Current Research and Scholarly Interests
My scholarly, clinical, and teaching activities apply interdisciplinary training in neuroscience/pharmacology and medicine/psychiatry to advance health and mental health care for psychiatric patients with disorders related to chronic and severe stress. As Director of Outpatient Mental Health for the VHA Palo Alto HCS, my work focuses on psychiatric disorders in military veterans. The goal is maximizing the use of evidence-based practices and reducing unnecessary medical burden of psychiatric treatments for stress-related disorders. I have conducted basic science research on the adverse effects of the stress hormone cortisol and applied research on the efficacy of medication treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Currently, we are conducting research on the efficacy of innovative treatment approaches for PTSD and developing electronic medical records software tools that foster the use of evidence-based treatments and continuous monitoring of clinical outcomes and adverse effects. Clinically, we are developing and implementing clinical programs that improve access to mental health care and foster evidenced-based care.
