School of Medicine
Showing 1-49 of 49 Results
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Sepideh Bajestan, MD, PhD
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsNeuropsychiatry
Functional Neurological Symptom Disorders, Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures
Group and Individual Psychotherapy
Impulse Control Disorders -
Jacob S. Ballon
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (General Psychiatry and Psychology)
BioJacob S. Ballon, M.D., M.P.H. specializes in the treatment of people with psychotic disorders including schizophrenia. He is the Co-Director of the INSPIRE Clinic at Stanford which provides interdisciplinary care for people experiencing psychosis. He is also the co-Division Chief for General Adult Psychiatry and Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Ballon completed his residency at Stanford in 2009 and a Schizophrenia Research Fellowship at Columbia University in 2011.
Dr. Ballon maintains an interest in understanding the connections between the brain and the rest of the body as relates to the manifestation and treatment of people who experience psychosis. He works closely with a diverse group of researchers throughout the university and technology community to investigate these connections. He has active projects investigating the metabolic implications of schizophrenia and of psychiatric medication including the association of antipsychotic medication with weight gain and insulin resistance. He also is an active investigator in clinical trials of new medications for the treatment of schizophrenia and the associated side effects of antipsychotic mediations.
In understanding the whole-body impact of psychiatric illness, Dr. Ballon also has an active interest in the role that exercise can play in psychiatric treatment. He is the site-principal investigator of an NIMH-funded clinical trial looking at the use of aerobic exercise to improve cognition in people with schizophrenia.
INSPIRE is an innovative interdisciplinary client-centered resource providing respectful evidence-based care to support people to achieve meaningful recovery from psychosis through collaborative partnership with individuals and their families while advancing knowledge and training for a new generation of providers. With a recovery-oriented philosophy, the clinic provides an array of services including psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and psychosocial evaluations. As a research clinic, they are focused on collaborating with multiple disciplines throughout the university to conduct clinical and basic science research including functional imaging, clinical trials, basic pathophysiology, and genetics. -
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. As Director of the Empowerment Neuroscience Lab in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, she employs advanced neuroimaging and computational methods to elucidate the neural and inter-brain signatures of high-impact, purpose-aligned teams. Her research identifies barriers to collaboration and develops targeted interventions to enhance connection, communication, and collective success. Beyond academia, Dr. Balters serves as a Human Factors Specialist at NATO, translating neuroscience into actionable strategies that help leaders cultivate resilient, high-performing teams. She also leads team innovation workshops at Stanford University, fostering authenticity, trust, and alignment to spark transformative ideas in science and business. With a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering Design, Dr. Balters previously held research roles at Stanford’s Center for Design Research and Computer Science Department before joining the School of Medicine.
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Fiona Barwick, PhD, DBSM
Clinical Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Sleep Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch interests focus on expanding sleep education, improving sleep health, optimizing treatment for circadian rhythm disorders, and adapting treatment for insomnia in populations where developmental, medical, psychiatric and cultural factors intersect.
Current research projects include developing and piloting integrated protocols for treating sleep problems that co-occur with medical conditions such as chronic pain or POTS. Ongoing collaborations include delivery of a CBTI protocol in Mandarin via telehealth to patients at Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in China. Past projects include investigation of the link between RLS and the gut microbiome and a survey of student sleep health. -
Nataly Beck, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioAs co-founder and co-director of La Clínica Latina, Dr. Nataly Beck is a psychiatrist who is passionate about providing culturally sensitive and compassionate care to patients, especially to those from the Latino community. Originally from Lima, Peru, she immigrated to the US with her family at a young age. She graduated from Yale School of Medicine and completed her psychiatry residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After her first year as an attending at Yale, she began her work at Stanford where she worked in the INSPIRE Clinic for individuals experiencing psychosis and then co-founded La Clínica Latina. She loves the Bay Area and her interests include salsa dancing, playing piano, and spending time with her family.
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Catherine Benedict, PhD
Clinical Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Medical Psychiatry
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research focuses on improving cancer survivorship through better understanding of long-term health outcomes and through the development of theoretically driven, evidence-based behavioral interventions to improve adjustment, risk management, and quality of life. To this end, I lead studies aimed to guide and support patient decision-making and self-management after cancer. Much of my work focuses on the experiences of young adults affected by cancer.
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Michele Berk, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Child Development)
On Partial Leave from 10/28/2024 To 10/27/2025Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe focus of my research is on adolescent suicidal and self-harm behavior. I am currently one of four Principal Investigators of a multisite NIMH-sponsored RCT of DBT for adolescents at high risk for suicide (NCT01528020: Collaborative Adolescent Research on Emotions and Suicide [CARES], PI: Linehan, McCauley, Berk, & Asarnow) aimed at evaluating the efficacy of DBT with adolescents compared to a combined individual and group supportive therapy control condition (IGST).
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Wendy J. Bernstein
Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioSenior Community Psychiatrist, Wellness Equity Alliance, Medical Director, Project ECHO and Telemedicine for Severe Mental Illness Track to support the Mental Health of SGBV survivors in Democratic Republic of Congo project. Past Associate Medical Director at Casa del Sol, specialty mental health clinic of La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland California from 2013 to July 2021. Previously at Kaiser Permanente, Northern California, from 2000 to 2013, and Contra Costa County Older Adults Clinics from 1995-2000. Graduate of McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Canada, and Boston University Psychiatry Residency. Interests include global health, community mental health, Latinx and underserved populations, women's health, and elder care.
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Mahendra T. Bhati
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Clinical Professor, NeurosurgeryBioDr. Bhati is an interventional psychiatrist with expertise in psychiatric diagnosis, psychopharmacology, and neuromodulation. He completed postdoctoral research studying language abnormalities and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) evoked potentials in schizophrenia. He was a principal investigator for the DSM-5 academic field trials, and his research experiences included roles in the first controlled clinical trials of TMS and deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment of depression. He was the founding Chief of Interventional Psychiatry at Stanford where he performs consultations and provides pharmacological and neuromodulatory treatments. His current research interests include studying magnetic resonance imaging and augmented reality to target TMS, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for treatment-resistant depression, DBS for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression, responsive neurostimulation (RNS) for treatment of impulse and fear-related disorders, and focused ultrasound (FUS) for treatment-resistant OCD and depression. Dr. Bhati seeks to train more providers in mental healthcare and founded a clinical fellowship in Interventional Psychiatry at Stanford.
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Apurva Bhatt
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioApurva Bhatt, M.D., is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. Her role spans the General Adult Psychiatry Division, Child Psychiatry Division, and Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Division.
Dr. Bhatt specializes in early psychosis evaluation and treatment. She is the Director of the Child INSPIRE clinic and currently provides clinical care in both the Lucile Packard Stanford Children’s Hospital Child INSPIRE early psychosis clinic and the Stanford Health Care INSPIRE clinic. She contributes to early psychosis program development in California (through EPI-CAL as the Psychiatric Provider Team Lead) and nationally (through PEPPNET). She is also co-chair of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Adolescent Psychiatry Committee and Early Psychosis work group.
Dr. Bhatt provides school clinical consultations for the Redwood City School District through the Stanford Redwood City Sequoia School Mental Health Collaborative. She also provides clinical consultations to schools in the Los Altos School district, and supervises child and adolescent psychiatry fellows providing consultation to Los Altos, Redwood City, Palo Alto, and Mountain View schools.
Dr. Bhatt’s research interests include early psychosis measurement instruments in pediatric populations, Asian American and South Asian youth mental health, and prevention of youth suicide by firearm. She enjoys teaching and mentoring students and trainees, and currently is a mentor through the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association's FLIPP program. -
Brandon Birckhead MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioBrandon Birckhead, MD, is an assistant clinical professor in Stanford psychiatry department. He is an attending in the virtual reality and immersive technology (VRIT) clinic. He completed his psychiatry residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He also was the first clinician to be hired at Apple as a VR/AR expert for the Vision Pro.
Dr. Birckhead earned his Bachelor of Biological Sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, graduating with the highest GPA in his class. He then obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, where he also contributed to the development of a new medical course on the science of healthcare delivery.
Dr. Birckhead spent three years as a project scientist at Cedars-Sinai in Dr. Brennan Spiegel’s lab, co-leading large clinical trials on at-home VR therapy for chronic pain. He also co-directed the Virtual Medicine conference—one of the largest in the field—and was lead author of a set of trial recommendations for clinical research in therapeutic VR. He further specialized in Health Delivery Science, earning a Master's degree from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where his capstone project focused on the cost-effectiveness of remote rehabilitation for total knee replacement using wearable sensors.
Throughout his career, Dr. Birckhead has held several influential roles, including Project Scientist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he helped design a virtual reality therapy clinic and supported VR pain reduction treatments. He also served as a consultant for AppliedVR, contributing to a pivotal randomized trial that achieved the first FDA breakthrough designation for a self-administered VR intervention for chronic low back pain.
Dr. Birckhead's leadership extends to his tenure as the Founding Chair of the VR/AR Association Digital Health Committee and Chair of VR-CORE, where he authored the first set of guidelines for immersive technology clinical trials along with Dr. Kim Bullock who is the director of the VRIT clinic here at Stanford. His commitment to advancing medical immersive technology research is evident in his numerous publications and presentations at prestigious conferences and webinars.
In addition to his academic and research endeavors, Dr. Birckhead is actively involved in teaching and mentoring. He has facilitated discussions and evaluated projects at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University. -
Celeste Birkhofer, PhD, PsyD
Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioDr. Celeste Birkhofer is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Adjunct Clinical Faculty member at Stanford School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Birkhofer teaches didactics and provides clinical supervision to the psychiatry residents, and she has a private practice in Portola Valley. Dr. Birkhofer's interests and special training include contemporary relational psychoanalysis, grief counseling, dialectic behavior therapy (DBT), life coaching, mindfulness, and couples counseling.
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Britney Blair, PsyD, DBSM, CST
Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Sleep Medicine
BioDr. Blair is a licensed clinical psychologist and is board certified in behavioral sleep medicine. Her clinical and research expertise are in behavioral medicine with specializations in sleep and sexual health. She has made numerous presentations, developed workshops, written chapters and published articles in the area of sleep and sexual medicine. Dr. Blair is a Stanford sleep consultant and is on the adjunct faculty at The Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine. She is also the Clinical Director of The Clinic.
Dr. Blair completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University Medical School and her pre-doctoral internship at the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System. Dr. Blair received her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Dr. Blair founded a successful business consulting firm. -
Helen M. Blau
Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation Professor, Director, Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Professor, by courtesy, of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsProf. Helen Blau's research area is regenerative medicine with a focus on stem cells. Her research on nuclear reprogramming and demonstrating the plasticity of cell fate using cell fusion is well known and her laboratory has also pioneered the design of biomaterials to mimic the in vivo microenvironment and direct stem cell fate. Current findings are leading to more efficient iPS generation, cell based therapies by dedifferentiation a la newts, and discovery of novel molecules and therapies.
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Daniel Michael Blonigen
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Public Mental Health and Population Sciences)
BioDr. Blonigen is a Research Career Scientist and an Associate Director at the Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System. He is also an Affiliate Investigator with the VA National Center for Homelessness Among Veterans, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine. He received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Minnesota and is a former VA Career Development Awardee. He is licensed as a clinical psychologist in the State of California.
Dr. Blonigen’s research mission is to identify and develop innovations to increase access and engagement in substance use and mental health care for vulnerable populations. In particular, he is interested in testing the effectiveness and implementation potential of mobile health and peer-based interventions for justice-involved and homeless veterans. He is currently leading or co-leading multisite trials of behavioral interventions for justice-involved and homeless veterans. He is also funded by VA Health Systems Research to tailor smartphone applications for self-management of unhealthy drinking for veteran primary care patients and use of peer specialists to increase patient engagement with these apps.
In addition to research, Dr. Blonigen is actively involved in mentoring and teaching VA research fellows and Stanford University residents. These roles include serving as a faculty mentor for the Stanford Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program and the Ci2i VA Palo Alto Training Program. He is a member of several VA management and oversight committees and has served as a grant reviewer for national and international funders. He is an invited speaker at national conferences and cyberseminars devoted to substance use and mental health research, and he holds editorial positions for leading addiction, personality, and assessment journals. -
Cara Bohon
Clinical Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Child Development
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interests have focused on the neural bases of eating disorders. I am particularly interested in the way emotion and reward is processed in the brain and how that may contribute to eating behavior and food restriction. I hope to eventually translate biological research findings into treatments.
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Mariya Borodyanskaya
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioDr. Mariya Borodyanskaya enjoys being part of the Stanford Team at Mills, an interdisciplinary team dedicated to supporting adolescents and their families in navigating the challenges of mental health crisis. She maintains a broad set of interests, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Psychotic Disorders and Juvenile Justice system reform. She also enjoys supervising and teaching the Stanford Child & Adolescent Psychiatry fellows.
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Daniel L. Bowling, PhD
Assistant Professor (Research) of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences)
BioDr. Daniel Bowling is Director of the Music and Brain Health Lab at Stanford School of Medicine. His translational research harnesses the neural effects of music to develop novel, music-based treatments for health and wellness, with a particular focus on anxiety and depression in young adults. His approach integrates interdisciplinary training in neuroscience, psychophysics, evolutionary biology, bioacoustics, psychiatry, and clinical science to establish a foundation for music in human biology that can serve as a rational basis for medical translation.
Dr. Bowling earned his PhD in Neurobiology from Duke University and holds graduate certificates in Cognitive Neuroscience and Translational Medicine. He has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including Science, PNAS, Molecular Psychiatry, Translational Psychiatry, PLOS Biology, and Trends in Cognitive Sciences. His work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the NeuroArts Blueprint, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, and the Austrian Science Fund. -
Christiane Brems, PhD, ABPP, ERYT500, C-IAYT
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioChristiane Brems, PhD, ABPP, RYT-500, C-IAYT, is the Founding Director of YogaX, a Special Initiative in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University in 1987. Dr. Brems is licensed as a psychologist in several US states and board-certified as a clinical psychologist by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). She is a registered yoga teacher (E-RYT500) and certified C-IAYT yoga therapist. She is also certified in Interactive Guided Imagery.
She began her career in academia at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She then served on faculty at the University of Alaska Anchorage for 23 years, where she held a variety of leadership positions, including as (Co-Founding) Director of the Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services, (Co-Founding) Director of the PhD Program in Clinical-Community Psychology, and Interim Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School. Most recently, she served for nearly six years as Dean and Professor of the School of Graduate Psychology (SGP) at Pacific University Oregon.
Dr. Brems has worked for decades as an applied researcher and clinical practitioner with particular interests in health promotion, rural healthcare delivery, and all things yoga. Her work has been funded by grants and contracts from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, and local and State of Alaska funding sources. She has shared her work extensively in over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles, 100s of technical reports, and several books, including the Comprehensive Guide to Child Psychotherapy (now in its 4th edition), Dealing with Challenges in Psychotherapy and Counseling, Basic Skills in Counseling and Psychotherapy, and others. Dr. Brems is committed to excellence in and integration of clinical services, teaching, consultation, and research.
Dr. Brems has integrated yoga, mindfulness, complementary interventions, and self-care strategies in her work as a consultant, author, dean, teacher, researcher, mentor, supervisor, colleague, and service provider. She values these practices as crucial aspects of day-to-day professional and personal life and seeks to enhance access to them for all who can benefit. -
Nicole Brooks
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioDr. Nicole Brooks is board certified in psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. She specializes in the treatment of mood disorders and serves as a forensic expert in criminal and civil cases. In her role as Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Brooks provides outpatient care in the depression and bipolar disorder clinics. She also serves as the Associate Program Director of the forensic psychiatry fellowship.
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Lisa Brown
Adjunct Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioLisa M. Brown, Ph.D., ABPP is an Adjunct Clinical Professor and member of the Human Rights in Trauma Mental Health program at Stanford University School of Medicine and Professor and Director of the Peace and Human Rights Lab at Palo Alto University. Her clinical and research focus is on trauma, resilience, human rights, refugees, and aging. As a researcher, she is actively involved in developing and evaluating health programs used nationally and internationally, drafting recommendations aimed at protecting vulnerable individuals and communities, facilitating the participation of key stakeholders, and improving access to resources and services.
Dr. Brown has been appointed to and has served on numerous local, state, and national boards and commissions. From 2007 to 2014, she served as the Assistant Clinical Director of Disaster Behavioral Health Services, Florida Department of Health where she helped write the state disaster behavioral health response plan, develop regional disaster behavioral health teams, and conduct program evaluations of the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) crisis counseling programs. From 2008 to 2011, Dr. Brown was appointed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary to the Disaster Mental Health Subcommittee of the National Biodefense Science Board Federal Advisory Committee, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, she contributed to the development of a national behavioral health response to disasters, terrorism, and pandemics. In 2020, she was appointed to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Coronavirus Commission on Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes.
Dr. Brown is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 20 and the Gerontological Society of America. She is the former President of the APA Division 20 Adult Development and Aging. She is the recipient of two Fulbright Specialist awards with the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica (2014) and with Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand (2015). -
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.
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Kim Bullock, MD
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDirector of Virtual Reality & Immersive Techology (VR-IT) Clinic and Lab.
Use of technology to understand the interaction of sensation, embodiment, and emotional/ behavioral regulation.
Virtual reality treatments as a sensory modulating device to treat disorders involving body image, sensation, and control. Exploration of the use of mirrored visual feedback while inhabiting a virtual avatar to treat pain and somatic symptom related disorders. -
Jonathan Burgess, MD, MPH
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioJonathan Burgess, MD, MPH is Clinical Assistant Professor in the Lifestyle Psychiatry Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is passionate about evidence-based lifestyle practices for psychiatric disorders. He has published two academic book chapters on diet and lifestyle interventions for psychiatric disorders. With over 30 publications and oral presentations, he is credited with nine Grand Rounds presentations, is a faculty presenter at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting and Harvard School of Public Health’s national conferences, as well as an invited speaker at major academic hospitals. Dr. Burgess is co-author of the Lifestyle Interventions for Depression module of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine certification course. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, received a Doctor of Medicine from Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and a Master of Public Health from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
