School of Medicine


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  • Stephanie Balters

    Stephanie Balters

    Instructor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences

    BioDr. Stephanie Balters is a neuroscientist, educator, and innovator dedicated to advancing team flourishing and excellence. She directs the Empowerment Neuroscience Lab in Stanford Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, serves as Director of Research at Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), and is Scientific Lead of the Stanford Belonging Project. Her research employs portable dual-brain neuroimaging (fNIRS hyperscanning) and advanced computational modeling to elucidate the neural and inter-brain signatures of high-impact, purpose-aligned teams. She also develops and tests targeted, evidence-based interventions that measurably strengthen connection, collaboration, and performance. Partnering across Stanford Medicine, the Graduate School of Business, and Stanford Athletics, Dr. Balters translates biomarkers of human connection into simple, repeatable practices that leaders can train and track over time—turning the neuroscience of connection into a practical engine for culture change. She also leads team-innovation workshops at Stanford, creating high-trust spaces that foster authenticity, alignment, and bold, measurable execution. Beyond academia, she serves as a Human Factors Specialist at NATO, converting neuroscience insights into actionable strategies for resilient, high-performing teams.

  • Daniel L. Bowling, PhD

    Daniel L. Bowling, PhD

    Assistant Professor (Research) of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences)

    BioDr. Bowling is Director of the Music, Brain & Health Lab at Stanford School of Medicine. His translational research harnesses the neural effects of music to develop personalized music-based treatments for health and wellness, with a particular focus on anxiety and depression in young adults. His approach integrates expertise in neuroscience, bioacoustics, music therapy, and psychiatry to apply insights from music's underlying biology to medicine.

    Dr. Bowling earned his PhD in Neurobiology from Duke University School of Medicine and holds graduate certificates in Cognitive Neuroscience and Translational Medicine. He has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including Science, PNAS, and Molecular Psychiatry. His research program has been supported by federal and private foundations including the National Institutes of Health, NeuroArts Blueprint, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

  • Jennifer L. Bruno

    Jennifer L. Bruno

    Instructor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Bruno is a translational researcher at the interface of developmental cognitive neuropsychology and neurobiology. An overarching goal of her work is to understand developmental windows of vulnerability—periods of risk for falling off the trajectory of typical brain development. Her research utilizes genetics, brain imaging, and deep behavioral phenotyping to bridge computational science with clinical knowledge, translating cutting-edge science to solve problems of great clinical need.