Stanford School of Medicine

David Spiegel

Contact Information

  • Clinical Offices
    Medical Psychotherapy 401 Quarry Rd Ste 2325 MC 5718 Stanford, CA 94305-5718
    Telephone Work (650) 723-2423 Fax (650) 724-3144
  • Academic Offices
    Personal Information
    Email dspiegel@stanford.edu Tel (650) 723-6421
    Administrative Contact
    Jacqui Worden Assistant to Dr David Spiegel Tel Work 650-725-5706
    Not for medical emergencies or patient use

Clinical Focus

  • Psychiatry
  • Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent
  • Medical Director, Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine

Administrative Appointments

  • Jack, Lulu & Sam Willson Professor, Stanford School of Medicine. , (2002– present )
  • Associate Chair, Stanford University School of Medicine - Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , (2000– present )
  • Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, with tenure., Stanford University School of Medicine. , (1991– present )
  • Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences., Stanford University School of Medicine. , (1987– 1991 )
  • Associate Research Psychiatrist., University of California, San Francisco. , (1986– 1991 )
  • Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences., Stanford University School of Medicine. , (1982– 1987 )

Honors and Awards

  • Marmor Award for Advancement of the Biopsychosocial Model in Psychiatry., American Psychiatric Association. The American Psychological Association. (2004)
  • The Division 30 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Professional Hypnosis., The American Psychological Association. (2003)
  • Ernest R. Hilgard Award for Scientific Excellence for 2002., The International Society of Hypnosis. (2003)
  • Distinguished Life Fellow,in recognition of significant contributions to Psychiatry., American Psychiatric Association. (2006)
  • Best Paper on the Application of Hypnosis., American Psychological Association. (2002)
  • Distinguished Achievement Award,the founding editor of the Progress in Psychiatry Series 1986-2002., American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc (2002)
  • Henry Guze Award for Best Research Paper., Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. (2001)
  • Mc Govern Award Lecturer on the Art and Science of Medicine,, Baylor. (1999)
  • Docteur Honoris Causa., de l'Universite de la Mediterranee (1999)
  • Meritorious Service Award., Northern California Psychiatric Society. (1997)
  • Special Keynote Address Award., American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. (1997)
  • Rockefeller Foundation Visiting Scholar., Bellagio Study and Conference Center. Italy. (1997)
  • Burroughs Wellcome Visiting Professor., Royal Society of Medicine. UK. (1997)
  • The Edward A. Strecker, M. D. Award., The Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital and Jefferson Medical College. (1995)
  • One for the Heart Award., Mid-Peninsula Hospice. (1995)
  • Pierre Janet Writing Award., International Society for the Study of Dissociation. (1994)

Professional Education

  • Board Certification: Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (1976)
  • Lab of Community Psychiatry (1974) MA
  • Cambridge Hospital (1974) MA
  • Massachusetts Mental Health Center (1974) MA
  • Harvard Medical School (1971) MA
  • B.A., Yale College Philosophy (1967)
  • M. D., Harvard Medical School. Medicine (1971)

Industry Relationships

Stanford is committed to ethical and transparent interactions with our industry partners. It is our policy to disclose payments of $5,000 or more, equity valued at $5,000 or more in a publicly traded company, or any equity in a privately held company, to physicians and scientists employed by Stanford University from companies or other commercial entities with which they interact as part of their professional activities. 

  • Consulting: Harrison Law Office, Nissan Technical Center, Orange County

Research Interests

Dr. Spiegel's research interests involve stress and health: cognitive control over somatic functions, including cancer progression, the response to traumatic stress, and the perception of pain and anxiety. He is currently conducting a large scale study of the relationships among sleep disturbance, diurnal stress hormone patterns, and breast cancer survival, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. This work is based upon earlier evidence from his laboratory that loss of circadian variation in cortisol, indicative of HPA dysfunction, predicts early mortality with breast cancer.

Dr. Spiegel is also continuing study of the relationship between the acute response to trauma, including dissociative symptoms, and the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. He is also evaluating various methods of treating these symptoms.

Dr. Spiegel is carrying out studies of the neurophysiological components of hypnosis by studying brain correlates of hypnotic perceptual alteration, using PET, fMRI and diffusion tensor imaging. His research program is designed to examine neurophysiological and peripheral mechanisms through which psychological and social support may influence physical health.

Publications