School of Medicine
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Leanne Williams
Vincent V.C. Woo Professor, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Major Laboratories and Clinical Translational Neurosciences Incubator) and, by courtesy, of Psychology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsA revolution is under way in psychiatry. We can now understand mental illness as an expression of underlying brain circuit disruptions, shaped by experience and genetics. Our lab is defining precision brain circuit biotypes for depression, anxiety and related disorders. We integrate large amounts of brain imaging, behavioral and clinical data and computational approaches. Biotypes are used in personalized intervention studies with selective drugs, neuromodulation and exploratory therapeutics.
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Nolan Williams
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Major Laboratories & Clinical Translational Neurosciences Incubator) and, by courtesy, of Radiology (Neuroimaging and Neurointervention)
BioNolan Williams, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab. The long-term goals of his research program are to develop innovative technologies and therapeutics capable of modulating the neural circuitry disrupted in mood disorders, OCD, and other neuropsychiatric conditions. His team has been developing neuroimaging-based approaches to precisely target therapeutic delivery and predict treatment responses to therapeutic neuromodulation and psychedelics. Dr. Williams earned his M.D. and completed his dual residencies in neurology and psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Triple board-certified in general neurology, general psychiatry, as well as behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry, Dr. Williams brings a comprehensive background in clinical neuroscience to his role as a clinically active neuropsychiatrist. His expertise extends to the development and implementation of novel therapeutics, including devices and novel compounds, for central nervous system illnesses.
Over the past decade, Dr. Williams’ laboratory alongside collaborators at Stanford University have pioneered multiple novel therapeutic and human neuroscience approaches. Notably, Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy (SAINT) is the world's first non-invasive, rapid-acting neuromodulation approach for treatment-resistant depression. SAINT received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation Status (2021) and FDA Clearance (2022) and is the first psychiatric treatment to be covered by Medicare New Technology Add-On Payment (NTAP). As of April 2024, SAINT has been reimbursed for patients suffering from severe depression within inpatient psychiatric units. The SAINT technology is being deployed both clinically and in research protocols in laboratories and hospitals worldwide. Dr. Williams also has an expertise in psychedelic medicines for neuropsychiatric illness and is the first investigator to conduct mechanistic clinical trials exploring the neurobiological effects of ibogaine.
His research accomplishments have garnered international recognition, earning prestigious awards from the Pritzker Neuropsychiatric Disorders Consortium, One Mind Institute, Wellcome Leap Foundation, International Brain Stimulation Conference, National Institute of Mental Health (Biobehavioral Research Award for Innovative New Scientists), Society of Biological Psychiatry (A. E. Bennett Award), along with multiple awards from the Brain Behavior Research Foundation (most notably the Gerald L. Klerman Award). His work has been featured in Scientific American, The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, CBS Sunday Morning, and the TODAY Show. -
Britt Wray
Instructor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioDr. Wray is the Director of CIRCLE at Stanford Psychiatry, a research and action initiative focused on Community-minded Interventions for Resilience, Climate Leadership and Emotional wellbeing in the Stanford School of Medicine. Before this she was a Human and Planetary Health Postdoctoral Fellow at the Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Her research focuses on the mental health impacts of climate change on young people ('emerging adults') and frontline community members, community-minded psychosocial support interventions, and public engagement for improved mental and planetary health. She is the author of two books; her latest Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Anxiety, is an impassioned generational perspective on how to stay sane amid climate disruption and was a finalist for the 2022 Governor General’s Award. She is the recipient of the 2023 Canadian Eco-Hero Award and top award winner of the National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications, given by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Her first book is Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics and Risks of De-Extinction (Greystone Books 2017) and was named a "best book of the year" by The New Yorker. Dr Wray holds a PhD in Science Communication from the University of Copenhagen. She has hosted and produced several science radio programs, podcasts and television programs for international broadcasters including the BBC and CBC, and she has spoken at TED and the World Economic Forum. She is the Founder of Gen Dread (gendread.substack.com), a newsletter about building courage and taking meaningful action on the far side of climate grief.
