Read article—Nicholas Jacobson, an associate professor of biomedical data science and psychiatry, is quoted about a study finding an association between using AI chatbots and symptoms of depression and anxiety. “We don’t know enough about this,” Jacobson said. “I think we need more studies to really understand why it is those groups in particular are more likely to use this, certainly.” (Picked up by Yahoo! News.)
Articles by: Geisel Communications
Bill Doesn’t Protect NH From AI Harm, It Assures It—New Hampshire Union Leader
Read article—An opinion piece by Geisel professors Nicholas Jacobson and Michael Heinz critiques New Hampshire Senate Bill 640, which would require therapists to review every exchange patients have with therapy chatbots but exempts commercial platforms. “This bill imposes a compliance burden so heavy on validated platforms designed specifically for mental health that deploying them in New Hampshire becomes impractical. But a teenager in Manchester could still pour out her struggles to ChatGPT with no safeguards whatsoever,” Jacobson and Heinz wrote.
Geisel Community Rings in the New Year in Style
Thanks to everyone who joined us for Geisel’s annual New Year’s event at Top of the Hop last week. We had an incredible turnout with over 400 members of our Geisel community gathered together fun, great food, and good company. A special thank you to Dr. Rowley Hazard, whose music […]
Psychiatry Has Finally Found an Objective Way to Spot Mental Illness—New Scientist
Read article—Nicholas Jacobson, an associate professor of biomedical data science and psychiatry, is cited for his studies showing that habits such as low-level physical activity, agitation, and phone activity can be used to identify anxiety disorders and predict symptom severity.
First on CNN: Experimental Brain Therapy Brings New Hope for Treatment-Resistant Depression—CNN
Read article—Paul Holtzheimer, a professor of psychiatry and surgery, is quoted in an article about an experimental new brain therapy for treatment-resistant depression called SAINT, for Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy. The EEG findings “still should be viewed as highly preliminary,” Holtzheimer said. “It could be a mechanism of SAINT or it could be a generic finding when depression improves, regardless of what improves the depression.”
At-Home Services to Get You Safely Through the Winter—AARP
Read article—Courtney Stevens, an assistant professor of psychiatry, is featured in an article about services for older adults to help them safely navigate the winter months. “Not all of these are going to be relevant for everyone, so you have to figure out which are the highest priority,” Stevens said.
Former U.S. Surgeons General Sound the Alarm on Social Media and Youth Mental Health—Insight Into Academia
Read article—Features highlights from A Global Turning Point: Why Youth Well-Being Is in Crisis—and What We Must Do About It, the symposium hosted by Dartmouth and the United Nations Development Programme in October. “We still have significant work ahead,” President Sian Leah Beilock said, “but we also have hope and evidence that we can identify the interventions that truly make a difference.”
AI, Neuroscience, and Data Are Fueling Personalized Mental Health Care—Monitor on Psychology
Read Article—Nicholas Jacobson, an associate professor of biomedical data science and psychiatry, is quoted in a story about the personalization of psychiatric care that features Therabot, AI-powered software developed in his lab that was the first therapy chatbot to undergo a clinical trial. “If you can monitor and predict ebbs and flows in symptoms, then you can deliver digital interventions at the right time,” Jacobson said.
Kimberlee Labonte Appointed Executive Director of Development
The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth is pleased to announce the appointment of Kimberlee (“Kim”) Labonte as its new Executive Director of Development. A seasoned fundraising leader with more than two decades of experience across higher education, academic medicine, public health, and the arts, Labonte will guide Geisel’s philanthropic strategy and development programs in support of the school’s mission to improve lives through research, education, and clinical excellence.
Patients Are Consulting AI. Doctors Should, Too—STAT News
Read article—Angelo Volandes, a professor of medicine, writes an opinion piece about keeping pace with AI technology in health care. “This fall, Geisel launched an AI curriculum that begins the moment students arrive, because we recognized a critical truth: If medical schools don’t guide how students think about and use these tools, technology companies will drive both the curriculum and clinical practice,” Volandes writes.