Bio
Dr. Laura Hack is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of Novel & Precision Neurotherapeutics at the Stanford Center for Precision Mental Health and Wellness. Dr. Hack's translational research program focuses on identifying bioclinical subtypes of depression and comorbid stress-related disorders and testing mechanistically-guided treatments for these subtypes. Dr. Hack studies treatments spanning repurposed medications, such as pramipexole and guanfacine, neuromodulation techniques, ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin.
Dr. Hack directs the Stanford Translational Precision Mental Health Clinic (STPMHC), a cutting-edge consultation clinic for patients with a primary diagnosis of depression and comorbid anxiety disorders. Providers in the clinic integrate objective measures with a patient's history and presentation to inform treatment considerations and provide insights into the biological basis of a patient's condition. These measures, which may also help reduce self-blame and foster motivation to pursue recommended treatments, include the investigational use of clinical circuit scores derived from functional magnetic resonance imaging, symptom questionnaires, objective neurocognitive assessments, pharmacogenomic testing, and laboratory work. Patients and their referring doctors receive a detailed report with an explanation of the findings and the implications for treatment.
Additionally, as Deputy Director of the Precision Neuromodulation Clinic (PNC) within the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, she specializes in delivering novel treatments, including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and ketamine, to patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression and comorbid stress-related disorders.
