How large of an issue is treatment non-adherence in the serious mental illness (SMI) population? How does therapeutic alliance influence treatment adherence? What are some effective strategies for improving medication adherence? Dr. Andrew Cutler interviews Dr. Peter Weiden to find answers to these questions and more! Peter J. Weiden, MD is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders. Dr. Weiden has a distinguished career spanning academia, clinical trials, and industry. His academic career included positions as Professor of Psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center from 1999-2007 and at UIC Medical Center from 2007-2014. Dr. Weiden served as Chief Medical Officer for Uptown Research in Chicago and continued as clinical investigator of new and emerging treatments for schizophrenia. His industry experience includes joining Alkermes to focus on development of new treatments for schizophrenia, including the long-acting formulation aripiprazole lauroxil and the combination product olanzapine/samidorphan. He joined Karuna Therapeutics in 2020 to support development of the investigational muscarinic agonist xanomeline-trospium, currently in phase 3 development for the treatment of schizophrenia. This year, Dr. Weiden returned to clinical practice and provides consulting and educational services via PJWeiden, LLC. His areas of expertise include drug development, clinical trials, and clinician education.