Donovan T. Maust, M.D., M.S., is a geriatric psychiatrist and health services researcher. His lab focuses on two primary areas of research interest. First, understanding both the drivers and consequences of potentially inappropriate psychotropic use among older adults, focusing on benzodiazepines and antipsychotics. In addition, Dr. Maust's research explores factors that drive the health care use of persons living with dementia, particularly the role of care partners, where one is present. 

Dr. Maust is one of the few fellowship-trained geriatric psychiatrist health services researchers in the country. Given this training and his clinical experiences, he is interested in understanding how care “in the real world” is delivered to older adults with cognitive or mental health problems, and what can be done to improve it. For example, as a resident psychiatry trainee, he was struck by the number older adults he saw who were on a large number of potentially inappropriate psychotropic medications—so understanding what contributes to and then working to reduce such prescribing has turned into one of his primary research and clinical interests.