PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Maheen Mausoof Adamson, PhD, MHL

Principal Investigator

  • Dr. Maheen Mausoof Adamson is a Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery (Affiliated) at Stanford School of Medicine, Director of Research for Women's Operational Military Exposure Network Center of Excellence (WOMENCOE), and Senior Scientist for Rehabilitation Services at VA Palo Alto Healthcare System. Adamson completed her undergraduate degrees in neurobiology and women's studies at the University of California, Irvine. She completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Southern California and a postdoctoral fellowship in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. She also has a Masters in Healthcare Leadership from the School of Public Health from Brown University and is a faculty fellow for Stanford Byers Biodesign Program.

    Dr. Adamson’s expertise and interests span employing translational neuroscience methodologies for diagnostic and neuromodulation treatments (such as repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)) for frequent health problems in patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), psychiatric problems, and Alzheimer's disease. She has employed advanced structural and functional imaging modalities and biomarker assessments for treatment response and diagnosis in Veteran, active military, and civilian populations with these health problems. She has been a leader in identifying sex differences in brain injury, particularly in the Veteran population. She currently serves as PI and Site-PI on numerous neuromodulation clinical trials and collaborates internationally to develop advanced diagnostic methods in neuroimaging, especially in underserved communities. As Director of the Adamson Lab, she is actively involved in translating research, such as neuromodulation and virtual and augmented reality, into clinical settings.
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In her new role as Research Director of WOMENCOE, she is developing the research and education center to investigate and disseminate findings on the impact of military environmental exposure on reproductive health, cancer, psychiatric illness, cognitive decline, and other women's health issues. This network is funded by the VA Health Outcomes Military Exposure Center under Department of Veterans Affairs

Dr. Adamson is also the lead PI of ENIGMA-PAK study that aims to leverage consanguinity in Pakistan to uncover the genomic architecture of Alzheimer's Disease. She has received recognition in national and international settings and serves on several editorial and industry advisory boards. She is also CEO and founder of her digital health startup Soof Solutions Inc., which uses eye tracking for communication in individuals lacking the power of speech. She is also intricately involved in mentoring postdoctoral fellows, residents, undergraduates and high school students in STEM careers.

Academic Appointments

Member, Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance

 

Contact

Academic

University - Staff affiliate Department: Adult Neurosurgery Position: Clinical Professor (Affiliated) [VAPAHCS] 

University - Affiliate Department: Neurosurgery Operations Position: Clinical Professor (Affiliated) [VAPAHCS]

Additional Info

Profile:

https://med.stanford.edu/adamson-lab.html

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CORE TEAM

Principal Clinical Research Team

Dr. Xiaojian Kang received his PhD in Physics and MS in Computer Science from Indiana University, Bloomington. He joined the Diagnostic Imaging Science Center at University of Washington in Seattle for postdoctoral research. 

In 2017, Dr. Kang joined the Adamson Lab, where he supported research projects funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense, in the administration of windows and linux servers for neuroimaging studies.

Dr. Kang also worked as an MR Physicist in the Human Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory in the Department of Neurology at the University of California at Davis. His tasks were to maintain and modify the sequences for MR research on a 3 T Siemens Verio scanner and a 1.5 T Philips Eclipse scanner and develop new procedures for MR data analysis, statistics, and visualization. 

He has published over 20 papers to introduce the innovative methods for MR data analysis, including the local landmark method, high-resolution space method, and cortical surface projection mapping method, and automated method to detect brain abnormalities.

 

Dr. Julie Lutz is a clinical psychologist licensed in New York state. She completed her PhD at West Virginia University with a predoctoral internship in clinical geropsychology at VA Palo Alto Health Care System and an NIMH T32 postdoctoral fellowship in suicide prevention at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Lutz’s program of research is centered on the prevention of suicide in late life through treatment of risk factors such as chronic health problems and functional limitations, as well as social disconnection.

Since 2021, she has worked in research at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System as the Project Director for a multi-site clinical trial for reducing suicide risk in older Veterans, a consultant for program evaluation for the national VA Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment and for a national VA suicide prevention program, and PI on a quality improvement project to facilitate older Veterans’ use of mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) and mental health apps to address mental health and barriers to social connection.

 

Marcel Chen is a clinical research coordinator for the Adamson Lab. Marcel has worked at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System since 2017. He started as a research assistant working in MIRECC and is now a study coordinator under Dr. Adamson in the WOMEN Center of Excellence. Marcel received his B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Philosophy at Santa Clara University, where he discovered his passion for scientific research. He currently helps coordinate studies that involve using TMS treatment for various symptoms including chronic pain and depression.

Irina Kerdivar is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the ADEPT study team at VA Palo Alto/PAVIR, where they support research focused on depression and concussion. Before coming to PAVIR, she worked on mood disorder studies in Houston, Texas, and also practiced as a psychologist in Russia with a wide range of patients. With a master’s degree in psychology and experience across clinical and research settings, she is passionate about improving mental health care and supporting people through science and compassion.

Janice Le received her B.S. in Public Health from San Jose State University, where she discovered her interests in social epidemiology, community health, and overall advocacy for marginalized communities. 

Her first role within research was as a volunteer research assistant for the Palo Alto VA’s Cooperative Studies Program, where she worked on studies for low back pain and diabetic kidney disease. Currently, Janice serves as a clinical research administrative assistant for the ENIGMA-PAK study. Additionally, she is a research assistant for studies involving traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression, and Gulf War Illness (GWI). Outside of her research-related duties, Janice works as an In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Provider.

 

Dr. John Coetzee obtained his B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley, where he worked in a sleep and psychopathology lab. He then worked in a depression lab at UCSF before entering a PhD program at UCLA, where he conducted research on the relationship between language and thought under the guidance of Dr. Martin Monti. 

After completing his doctorate in Cognitive Neuroscience, he returned to the Bay Area where he currently is a Research Scientist with dual appointments at the Palo Alto VA in the lab of Dr. Maheen Adamson, where he is developing new treatments for traumatic brain injury, and the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab, where he is developing new treatments for depression. In both labs, Dr. Coetzee’s focus is on developing treatments that are safe, highly effective, fast-acting, and long-lasting. His particular areas of interest are noninvasive neuromodulation and psychedelic therapy. Dr. Coetzee is involved in several active studies involving conditions such as posttraumatic headache, treatment-resistant depression, chronic pain, suicidal ideation, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. 

 

Dr. Fatemeh S. Mojabi studied medicine at Tehran University in Iran and is pursuing a career path that will lead her to become a neurologist. Since 2014, she has been actively engaged in both basic and clinical research at the Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research (PAVIR) in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Over the years, she has contributed to multiple clinical trials, including studies on Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression, chronic pain, and other neuropsychiatric conditions. 

In addition to her clinical trial work, Dr. Mojabi has served as a lab manager, in Dr. McNerney’s group. Currently, she is an active member of the WOMEN and CoE WRIISC group under the supervision of Dr. Maheen Adamson and Dr. Wes Ashford. She contributes to multiple ongoing studies, including the ADEPT trial (using rTMS for Veterans with depression), the LEUNG study (rTMS for Veterans with headache, joint, and muscle pain), the In-Depth study (medical record extraction in collaboration with Washington, DC), and the NAC study (administering physical exams).

Joanne Ha graduated from San Jose State University with her MA degree in Research and Experimental Psychology. She also earned her BS in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside. As a clinical research coordinator, she is currently working under Dr. Adamson’s laboratory on repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for veterans diagnosed with depression and traumatic brain injury (TBI). With aspirations to pursue a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology, she is driven by new hands-on experiences through the use of neuroimaging and neurological assessment. Her goal is to work with older adults who suffer from memory impairment (i.e., Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia) and find alternative treatments that will promote their health and lifestyle.

Volunteers

Taqwa Tofaha is a medical student at Touro University California with interests in neuroimaging, neuromodulation, and TBI.

Yousra Alfarra is a Canadian-Palestinian researcher and psychology graduate uniquely positioned to study the intersections of technology, education, and mental health. Drawing on her experience as a newcomer to North America and her expertise in technology-enhanced learning at the university of British Columbia, she conducts research that is both innovative and deeply grounded in real-world needs. 

Her leadership and academic excellence have been recognized with two full-ride scholarships: the Vantage One Excellence Award at the University of British Columbia, awarded annually to only three international students, and a full scholarship to UWC Pearson College, part of the global United World Colleges network, where she was the sole student representing Palestine among peers from over 80 countries. 

Through her work with the British Columbia Safe Haven Program, Yousra directly supports newcomer communities, bringing insight that few researchers can match. 

Yousra looks forward to continuing her studies, with long-term goals of pursuing a PhD and advancing academia. She is dedicated to developing innovative approaches to learning and healing. 

 

Liv Weiner is a student at Stanford University and a volunteer at the Adamson Lab.