Steven G. Sugden

Steven G. Sugden, MD, MPH, MSS

Languages spoken: English, Spanish

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Psychiatry

Divisions: Adult Psychiatry

Academic Office Information

S.Sugden@m.cc.utah.edu

Board Certification

  • American Board of Addiction Medicine
  • American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Psychiatry)
  • American Board of Preventive Medicine (Addiction Medicine)
  • American Board of Disaster Medicine
  • American Board of Lifestyle Medicine

Steve Sugden, MD, MPH, MSS, Associate Professor (Clinical), earned his medical degree at University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, UT. He completed a Psychiatry Residency program at University of California, Davis in Sacramento, CA. More recently, he completed a MPH at University of California, Berkeley and a MSS at U.S. Army War College. Dr. Sugden is board certified in Psychiatry by the ABPN, Addiction Medicine by the ABPM, Disaster Medicine by the APPS, Lifestyle Medicine by the ABLM and is a Colonel in the US Army Reserves. His interests include addiction medicine, lifestyle medicine, military and veteran medicine, disaster psychiatry and education. Before joining the Psychiatry faculty, he worked for ten years in residential, inpatient, private practice settings, and Veteran Affairs in Texas, North Carolina, and California. Dr. Sugden is excited to be a part of the team of excellent faculty, residents, and staff at the University of Utah Huntsman Mental Health Institute where he serves as the Associate Training Director for the Addiction Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Fellowships.

Education History

Undergraduate University of Utah
 BA
Professional Medical University of Utah School of Medicine
 MD
Residency University of California, Davis Medical Center
 Resident
Graduate Training University of California, Berkeley
 MPH
Other Training United States Army War College
 MSS

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Merlo G, Sugden SG, Rosenfeld RM, Baron D, Karlsen MC, Keyes SA, McHugh JP, Miller LA, Nemeroff CB, Ramas ME, Staffier KL, Williams KA, Wilson KP, Wong WT, Viswanathan (2026). Lifestyle Interventions for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): An Expert Consensus Statement From the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. American journal of lifestyle medicine,
  2. Merlo G, Sugden S (2025). The Power of Lifestyle Psychiatry: A New Approach to Mental Health. American journal of lifestyle medicine,
  3. Merlo G, Porter-Stransky KA, Sugden SG, Roy K, Hirschberg A, Smalls-Mantey A, Agrawal A, Bahekar P, Buckholz A, Beck J, Rivera HC, Carroll NA, Carey T, Ridout KK, Fung WLA, Hopper K, ljeaku I, Lee W, Madaan V, Nagarajan R, Penumetcha V, Pereira-Sanchez V, Patel A, Ridout SJ, Ryzar E, Somers J, Taneja K, Verma D, Wong WT, Ramaswamy V, Baron (2025). Executive Summary of the APA Lifestyle Psychiatry Workgroup Report. The American journal of psychiatry, 182(9), 885-887.
  4. Merlo G, Snellman L, Sugden S (2025). Connectedness: The Updated and Expanded Pillar of Lifestyle Psychiatry. American journal of lifestyle medicine,
  5. Sugden S (2025). Avoidance of toxic exposure as a lifestyle intervention in psychiatric practice. Psychiatric annals, 55(7),
  6. Marshall S, Patel P, Anand R, Artz K, Collins A, Grega M, Gulati M, Hemmingson TA, Mansfield S, Nathan A, Pauly K, Sugden SG, Tivnan V, Wilson A, Staffier K (2025). Lifestyle Medicine as a Framework for High-Value Care: A Position Statement From the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. American journal of lifestyle medicine,
  7. Merlo, G, Batchnel G, Sugden S (2024). Gut Microbiota, Nutrition and Mental Health. Frontiers in nutrition,
  8. Merlo G, Sugden SG, Viswanathan (2024). Lifestyle Psychiatry: Evidence-Based Lifestyle Interventions for Mental and Physical Health. The Psychiatric times,
  9. Sugden SG, Merlo (2024). Using lifestyle interventions and the gut microbiota to improve PTSD symptoms . Frontiers in neuroscience, 18,
  10. Nakaishi L, Sugden SG, Merlo (2022). Primary Care at the Intersection of Lifestyle Interventions and Unhealthy Substance Use. American journal of lifestyle medicine,
  11. Lavenex P, Sugden SG, Davis RR, Gregg JP, Lavenex PB (2011). Developmental regulation of gene expression and astrocytic processes may explain selective hippocampal vulnerability. Hippocampus, 21(2), 142-9.
  12. Hilty DM, Bourgeois JA, Sugden SG, Chang CH, Servis ME, Alsaadi T (2005). An integrated neuropsychiatric approach to diagnosis and management of patients with epileptic seizures. Current treatment options in neurology, 7(5), 389-402.
  13. Kile SJ, Bourgeois JA, Sugden SG, Chang CH, Servis ME, Hilty D (2005). Neurobehavioral Sequelae of Traumatic Brain Injury. The Psychiatric times, XXIV, 42-46.
  14. Sugden SG, Zirpel L, Dietrich CJ, Parks T (2002). Development of the specialized AMPA receptors of auditory neurons. Journal of neurobiology, 52(3), 189-202.
  15. Ravindranathan A, Donevan SD, Sugden SG, Greig A, Rao MS, Parks T (2000). Contrasting molecular composition and channel properties of AMPA receptors on chick auditory and brainstem motor neurons. The Journal of physiology, 523 Pt 3, 667-84.
  16. Merlo G, Sugden S Developing Resiliency through Lifestyle Interventions. Global Mental Health & Psychiatry Review, 5(1), 11-12.
  17. Sugden, SG, Merlo Is Improving Connectedness the Missing Link to Substance Use Disorders Treatment?. American journal of lifestyle medicine,

Review

  1. Sugden SG, Merlo G, Manger (2024). Strengthening Neuroplasticity in Substance Use Recovery Thrugh Lifestyle Intervention. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 18(5), 648-656.
  2. Sugden SG, Merlo G, Manger (2024). Can Lifestyle Medicine Improve Global Health?. Academia Mental Health and Well Being, 1(1),
  3. Sugden SG, Merlo (2024). What do Climate Change, Nutrition, and the Environment Have to do With Mental Health. American journal of lifestyle medicine,
  4. Abascal L, Vela A, Sugden S, Kohlenberg S, Hirschberg A, Young A, Lane K, Merlo (2022). Incorporating Mental Health Into Lifestyle Medicine. American journal of lifestyle medicine, https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276221084250.
  5. Sugden SG, Kile SJ, Hendren RL (2006). Neurodevelopmental pathways to aggression: a model to understand and target treatment in youth. [Review]. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci, 18, (3), 302-17.
  6. Sugden SG, Corbett B (2006). Psychiatric comorbidities of autism spectrum disorders. Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.), 12(5), 47-59.

Book Chapter

  1. Price RJ, Sugden S (2025). Chapter 18: Military Medical Professionalism.
  2. Sugden SG, Merlo (2025). Chpater 16: LM Disease-Specific Applications - Mental Health. Depression and Anxiety.
  3. Merlo G, Sugden SG, Abascal (2024). Chapter 82: Overview of Lifestyle Psychiatry.
  4. Sugden SG , Merlo G, Bachtel (2023). Chapter 28, Bipolar Disorder.
  5. Merlo G, Sugden S (2023). Chapter 5: Trauma Considerations.

Conference Proceedings

  1. LeRoy B, Williams Sr KA, Abdul-Rahman S, Anderson K, Dalal M, Frates E, Gulati M, Iyengar NM, Joshi S, Kalantar-Zadeh K, Laster J, Melina V, Merlo G, Pasricha S, Patel J, Sugden SG, Tierney A, Zazulak B (2024). Proceeding Summaries of the 15th Conference of the Plant-based Prevention Of Disease Nonprofit: Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine. 6(1),
  2. Sugden SG, Lassche M, Farrell TW, Hobson-Rohrer W (2022). A Novel Disaster Medicine IPE Approach.
  3. Sugden SG, Kitchens C, Howell (2022). Expanding Health Professionals’ Addiction Education to Rural, Tribal and Underserved Communities.
  4. Dryden-Edward R, Hamarman S, Sugden SG, Gennaro KG, Combrink-Graham (2006). It takes a village: Assessing behavioral and psychiatric disorders in mentally retarded individuals.
  5. Fuchs L, Farchione TR, Giggie MA, Thomas P, Sugden S (2005). A Bitter Pill: Tailoring Medical Training to Fit Our Contemporary Psychiatric Practice.
  6. Sugden SG, Baron CA, Gregg JP, Lavenex (2005). Gene expression profile of the monkey hippocampal formation,.
  7. Sugden SG, Baron CA, Gregg JP, Lavenex (2005). Expression Patterns of Schizophrenia Candidate Genes within the Hippocampal Formation.

Case Report

  1. Johnson SP, Sugden SG, Bourgeois J (2007). A Major Event of Self-Mutilation in a Patient with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry, 21(1), 3.
  2. Sugden SG, Kile SJ, Farrimond DD, Hilty DM, Bourgeois J (2006). Pharmacological intervention for cognitive deficits and aggression in frontal lobe injury. NeuroRehabilitation, 21(1), 3-7.
  3. Sugden SG, Bourgeois JA, Kile SJ, Hilty D (2004). Neuroleptic malignant syndrome with dermatologic complications. Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 24(6), 676-8.
  4. Sugden SG, Bourgeois J (2004). Modafinil monotherapy in poststroke depression. Psychosomatics, 45(1), 80-1.

Letter

  1. Sugden SG, Bourgeois J (2005). Drs. Sugden and Bourgeois Reply. Psychosomatics, 46(1), 93-94.