Aimee Danielson, PhD, is founding Director of the Women’s Mental Health Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.  She is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics & Gynecology in the Georgetown School of Medicine.  In 2008, she founded the Women’s Mental Health Program at MedStar Georgetown in response to a critical need for specialized perinatal mental health care in the DC Metro region. This program has provided specialized outpatient psychiatric care for pregnant and postpartum individuals to more than 3,500 mothers since it opened.  Across MedStar, her work has led to maternal depression screening across various in and outpatient settings and the implementation of integrated behavioral health initiatives in obstetrics prioritizing racial equity in perinatal mental healthcare through the Safe Babies Safe Moms initiative at MedStar Georgetown & MedStar Washington Hospital Center.  She enjoys and actively participates in the education of medical providers to increase awareness and share evidence-based practices in perinatal mental health screening, prevention, and treatment. Most recently, her advocacy and programmatic work has led to the creation of the Mother-Baby Intensive Outpatient Program, the regions first program offering intensive psychiatric treatment for pregnant and postpartum individuals that centers the mother-baby relationship.

Dr. Danielson is a founding member of the DC Metro Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative and an active member of several local maternal mental health initiatives, including serving as Co-Chair of the inaugural DC Perinatal Mental Health Taskforce, efforts focused on expanding the capacity of mental health providers to treat perinatal mental health disorders across Washington DC and serve as an advocate for both perinatal mental health awareness and increased access to high quality trauma-informed mental health care for birthing people. 

Dr. Danielson is a Founding Board Member and the current Vice Chair of the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance (MMHLA), whose national-level advocacy resulted in the authorization and funding of the first-ever federally funded national maternal mental health hotline and expansion of federal funds for states to develop programs that expand access to mental health services for mothers and childbearing individuals.

For more than 20 years as a national leader in maternal mental health, Dr. Danielson has shared her expertise through the development of academic curricula, as an invited lecturer at conferences, and a speaker community events in order to both sound the alarm and offer solutions on issues to perinatal mental health and women’s wellness.