School of Medicine
Showing 1-50 of 133 Results
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Jeesung Ahn
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research focuses on translating neuroscience into real-world solutions by leveraging brain function as a biomarker to advance precision in depression treatment and develop personalized approaches to mental and behavioral health care.
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Sonya Ashikyan
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioI develop and apply machine learning and computational neuroimaging methods to study brain aging and Alzheimer's disease progression. My research focuses on cognitive impairments and their neural correlates, predicting recovery trajectories following neural damage, and improving the precision of neurodiagnostic and prognostic tools.
I completed my Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where my research focused on traumatic brain injury. My work integrated multimodal neuroimaging with advanced statistical modeling and machine learning techniques to characterize neural injury across varying levels of severity. -
Muhammad Asim
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI am interested in investigating the cell type-specific and neural circuit mechanisms underlying emotional disorders. In particular, I strive to explore the neural mechanisms associated with psychedelic drugs, focusing on how these substances improve mood and exhibit antidepressant-like effects.
#Psychedelics #5HT2AR #striatum #amygdala #Depression&Anxiety -
Iyad Ba Gari
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioIyad Ba Gari, PhD, is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California, where his research focused on computational neuroimaging, diffusion MRI tractometry, quantitative imaging, imaging genetics, and large-scale population neuroimaging. His research centers on linking genes, brain structure, circuitry, and behavior using advanced neuroimaging, imaging genetics, and machine learning to understand the biological mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurological disorders. At Stanford, his work focuses on identifying brain and neurobehavioral signatures associated with genetic and molecular variation.
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Ellie Beam, MD, PhD
Clinical Scholar, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Postdoctoral Scholar, PsychiatryCurrent Research and Scholarly InterestsIn current research projects, my focus is applying large language models to derive latent speech signatures of depression circuit biotypes. This work aims to identify speech signatures which can deep understanding of brain circuit function and help predict response to interventional treatments, including emerging psychedelic therapies.
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Rebecca Bilden
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioRebecca Bilden, PhD, MSc is a T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in Pain and Substance Use at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she conducts research under the mentorship of Drs. Keith Humphreys and Brian Bateman. Dr. Bilden is a health services researcher and decision scientist whose work focuses on improving access to treatment for substance use disorders through evidence-based policy and simulation modeling. By integrating qualitative insights into models, she analyzes system dynamics and develops strategies to improve care delivery within complex healthcare systems.
Dr. Bilden earned her PhD in Health Services Research and Policy from the University of Pittsburgh, an MSc in Applied Data Science and Statistics from the University of Exeter, and a BA in Pure and Applied Mathematics from Boston University. Her current research focuses on evaluating opioid-related policies, improving treatment retention among people with substance use disorders, and expanding access to care in carceral settings. -
Christine Bird
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioDr. Bird received her PhD in Clinical Psychology and Quantitative Statistics from UCLA and completed her clinical psychology internship at the West Los Angeles VA. She is currently an NIH T32 Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford School of Medicine, working directly with Shannon Wiltsey Stirman in the CREATE Alacrity Center. Prior to academia, Dr. Bird worked in industry and nonprofit settings as a tech entrepreneur and business executive.
Dr. Bird's research focuses on the development and implementation of AI-enabled tools for behavioral health interventions. She examines how AI technologies can support therapist workflows, enhance fidelity to evidence-based practices, and improve mental health care delivery for both clinicians and paraprofessional providers. Dr. Bird is particularly interested in identifying sustainable pathways for translating academic innovations in digital mental health into real-world practice, with the goal of increasing equity and access to care. -
Adriel Brown
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioDr. Adriel Brown is a clinical neuroscientist and postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine where he employs electroencephalographic (EEG) methods to investigate the effects of creative arts therapies (e.g., art, dance/movement, drama, music, and poetry therapies) and mind-body practices, including mindfulness, meditation, spirituality, and yoga, on neurocognitive processes in individuals with psychiatric disorders.
At Teachers College, Columbia University, Dr. Brown completed his Ph.D. in Cognitive Science in Education (Area of Focus: Creativity and Cognition) and his M.S. in Neuroscience and Education (Award of Completion: Spirituality Mind Body). He is a former professional dancer and he completed his M.A. in Teaching Dance in Higher Education and the Professions (Concentration: Ballet Pedagogy) from New York University and his B.F.A. in Ballet (Minor: Arts Administration) from Texas Christian University. He is a Certified Teacher of the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum.
In addition to his appointment at Stanford University, Dr. Brown is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he teaches Social and Affective Neuroscience and Neuroscience, Ethics, and the Law. Previously, he was an instructor in the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York, where he taught Introduction to Neuroscience: Understanding the Brain and The Neuroscience of Psychiatric Disorders. -
Katie Cederberg
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioDr. Cederberg is a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University in the Mignot Lab, where she devotes her time to conducting research leveraging large datasets and machine learning approaches aimed at better understanding the relationship among genetics, proteomics and the presence and severity of symptoms related to sleep disorders. Her research further focuses on studying the effectiveness of exercise for managing symptoms of sleep disorders, primarily restless legs syndrome (RLS) and co-occurring conditions (e.g., periodic limb movements and insomnia). Her current research explores patients’ experiences with exercise and RLS, as well as the relationship between exercise and proteomic biomarkers of RLS. She received her PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and her dissertation used a series of methodological approaches to comprehensively examine the relationship between physical activity and RLS in adults who have multiple sclerosis. She is using her experience and training to develop a line of research for identifying the mechanism of action for the effect of exercise and informing exercise prescription parameters for managing symptoms of RLS.
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Allen Chen
Postdoctoral Medical Fellow, Psychiatry
Resident in Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesBioAllen Chen is a physician-scientist and resident in the Stanford Psychiatry Research Track, mentored by Drs. Robert Malenka and Liqun Luo. His research investigates serotonergic circuit mechanisms underlying social behavior and how early life stress alters neuromodulator system development, with a focus on understanding the neurodevelopmental basis of adolescent-onset psychiatric vulnerability. He completed his MD-PhD at Stony Brook University with Dr. Qiaojie Xiong, where his thesis work characterized how nigrostriatal dopamine modulates auditory perception and fear learning. His long-term goal is to establish an independent research program studying how early experiences become biologically embedded in neuromodulatory circuits, integrating systems and molecular neuroscience with clinical training in child and adolescent psychiatry.
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Igor D. Bandeira
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioIgor D. Bandeira, M.D., Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. With extensive experience in interventional psychiatry, Dr. Bandeira has led multiple clinical trials focused on noninvasive brain stimulation and rapid-acting antidepressants for psychiatric disorders in children, adolescents, and adults. He received the prestigious Professor Alfredo Thomé de Britto Award in recognition of his exceptional research achievements during his physician-scientist training at the Federal University of Bahia in Salvador, Brazil.
As part of his medical training, Dr. Bandeira also studied at the University of Sydney (Australia) on a Science Without Borders Scholarship, where he enhanced his clinical and research skills at the university’s Brain and Mind Centre. Upon returning to Brazil, he gained valuable clinical experience as an attending physician with the Brazilian Ministry of Health and worked on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Stanford, working with Dr. Nolan R. Williams, Dr. Bandeira led the Wellcome LEAP trial on accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy) to treat anhedonic depression. Alongside Dr. Alan F. Schatzberg, he is co-leading a trial supported by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, evaluating the efficacy and safety of buprenorphine in sustaining the antisuicidal effects of ketamine. His work centers on developing personalized therapeutics for treatment-resistant depression, bipolar depression, and suicidal behavior.
Looking ahead, Dr. Bandeira plans to apply for psychiatry residency programs in the United States to advance his career in academic psychiatry and clinical research. -
Emily Ferguson, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioEmily Ferguson, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral academic researcher and clinician within Stanford University’s Autism and Developmental Disorders Research Program (https://med.stanford.edu/autism.html) within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara and completed her clinical internship at the University of California Los Angeles. Dr. Ferguson's research focuses on advancing understanding of mechanisms of challenging behaviors in autistic youth and adults to inform treatment development. Her work takes a comprehensive perspective, integrating methods from implementation science to improve the accessibility and quality of clinical care for underserved autistic populations, especially those with higher support needs (or "profound autism"). She is also interested in developing methods to improve self-regulation in individuals with profound autism to effectively manage self-injurious behaviors and aggression. Dr. Ferguson is currently supporting research in the Preschool Autism Lab (https://med.stanford.edu/autismcenter/pre-school-autism-lab-program.html), and exploring profiles of challenging behaviors with the Program for Psychometrics and Measurement-Based Care (https://med.stanford.edu/sppmc.html) in a diverse range of autistic and non-autistic youth to inform treatment approaches.
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Yoshitaka Furuta
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsHuman brain organoids and neurodevelopmental disorders
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Dina Ganji
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioDina Ganji, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist and Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, working at the intersection of clinical psychiatry, neuropsychiatry, and translational neuroscience. Her research focuses on integrating neuroimaging, neuromodulation techniques, and clinical phenotyping to advance precision psychiatry, with a particular emphasis on autism spectrum disorder, neurodevelopmental disorders, and cognitive neuroscience in children, as well as mood and substance use disorders.
She has a strong and growing interest in autism, pediatric neurocognition, and broader neurodevelopmental conditions, with a particular focus on understanding cognitive and behavioral mechanisms in early development and translating these insights into more individualized and effective interventions.
Dr. Ganji completed her Psychiatry Residency at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, where she also gained extensive clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of psychiatric disorders. She is a board-certified psychiatrist with clinical expertise in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care.
At Stanford University, she has contributed to multiple interdisciplinary research programs. In Dr. Maldonado’s lab, she serves as a research coordinator for large-scale clinical and longitudinal studies, including delirium outcomes in patients (LUCIDIFY study), psychosocial assessment in transplant candidates (SIPAT project), and clinical cohorts involving CAR-T and hematopoietic stem cell therapy.
Previously, in the Brain Stimulation Lab at Stanford, she gained hands-on experience in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), including motor threshold assessment and clinical application of H-coil protocols in patients with OCD, depression and anxiety disorders. She also received training in functional MRI (fMRI) data acquisition and interpretation through advanced neuroscience courses.
In Iran, she served as Research and Development Lead at Atrin Clinic, where she integrated repetitive TMS (rTMS), pharmacological treatment, and clinical assessment tools for patients with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and substance use disorders, while systematically monitoring treatment outcomes.
Her research output includes multiple peer-reviewed publications in international journals, covering topics such as autism spectrum disorder, neuromodulation in bipolar disorder, congenital heart defects in vulnerable pediatric populations, neurocognitive effects of environmental exposure, and adjunctive treatments in psychiatric disorders.
Beyond research, Dr. Ganji is actively involved in academic service, including conference organization, neuropsychiatry committee activities, and peer review for scientific journals. She has also completed professional training in mind-body medicine approaches.
Dr. Ganji is deeply committed to patient-centered psychiatry and is particularly motivated by understanding autism, neurodevelopmental disorders, and pediatric cognitive neuroscience. She aims to bridge neuroscience and clinical psychiatry to develop more precise, individualized interventions that improve outcomes in children and patients with complex psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions. -
Juan Sebastián Gómez-Cañón
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
BioJuan S. Gómez-Cañón is a researcher, engineer and musician from Colombia. He holds a Ph.D. in Information and Communication Technologies from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain). During his Ph.D., Juan researched human-centered and trustworthy machine learning methods to predict the emotions in music. His research focuses on deep learning, human-centered ML, personalization, dataset curation, and digital signal processing. Juan also holds a M.Sc. in Media Technology (Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany), a B.Sc. in Electronics Engineering and a B.A. in Music (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia).
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John Lyon Havlik
Postdoctoral Medical Fellow, Psychiatry
Resident in Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesBioHello! I'm the inaugural Humanities and Social Medicine research track resident at Stanford University.
Psychiatric and substance use disorders are usually caught only after substantial, sometimes irreparable, harm has already occurred. My work is about changing that: I build artificial intelligence models that identify people earlier, and I evaluate whether the systems that receive them, like health plans, treatment facilities, and now generative AI chatbots, are equipped to respond appropriately. I believe this kind of early intervention will one day be commonplace and prevent a great deal of human suffering.
On the building side, I'm technical lead and first author on a supervised model that detects substance use disorders from EHR-like data, published in Nature Mental Health; related work uses multimodal data to flag who will go on to develop opioid use disorder and to predict imminent psychiatric emergency-department visits. I also co-authored a Nature Medicine paper on how to rigorously test the true capabilities of medical AI. I work across a wide range of deterministic and probabilistic methods, including the transformer architectures behind modern "chatbots." My work has been featured in 40+ peer-reviewed publications and featured in national news outlets.
In production, spinout AI-enabled clinical workflow automation software I developed is in use at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and here at Stanford. The aim of my work is to move advances in artificial intelligence out of publications and into the clinic.
On the evaluating side, I serve as an expert reviewer of AI-in-medicine trials for the State of Utah's Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, and I am a sought-after health-tech advisor for Silicon Valley's leading venture capital firms and companies. I write on psychiatric services and health policy, recently in JAMA Health Forum on private-equity residential treatment and JAMA Network Open on the economics of telemedicine "house calls". Alongside my research, I founded and lead Research Roundtable, a mentorship group whose undergraduates have published 10+ first-author papers. Before medicine, with Peggy Mason at UChicago, I found the human bystander effect in rats (Science Advances). -
Hamed Honari
Postdoctoral Scholar, Psychiatry
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMachine Learning, Neuroimaging, Computer Vision,Deep Learning, Signal Processing
