Small Grant Program

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Small Grant Program, launched in 2015, was designed to promote research and collaborative scholarly projects advancing the academic interests of our faculty and the strategic themes of our department.

Awards include Pilot Studies in novel scientific areas that have high potential to lead to competitive grant applications and Small Scholarly Projects related to education, clinical care, community outreach, and health systems issues, such as health care quality.

Funded Projects by Year

Pilot Studies

Mahendra Bhati, M.D. (PI), and Amit Etkin, M.D., Ph.D.
Detecting and inhibiting fear with responsive neurostimulation (RNS) of the human amygdala
Kim Bullock, M.D. (PI), Jeremy N. Bailenson, Ph.D., and Andrea Stevenson Won, Ph.D.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Virtual Reality Delivered Mirror Visual Feedback for Functional Neurological Disorder
James R. Jacobs, M.D., Ph.D. (PI), Keith Sudheimer, Ph.D.
The Neurophysiology of Secrets
Agnieszka Kalinowski, M.D., Ph.D. (PI), Alexander Urban, Ph.D., Ruth O'Hara, Ph.D., Jacob Ballon, M.D., M.P.H., Laramie Duncan, Ph.D., and Steve Ho, B.S.
Leveraging Metabolomics and Genomics of Dopamine Regulation for Precision Medicine to Treat Psychiatric Disorders
Adam Miner, Psy.D. (PI), Stewart Agras, M.D., Bruce Arnow, Ph.D., and Nigam Shah, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.
Natural language processing to detect features of successful psychotherapy

Seed Grants*

Kristine Luce, Ph.D. (PI), Tali Ball, Ph.D. (PI), and Leanne Williams, Ph.D.
Personalized trans-diagnostic group therapy for anxiety: Program development and quality improvement
Jamie Zeitzer, Ph.D. (PI), Daniel Jin Blum, Ph.D., Fiona Barwick, Ph.D., and Emmanuel During, M.D.
Restless Leg Syndrome: Does it start with a Gut Feeling?

*Made possible by a generous donor

Small Scholarly Projects

Steve Adelsheim, M.D. (PI), and Nina Vasan, M.D.
The Hope and Hype of Technology Ventures in Transforming Brain Health
Belinda Bandstra, M.D., M.A. (PI), Mario Mercurio, Yasmin Owusu, M.D., and Ripal Shah, M.D., M.P.H.
Recruitment and Retainment of Underrepresented Minority Faculty and Residents
Fiona Barwick, Ph.D. (PI), and Kevin Lee, M.D.
Student Sleep Health Pilot Project
Ryan Matlow, Ph.D. (PI), and Flint M. Espil, Ph.D.
Implementing Evidence-Based Mental Health Care in East Palo Alto Schools
Lawrence McGlynn, M.D. (PI), Ripal Shah, M.D., M.P.H., and Neir Eshel, M.D., Ph.D.
LGBTQ Mental Health: Opportunities for Research and Practice
Norah Simpson, Ph.D. (PI), and Scott Kutscher, M.D.
Development and Evaluation of a Sleep Health Educational Resource for Stanford Student Athletes
Shannon Sullivan, M.D. (PI), and Michelle Cao, D.O.
Home-Based Early Detection of Disrupted Sleep in Children with Risk Factors for Sleep Disordered Breathing
Mytilee Vemuri, M.D., M.B.A. (PI)
Addressing Cultural factors affecting Professional Fulfillment within the Department of Psychiatry Outpatient Clinics

Pilot Studies

Sarah Adler, Psy.D.
Analysis of Measurement Based Care Data to Inform Clinical Decision-Making: Building the Model
Cara Bohon, Ph.D.
Abnormal Perceptual Processing as a Maintaining Mechanism of Body-Image Disturbance in Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa: Identifying a Novel Treatment Target
Weidong Cai, Ph.D.
Dynamic Brain States and Connectivity in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Its Relation to Intra-Individual Variability and Clinical Symptoms
Erin Cassidy-Eagle, Ph.D.
Activate! Training Primary Care Providers in Behavioral Activation Therapy for Older Adults with Depression
Grace Gengoux, Ph.D.
Parent Training to Enhance Social Success for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Hadi Hosseini, Ph.D.
Integrating Virtual Reality and NIRS Neurofeedback for Improving Executive Function in ADHD
Ranak Trivedi, Ph.D.
Determining the Interdependence of Stress and Physical Activity Among Patients and Their Informal Caregivers
Debra Safer, M.D.
Assessing the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Parent-Based Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Obesity in Children of Weight Loss Surgery Patients

Small Scholarly Projects

Sepideh Bajestan, M.D., Ph.D.
Patient-Centered Clinical Neuroscience Training to Facilitate the Communication with Challenging Neuropsychiatric Patients
Victoria Cosgrove, Ph.D.
Assessing Need for Psychosocial Support in Families with a Child Undergoing Treatment in the Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases at LPCH
Christina Tara Khan, M.D., Ph.D.
Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care in Rural Guatemala Through Task Shifting to Public Health Clinic Physicians
Philippe Mourrain, Ph.D.
Pharmacological and Genetic Interrogation of Circuit Dynamics in the Parkinsonian Brain
Oxana Palesh, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Ingrid Oakley-Girvan, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Does Improving Sleep Modify Potentially Relevant Clinical Biomarkers Among Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy?
Jennifer Phillips, Ph.D.
Development of a Measure of Social Motivation in Autism

Pilot Studies

Jacob Ballon, M.D.
Open Label, Flexible-Dose, Adjunctive Bromocriptine for Patients with Schizophrenia and Metabolic Dysfunction
Michele Berk, Ph.D. & Moira Kessler, M.D.
Pilot Test of a DBT Parenting Intervention for Youth Who Have Recently Attempted Suicide
Kim Bullock, M.D.
Virtual Reality for Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder
Tamar Green, M.D.
The Brain in Noonan Syndrome: a Pilot Study
Manish Saggar, Ph.D.
Deciphering “Ongoing” Cognition Using Concurrent Multimodal Neuroimaging and Continuous Multitask Paradigm
Nolan Williams, M.D.
Comparison of the Clinical Efficacy and Change in Resting State Functional Connectivity of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation versus Theta-Burst Stimulation over Left DLPFC in Resistant Depression

Small Scholarly Projects

Sarah Adler, Psy.D.
Addressing Perceived Barriers to Implementation of Measurement Based Care: A Pilot Feasibility and Acceptability Study
Erin Cassidy Eagle, Ph.D. & Laura Dunn, M.D.
Older Adults Access to Quality Mental Health Services
Angie Chwen-Yuen Chen, M.D.
Safe Reduction of Chronic High Dose Opioid and Benzodiazepine Prescribing in the Primary Care Setting: Physician Support and Needs Assessment
Joseph Cheung, M.D.
Applying Wearable Technology and Genetics to Study Extreme Long Sleepers
Kate Hardy, ClinPsychD
Pilot Study Investigating the Impact of a Group-Based Worry Intervention Trial on Attenuated Psychotic Symptoms, Worry, and Distress in Adolescents At-Risk of Developing Psychosis
Christina Khan, M.D. , Ph.D.
Improving Pediatric Behavioral Health Integration at a Federally Qualified Community Health Center in East Palo Alto, CA
Jane Kim, Ph.D.
Development of Tailoring Guidelines for Personalizing Behavioral Intervention Technologies
Daniel Mason, M.D. & Katherine Eisen, Ph.D.
Reading and Recovery Expectations: Developing a Bibliotherapy Group for an Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Unit
Diana Naranjo, Ph.D.
Training Mental Health Care Providers in Diabetes Distress to Address Psychosocial Need in Youth and Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes
Daryn Reicherter, M.D. & Ellie Williams, M.D.
Bringing Care to New Moms: Collaboration between the Gardner Packard Children’s Health Center and the Stanford Department of Psychiatry for the Evaluation and Treatment of Postpartum Depression
Carolyn Rodriguez, M.D. , Ph.D.
Building Community-Academic Partnerships for Evidence-Based Treatment of Hoarding Disorder
Yelizaveta Sher, M.D.
Quality Improvement Project on Screening, Monitoring and Timely Treatment of Delirium Immediately Post Lung Transplantation
Shannon Sullivan, M.D. & Michelle Cao, DO
Survey of Sleep Education Offered by US Medical Residency Training Program
Ellie Williams, M.D. & Julie Weitlauf, Ph.D.
Women’s Health and Wellness Advanced Clinical Didactic Workshop: Assessment and Treatment of Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder in Women with Interpersonal Trauma Exposure

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