on neurocognitive performance in Major Depressive Disorder.
Psychiatry Res. 2018 Dec;270:211-218. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.09.031. Epub
2018 Sep 15. PubMed PMID: 30267985.

2. Parris MS, Marver JE, Chaudhury SR, Ellis SP, Metts AV, Keilp JG, Burke AK,
Oquendo MA, Mann JJ, Grunebaum MF. Effects of anxiety on suicidal ideation:
exploratory analysis of a paroxetine versus bupropion randomized trial. Int Clin
Psychopharmacol. 2018 Sep;33(5):249-254. doi: 10.1097/YIC.0000000000000225.
PubMed PMID: 29864037; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6066420.

3. Fornaro M, Grunebaum MF, Burke AK, Mann JJ, Oquendo MA. Comparison of familial
and non-familial suicidal behaviors among people with major depressive disorder:
Testing the discriminative predicting role of high-yield clinical variables. J
Psychiatr Res. 2018 Jul;102:118-122. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.02.021. Epub
2018 Feb 23. PubMed PMID: 29635115.

4. Parris MS, Grunebaum MF, Galfalvy HC, Andronikashvili A, Burke AK, Yin H, Min
E, Huang YY, Mann JJ. Attempted suicide and oxytocin-related gene polymorphisms.
J Affect Disord. 2018 Oct 1;238:62-68. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.05.022. Epub 2018
May 17. PubMed PMID: 29860184.

5. Grunebaum MF, Galfalvy HC, Choo TH, Keilp JG, Moitra VK, Parris MS, Marver JE,
Burke AK, Milak MS, Sublette ME, Oquendo MA, Mann JJ. Ketamine for Rapid
Reduction of Suicidal Thoughts in Major Depression: A Midazolam-Controlled
Randomized Clinical Trial. Am J Psychiatry. 2018 Apr 1;175(4):327-335. doi:
10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17060647. Epub 2017 Dec 5. PubMed PMID: 29202655; PubMed
Central PMCID: PMC5880701.

6. Keilp JG, Ellis SP, Gorlyn M, Burke AK, Oquendo MA, Mann JJ, Grunebaum MF.
Suicidal ideation declines with improvement in the subjective symptoms of major
depression. J Affect Disord. 2018 Feb;227:65-70. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.09.018.
Epub 2017 Sep 19. PubMed PMID: 29053977.

7. Marver JE, Galfalvy HC, Burke AK, Sublette ME, Oquendo MA, Mann JJ, Grunebaum
MF. Friendship, Depression, and Suicide Attempts in Adults: Exploratory Analysis
of a Longitudinal Follow-Up Study. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2017
Dec;47(6):660-671. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12329. Epub 2017 Feb 17. PubMed PMID:
28211091.

8. Oquendo MA, Galfalvy H, Sullivan GM, Miller JM, Milak MM, Sublette ME,
Cisneros-Trujillo S, Burke AK, Parsey RV, Mann JJ. Positron Emission Tomographic
Imaging of the Serotonergic System and Prediction of Risk and Lethality of Future
Suicidal Behavior. JAMA Psychiatry. 2016 Oct 1;73(10):1048-1055. doi:
10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.1478. PubMed PMID: 27463606.

9. John Mann J, Ellis SP, Currier D, Zelazny J, Birmaher B, Oquendo MA, Kolko DJ,
Stanley B, Melhem N, Burke AK, Brent DA. Self-Rated Depression Severity Relative
to Clinician-Rated Depression Severity: Trait Stability and Potential Role in
Familial Transmission of Suicidal Behavior. Arch Suicide Res. 2016 Jul
2;20(3):412-25. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2015.1033504. Epub 2016 Apr 4. PubMed PMID:
27046009.

10. Keilp JG, Stanley BH, Beers SR, Melhem NM, Burke AK, Cooper TB, Oquendo MA,
Brent DA, John Mann J. Further evidence of low baseline cortisol levels in
suicide attempters. J Affect Disord. 2016 Jan 15;190:187-192. doi:
10.1016/j.jad.2015.10.012. Epub 2015 Oct 23. PubMed PMID: 26519639.

11. Oquendo MA, Ellis SP, Chesin MS, Birmaher B, Zelazny J, Tin A, Melhem N,
Burke AK, Kolko D, Greenhill L, Stanley B, Brodsky BS, Mann JJ, Brent DA.
Familial transmission of parental mood disorders: unipolar and bipolar disorders
in offspring. Bipolar Disord. 2013 Nov;15(7):764-73. doi: 10.1111/bdi.12107. Epub
2013 Aug 5. PubMed PMID: 23909952; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3855182.

12. Oquendo MA, Turret J, Grunebaum MF, Burke AK, Poh E, Stevenson E, Mann JJ,
Galfalvy H. Sex differences in clinical predictors of depression: a prospective
study. J Affect Disord. 2013 Sep 25;150(3):1179-83. doi:
10.1016/j.jad.2013.05.010. Epub 2013 Jun 2. PubMed PMID: 23735213; PubMed Central
PMCID: PMC3759613.

13. Keilp JG, Grunebaum MF, Gorlyn M, LeBlanc S, Burke AK, Galfalvy H, Oquendo
MA, Mann JJ. Suicidal ideation and the subjective aspects of depression. J Affect
Disord. 2012 Sep;140(1):75-81. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2012.01.045. Epub 2012 Mar 9.
PubMed PMID: 22406338; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3375058.

14. Oquendo MA, Galfalvy HC, Currier D, Grunebaum MF, Sher L, Sullivan GM, Burke
AK, Harkavy-Friedman J, Sublette ME, Parsey RV, Mann JJ. Treatment of suicide
attempters with bipolar disorder: a randomized clinical trial comparing lithium
and valproate in the prevention of suicidal behavior. Am J Psychiatry. 2011
Oct;168(10):1050-6. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.11010163. Epub 2011 Jul 18.
Erratum in: Am J Psychiatry. 2012 Feb;169(2):223. PubMed PMID: 21768611; PubMed
Central PMCID: PMC3767999.

15. Burke AK, Galfalvy H, Everett B, Currier D, Zelazny J, Oquendo MA, Melhem NM,
Kolko D, Harkavy-Friedman JM, Birmaher B, Stanley B, Mann JJ, Brent DA. Effect of
exposure to suicidal behavior on suicide attempt in a high-risk sample of
offspring of depressed parents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010
Feb;49(2):114-21. PubMed PMID: 20215933; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2915586