School of Medicine
Showing 1-20 of 50 Results
-
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 committed to advancing team flourishing and purpose-driven innovation. As Director of the Empowerment Neuroscience Lab at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dr. Balters employs cutting-edge neuroimaging and computational methods to uncover how adverse experiences, cultural influences, and societal expectations shape emotional reactivity, cognition, and behavior within teams. Her research identifies barriers to trust, collaboration, and innovation, while developing evidence-based interventions to unlock human potential and foster thriving, high-impact teams. As a Human Factors Specialist at NATO, Dr. Balters translates her research into actionable insights, empowering leaders to build resilient, high-performing teams that drive purpose-driven innovation. Dr. Balters also leads team innovation workshops at Stanford University, fostering authenticity, trust, and alignment to inspire transformative ideas for team science and business. With a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering Design, Dr. Balters has held roles at Stanford’s Center for Design Research and the Computer Science Department before joining the School of Medicine.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Michele Berk
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).
-
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.