Thomas Roland Insel is an American neuroscientist, psychiatrist, entrepreneur, and author who led the National Institute of Mental Health from 2002 until November 2015. Prior to becoming Director of NIMH, he was the founding Director of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He has played a crucial role in advancing research on the neurobiology of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Insel's work has focused on elucidating the underlying neural mechanisms and developing innovative approaches for diagnosis and intervention.