Our Mission

The Stanford Center for Neuroscience in Women’s Health (SCNWH) is dedicated to the mission of establishing comprehensive standard of care for women’s mental health services. Our goal is to provide innovative, state of the art treatment in the field of women’s mental health through the integration of biomedical research, clinical practice, and clinical education. The study of women has been historically neglected in biomedical research, resulting in a gaping lack of information about how reproductive hormones affect the human brain in health and disease.  In particular, we need to learn more about how mental health interacts with gender and reproductive hormones during a woman’s lifespan.   Under the leadership and expertise of Stanford researchers and clinicians, the Center aims to forge new, scientifically-based strategies to address the full spectrum of women’s mental health issues, while dramatically expanding the boundaries of our knowledge about the interplay between gender and brain function. 

Our team at Stanford Center for Neuroscience in Women's Health at the Stanford University School of Medicine provides comprehensive assessment and treatment of the psychological and psychiatric issues unique to women, including the biological, psychosocial and cultural factors that influence women's wellness and mental health.  Our academic work includes research on gender-specific mental health challenges, such as the impact of reproductive health, (e.g. menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause), on mental well-being, the gender differences that exist in the prevalence, expression, co-morbidity and course of the mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, and the effects of often gender-related trauma, including domestic violence or sexual assault, on women's wellness.  Clinically our psychiatrists and psychologists provide psychotherapy and psychiatric care tailored to women's needs.  We offer treatment for conditions such as postpartum depression, mood disorders, anxiety and trauma- related issues.  Our multidisciplinary team has multiple clinical and research collaborations to integrate mental health with physical health care, thereby offering a holistic approach to women's health.