School of Medicine
Showing 1-20 of 53 Results
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Leslie Adams
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Public Mental Health) and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics
BioLeslie Adams, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Public Mental Health and Population Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she focuses on addressing mental health disparities among Black boys and men. As a behavioral scientist, her research emphasizes the role of structural racism, gender norms, and psychosocial stressors in influencing mental health outcomes. Dr. Adams employs mixed-methods approaches, including ecological momentary assessment and passive data sensing, to explore real-time stressors like racial discrimination and their link to depressive symptoms and suicidality. Prior to her role at Stanford, she served as an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and was a David E. Bell Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies.
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Ehsan Adeli
Assistant Professor (Research) of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Public Mental Health and Populations Sciences) and, by courtesy, of Computer Science and of Biomedical Data Science
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research lies in the intersection of Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Healthcare, Ambient Intelligence, and Computational Neuroscience.
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Steven Adelsheim
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioSteven Adelsheim, MD is a child/adolescent and adult psychiatrist who works to support community behavioral health partnerships locally, regionally, at the state level and nationally. He is the Director of the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Adelsheim has partnered in developing statewide mental health policy and systems, including those focused on school mental health, telebehavioral health, tribal behavioral health programs, and suicide prevention. For many years Dr. Adelsheim has been developing and implementing early detection/intervention programs for young people in school-based and primary care settings, including programs for depression, anxiety, prodromal symptoms of psychosis, and first episodes of psychosis. Dr. Adelsheim is also involved in the implementation of integrated behavioral health care models in primary care settings as well as the use of media to decrease stigma surrounding mental health issues. He is currently leading the US effort to implement the headspace model of mental health early intervention for young people ages 12-25 based in Australia. Dr. Adelsheim also leads the national clinical network for early psychosis programs called PEPPNET.
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Rania Awaad, MD
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsAs the Director of the Muslims and Mental Health Lab, Dr. Awaad is dedicated to creating an academic home for the study of mental health as it relates to the Islamic faith and Muslim populations. The lab aims to provide the intellectual resources to clinicians, researchers, trainees, educators, community and religious leaders working with or studying Muslims.
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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. -
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. -
Eve Carlson
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioEve Carlson is a Clinical Professor who focuses on fostering mental health after traumatic stress. She is a clinical psychologist and a researcher with the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder’s Dissemination and Training Division. Her primary interests are in measurement development and recovery after traumatic stress. She collaborates with faculty in Surgery (David Spain) and Medicine (Lisa Shieh) to study mental health of patients hospitalized after sudden, severe illness or injury, racial/ethnic disparities in traumatic stress risks and responses, screening for risk of mental health problems, and preventive mental health care. As PIs of a multi-center study funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Dr. Carlson and Dr. Spain and their collaborators have developed and validated a mental health risk screen for patients hospitalized after emergency care for acute illness or injury. Data from patients who identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander, Black, Latinx, Multiracial, and White were analyzed to inform screen development, and the screen accurately predicts later mental health outcomes within these ethnic/racial groups. Our research has also found disparities across ethnic/racial groups in several traumatic stress risk factors and mental health responses. Dr. Carlson is Co-PI with Dr. Shieh of a study funded by Stanford RISE comparing mental health recovery in Latinx and non-Latinx COVID-19 patients to recovery in patients hospitalized with other sudden, severe illness.
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Timothy Durazzo
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Public Mental Health and Population Sciences)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe mission of the Durazzo BRASS lab is to better understand how the interplay between biomedical, psychological and social factors influence treatment outcome in Veterans and civilians seeking treatment for alcohol and substance use disorders. To accomplish this mission, our multidisciplinary team integrates information from advanced neuroimaging, neurocognitive assessment, psychodiagnostic and genotyping methods to identify the biopsychosocial factors associated with relapse and sustained sobriety. Data from Veteran's Administration and Stanford funded Clinical trials are currently being analyzed by the BRASS lab to evaluate the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation techniques as novel complementary treatments to reduce the high rate of return to hazardous drinking experienced by individuals with alcohol and substance abuse disorders. The ultimate goal of our multidisciplinary research program is to promote the development of more effective biomedical and behavioral treatments for alcohol and substance use disorders through consideration of the brain biology, psychology and social circumstances of each individual.
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Cheryl Gore-Felton, Ph.D.
Walter E. Nichols, MD Professor in the School of Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy clinical focus is the treatment of anxiety disorders, including post traumatic stress disorder. My research focuses on developing effective psychotherapy interventions to reduce chronic stress as well as enhance positive health behaviors to reduce morbidity and mortality among patients coping with chronic, medical illnesses which are often life threatening.
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Heather Gotham
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Gotham’s research focuses on implementation science, including factors affecting implementation, and training and education of health care providers, across a range of evidence-based practices for adolescent and adult substance use and mental health disorders, co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, and screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT).
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Laura Michele Hack
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Public Mental Health and Population Sciences)
BioDr. Laura M. Hack is an Assistant of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (PAVAHCS). As Director of the Novel & Precision Neurotherapeutics Program at the Stanford Center for Precision Mental Health, Dr. Hack leads a translational, patient-centered research group that designs and implements mechanistic clinical trials for biologically informed subtypes of Mood, Anxiety, and Trauma-related Disorders (MATRDs).
Her work spans repurposed pharmacologic interventions (e.g., guanfacine), neuromodulation techniques (e.g., repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation [TMS]), and therapies involving altered states of consciousness (i.e., ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, and anesthesia-induced dreaming). Across these modalities, Dr. Hack's focus is on tailoring treatment based on objective, biologically anchored markers that match the patient’s profile.
Dr. Hack also directs the Stanford Translational Precision Mood Clinic (STeP-MC), a high-touch, high-tech consultation service designed to support individuals with a primary diagnosis of major depression and often comorbid MATRDs. This clinic integrates the investigational use of high-definition neuroimaging (personalized brain circuit scores) with symptom profiling, neurocognitive testing, pharmacogenomic analysis, inflammatory biomarkers, and standard blood work. The aim is to generate individualized insights that inform treatment decisions and help patients better understand the biological underpinnings of their condition—often reducing self-blame and empowering engagement in care.
In her role as Deputy Director as well as Ketamine and Education Lead of the Precision Neuromodulation Clinic (PNC) at PAVAHCS, Dr. Hack specializes in delivering evidence-based, FDA-cleared interventions including TMS and intranasal ketamine for Veterans experiencing treatment-resistant depression, frequently in the context of comorbid PTSD. -
Kate Hardy
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioKate Hardy is a California Licensed Psychologist who has specialized in working with individuals with psychosis for over 20 years in both research and clinical settings. Dr. Hardy received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom. She has worked in specialist early psychosis services in both the UK and the US, including UCSF’s Prodrome Assessment Research and Treatment (PART) program, where she completed her post-doctoral fellowship, and as Clinical Director for the Prevention and Recovery from Early Psychosis (PREP) program. Dr. Hardy is the co-director for the INSPIRE clinic at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Stanford University and has significant experience in providing CBTp to individuals with early psychosis, and those at risk of developing psychosis, in both individual and group settings and integration of this clinical intervention to broader systems and staff teams. Dr. Hardy is also involved in the implementation of national strategies to increase dissemination of early psychosis models with the aim of bringing these cutting edge treatments to a broader population and is the co-editor of the book Intervening Early: A team approach.
Dr. Hardy is also the director of INSPIRE training and within this role has led multiple trainings and workshops in CBTp to a wide variety of audiences including community clinicians, psychiatrists, and families, and provides ongoing supervision and consultation in this approach. INSPIRE training offers training in evidence based interventions for psychosis to providers across diverse settings. In 2024 Dr. Hardy became president elect for IEPA: Intervening Early in Mental Health. -
Keith Humphreys
Esther Ting Memorial Professor and Professor, by courtesy, of Health Policy
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Humphreys researches individual and societal level interventions for addictive and psychiatric disorders. He focuses particularly on evaluating the outcomes of professionally-administered treatments and peer-operated self-help groups (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous), and, analyzing the impact of public policies touching addiction, mental health, public health, and public safety.
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Alison Hwong
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Public Mental Health and Population Sciences)
BioMy research focuses on improving health outcomes for people with mental illness, including: physical health and premature mortality for people with serious mental illness, aging and living with psychosis, social determinants of mental health, and the mental health effects of climate change.
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Shaili Jain, MD
Adjunct Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
BioDr. Jain is a board certified psychiatrist with specialty expertise in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), primary and mental health integrated care, and women’s health psychiatry. She is a former health services researcher, affiliated with the National Center for PTSD, who focuses on developing innovative ways to enhance the reach of mental healthcare in underserved populations with PTSD. Her work is widely accredited for elucidating the role of paraprofessionals and peers in the treatment of American veterans with PTSD.
She serves as the Psychiatry representative on Stanford's Executive Committee of the Association of Adjunct Clinical Faculty (AACF) and is also a council member for the Adjunct Clinical Faculty (ACF) council in Stanford's department of psychiatry. She is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. Jain is an internationally recognized leader in communicating to the public about trauma and PTSD. Her posts for her Psychology Today blog on PTSD, In the Aftermath of Trauma, have been viewed over 350,000 times. Her acclaimed debut non-fiction trade book, The Unspeakable Mind: Stories of Trauma and Healing from the Frontlines of PTSD Science (Harper, 2019), was nominated for a National Book Award, and her essays and commentaries on trauma and PTSD have been presented by the BBC, CNN, The New York Times, STAT, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, USA Today, TEDx, public radio, and others -
Debra Lee Kaysen
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Public Mental Health and Population Sciences)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMuch of my current research focus is on the development of testing of accessible, scaleable, and effective treatments for trauma-related disorders and related comorbidities (e.g. substance use disorders, HIV, mood disorders). This work has focused on addressing trauma-related disorders especially in underserved populations and settings. This includes research in rural communities, with Native American communities, and with sexual minorities. My research has had a strong impact on building an evidence base on adaptations of psychotherapies for PTSD and substance use disorders for diverse populations both within and outside the United States. Our findings demonstrate that complex cognitive behavioral psychotherapies like Cognitive Processing Therapy can be culturally adapted and delivered in challenging settings (conflict settings, high poverty environments) with significant and lasting change in PTSD, depression, and functioning. This has led to work adapting CPT for diverse populations within the United States (rural Native Americans, urban Latinos) and outside of it (Iraq, DRC). Other research has focused on treatment for PTSD/SUD. My research has also found support for the use of brief telehealth interventions to build treatment engagement and to reduce drinking among trauma-exposed populations. In addition, my work has been critical in testing the feasibility of novel trauma-focused interventions for use by those with PTSD and SUD, thus paving the road for more rigorous research studies.
Current PI'ed research studies include: 1) developing and evaluating a brief motivational interviewing intervention designed to increase treatment-seeking among military personnel with untreated PTSD; a two-arm randomized comparative effectiveness trial to evaluate prevention of HIV/STI sexual risk behavior by addressing PTSD through Narrative Exposure Therapy or substance use through Motivational Interviewing among Native American men and women with PTSD; and 3) a comparison of outcomes among patients randomized to initially receive pharmacotherapy or Written Exposure Therapy delivered in primary care as well as comparing outcomes among patients randomized to treatment sequences (i.e., switching and augmenting) for patients who do not respond to the initial treatment.