School of Medicine


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  • Yu Zhang

    Yu Zhang

    Assistant Professor (Research) of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Public Mental Health and Population Sciences)

    BioDr. Yu Zhang's research operates at the intersection of AI, translational neuroscience, and precision medicine. His work focuses on unraveling the complex neurobiological mechanisms underlying cognitive deficits, behavioral dysfunctions, and therapeutic responses in mental health disorders. By integrating advanced machine learning techniques with multimodal brain imaging modalities (e.g., fMRI, DTI, EEG), Dr. Zhang aims to identify neural signatures that reveal the heterogeneity of mental disorders across individuals. A central goal of his research is the development and validation of robust neurobiomarkers to improve diagnostic accuracy, refine prognostic assessments, and guide personalized treatment strategies. His work systematically characterizes brain function and dysfunction to optimize therapeutic interventions, including pharmacological treatments, psychotherapy, and neurostimulation. He is particularly focused on conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, mood disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders, where individualized approaches are essential for improving patient outcomes.

    Dr. Zhang has received several grants including the R01, R21, and Alzheimer's Association AARG grant. Beyond foundational research, Dr. Zhang is committed to bridging the gap between computational innovation and clinical application. By collaborating with clinicians, neuroscientists, and engineers, he strives to translate data-driven insights into actionable tools for real-world healthcare settings. His long-term vision is to enable mental health diagnostics and treatment to be guided by objective, biologically grounded biomarkers, thereby enhancing quality of life and long-term outcomes for individuals with psychiatric and neurological conditions.

    The Stanford Precision NeuroIntelligence (SPNI) Lab, led by Dr. Zhang, is dedicated to advancing research in AI-driven neuroimaging and precision psychiatry. The lab develops and applies cutting-edge machine learning and deep learning methods to uncover neurobiological mechanisms associated with cognitive and behavioral dysfunctions, as well as treatment responses in mental health conditions. Its mission is to identify translational biomarkers that support precision diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted interventions for mood disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases.

  • Lindsey Zimmerman

    Lindsey Zimmerman

    Affiliate, Psych/Public Mental Health & Population Sciences

    BioLindsey Zimmerman, PhD, is a Clinical and Community Psychologist, and Implementation Scientist at the National Center for PTSD, Dissemination and Training Division of the Veterans Health Administration.

    Dr. Zimmerman is principal investigator of National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Veterans Health Administration (VA) research that enlists participatory system dynamics to increase timely patient access to evidence-based pharmacotherapy and evidence-based psychotherapy for depression, PTSD, alcohol and opioid use disorder. See https://mtl.how/team



    Active NIH Grants

    Participatory System Dynamics vs Audit and Feedback: A Cluster Randomized Trial of Mechanisms Of Implementation Change to Expand Reach of Evidence-Based Addiction and Mental Health Care (R01DA046651)

    The most common reasons Veterans seek VA addiction and mental health care is for help with opioid and alcohol misuse, depression and PTSD. Research evidence has established highly effective treatments that prevent relapse, overdose and suicide, but even with policy mandates, performance metrics, and electronic health records to fix the problem, these treatments may only reach 3-28% of patients. This study tests participatory business engineering methods to better meet the addiction and mental health needs of Veterans and the U.S. population.


    Participatory System Dynamics for Evidence-Based Addiction and Mental Healthcare (R21DA042198)

    Limited access and delays to high-quality, evidence-based mental health and addiction treatments can lead to patients getting too little or ineffective care and contribute to chronic patient impairment, relapse, and death by suicide or overdose. This study evaluates a system for resolving problems with patient flow and organization in health care systems, using electronic medical record systems and a high-level of input from healthcare leadership, frontline providers and patients.


    Active VA Grants

    Participatory System Dynamics vs Usual Quality Improvement: Is Staff Use of Simulation an Effective, Scalable and Affordable Way to Improve Timely Veteran Access to High-quality Mental Health Care? (I01HX002521)

    Participatory system dynamics (PSD) helps improve quality with existing resources, critical in mental health and all VA health care. PSD uses learning simulations to improve staff decisions, showing how goals for quality can best be achieved given local resources and constraints. We aim to significantly increase the proportion of patients who start and complete evidence-based care, and determine the costs of using PSD for improvement.


    National Responsibilities

    2019 National Institutes of Health, Center for Scientific Review
    Community Influences on Health Behavior (CIHB) Study Section

    2019-present VA Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) 
    QUERI/Health Services Research & Development, Scientific Merit Review Committee

    2019-present Emory University
    Prolonged Exposure Consultant Training Program Advisory Board

    2018-present National Institutes of Health
    Training Institute for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (TIDIRH)
    Mental Health Faculty Mentor

    2015-2017 National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program
    National Institute of Mental Health Clinical Research Review Committee



    Teaching Responsibilities

    Quality Improvement and Systems of Care Competencies
    Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Residency, Stanford University School of Medicine & VA Palo Alto Health Care System

    Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program Seminar
    VA Palo Alto research centers of the National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD), Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Care (MIRECC), and War-related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC).



    Open Science Resources for the Modeling to Learn Simulation Learning Program are available on GitHub at https://mtl.how and https://mtl.how/demo