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Stanford Mental Health for Asians Research and Treatment (SMHART) Clinic

Our Mission

Stanford Mental Health for Asians Research and Treatment (SMHART) Clinic is a person-centered program that works with individuals and their families to provide interdisciplinary, culturally-informed applications of evidence-based mental health care to Asians aged 18 years and over.

  • Training a new generation of professionals including medical students, residents, psychiatry fellows, and psychology postdoctoral fellows
  • Providing community education and support with initiatives such as Stanford CHIPAO  
  • Advancing knowledge through research
     

We treat conditions related to or exacerbated by cultural issues such as intergenerational trauma, racism and discrimination, mental health stigma, familial expectations and family conflict, intergenerational differences in acculturation, and acculturation stress. Symptoms addressed may include those of depression, trauma, anxiety, and eating/body image concerns. We may additionally provide support for managing existing psychiatric diagnoses, addressing stress and burnout, addressing perfectionism, exploring issues of identity, and improving communication in interpersonal relationships.

Referral to this clinic is appropriate if a patient would prefer a provider with a culture-oriented expertise or if a patient’s provider believes their concerns have a significant cultural component.

Our Clinic Provides

  • Medication management
  • Individual psychotherapy
  • Consultation with patients’ health care providers
     

For information about accessing care, please call our intake department to self-refer at (650) 498-9111, option 2.

Patients, family, and doctors may speak directly to a psychiatric intake coordinator who will route each patient to the most appropriate specialty area. The coordinator will also assist in obtaining insurance verification.

If you are in crisis:

  • Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room if you need help immediately.
  • Crisis Text Line: Text “START” TO 741-741. Free, confidential, 24/7
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1‑800‑273‑TALK (8255), 24/7

Referring Physician Services

By Fax: Send the referral form with supporting documentation to 650-320-9443

By Phone: 1-866-742-4811
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

For help with all referral needs and questions, visit Referring Physicians.

Research Projects

Racial discrimination in medicine: understanding individual and institutional factors that affect perceived discrimination

Study Team: Amy Alexander, M.D. (PI), Yasmin Owusu, M.D.; Seanna Leath, Ph.D.; Eyuel Terefe, PGY-4

Impacts of Discrimination and Racism Experienced by Asian American Medical Students, Residents, and Fellows Subsequent to Covid-19

Study Team: Huiqiong Deng, M.D., Ph.D. (PI), Amy Alexander, M.D. (co-PI), Aaron Winkler, M.D., Katherine Fu, M.D., Rishab Gupta, M.D., Hira Ayub Silat, M.D., Donna Tran B.S., B.A.

More Information

Media & Latest News

Stanford Medicine Office of Faculty Diversity and Development's Community Support Initiative 2022 Awardees Announced

Congratulations to Dr. Deng, selected as a 2022 awardee for the project: Network of Faculty at the Stanford Mental Health for Asians Research and Treatment (SMHART) Clinic

Stanford Medicine Center for Asian Health Research and Education's 2022 Seed Grant Awards Announced

Congratulations to Dr. Deng, selected as a 2022 awardee for the project: A survey study of Asian college student mental health during COVID in the U.S.

2024 Palo Alto Lunar New Year Fair
Danny Diep, MD and Huiqiong Deng, MD, PhD

Kai Huang presenting “A Survey Study Investigating Impact of Racism During COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Asian Undergraduates in the U.S.
Winner of the Medical Student Poster Competition, 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association

2023 Palo Alto Lunar New Year Fair
Huiqiong Deng, MD, PhD and Rona Hu, MD

Zariah Mekile and Donna Tran presenting “Impact of Discrimination and Racism Experienced by Asian American Medical Students, Residents, Fellows, and Undergraduates Subsequent to COVID-19” at the 2023 National Conference of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association 

Resources

For local mental health resources, please visit this list provided by Project Safety Net, or click here to download this list in Chinese.

To find a local therapist, go to https://www.psychologytoday.com/us and enter your zip code in the "Find a Therapist" search box.

To search for a therapist in the Asian Mental Health Collective directory, go to https://www.asianmhc.org/therapists-us/ and search based on your address.

This list of resources is provided for informational purposes only and should not be substituted for professional care.
We include these resources for your information, but did not create and do not specifically endorse the content or resources therein.

SMHART Clinic Faculty

Rona Hu
Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Hu is the Founder and Director of the SMHART clinic. Dr. Hu speaks Mandarin proficiently, French at a professional level and intermediate Italian.


Huiqiong Deng, MD, PhD
Clinical Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Huiqiong Deng is Co-Director of the SMHART clinic. In addition to a medical degree, she earned a PhD, with a major in rehabilitation science and a minor in neuroscience. Specializing in the area of cultural and interventional psychiatry and the treatment of alcohol/substance addiction, her goal is to help each patient along the journey to achieve optimal health and quality of life. As the co-author of more than a dozen scholarly articles, Dr. Deng’s work has appeared in Psychiatry Research, American Journal on Addictions, Brain Stimulation, and other publications. Since she joined faculty at Stanford, Dr. Deng has received research grant support by the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Innovator Grant Program. Dr. Deng is fully bilingual in Mandarin and English.


Melanie Hom
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Hom provides culturally-informed psychotherapy for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, emotion dysregulation, and interpersonal conflict. She utilizes evidence-based treatments, including acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy. Dr. Hom also has a background in suicide prevention research and an interest in working with Asians and Asian Americans who are navigating the intersection between spirituality and mental health. 

Stacy Lin
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Lin is the Director of Psychotherapy for the SMHART clinic. Dr. Lin is a licensed psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences who provides culturally-informed psychotherapy for the treatment of emotion dysregulation, trauma, and eating disorders through the SMHART, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Eating Disorders clinics. Dr. Lin has specialized training in comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, as well as clinical emphases on intersectional work with individuals with marginalized identities (such as people of color and LGBTQ+-identifying people) and Asians/Asian Americans. She is broadly interested in issues of diversity and inclusion in clinical, training, and professional settings. Her research has examined cultural factors affecting disordered eating and body image in racial/ethnic minorities. Dr. Lin speaks conversational Mandarin and very basic Japanese.


Amy Alexander
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Lisa Zhang
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Zhang provides culturally-informed psychotherapy for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, emotion dysregulation, trauma, interpersonal stressors, and perfectionism through the SMHART and Dialectical Behavior Therapy clinics. Dr. Zhang has specialized training in comprehensive Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Cognitive Processing Therapy, and the treatment of perfectionism.  She is interested in approaching her clinical work through an intersectional lens and has a special interest in working with Asians and Asian-Americans working on issues related to identity, intergenerational conflict, and racism.