Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of JoAnna Leyenaar, MD, MPH, MSc, as the Paul Batalden Chair for Clinical Improvement and Professional Development.
Articles by: Geisel Communications
AI Therapy: Can an Algorithm Help You More Than a Human? (Audio) — Radio Health Journal
Listen to story – Michael Heinz, an assistant professor of psychiatry, talks to the In Good Health podcast about the use of AI in therapy and Dartmouth’s Therabot study. “Our goal is never to reduce the human connection that folks have, but I think there are a lot of people out there who either don’t have access to a therapist or are afraid to go see a therapist,” Heinz said.
Dartmouth’s Evergreen AI Puts Student Wellness to the Test — Forbes
Read article – Quotes President Sian Leah Beilock and Nicholas Jacobson, an associate professor of biomedical data science and psychiatry, in a story about the launch of Evergreen, an AI-driven platform designed to help students maintain well-being and manage stress. It is being developed by students guided by Jacobson; Lisa Marsch, a professor of psychiatry and biomedical data science; and Andrew Campbell, a professor of computer science. “Evergreen was conceived by students, for students, who are harnessing the power of AI to create a personalized behavioral health tool to promote well-being among their peers,” Beilock said.
Free Flu Vaccine Clinics See High Demand in Upper Valley — Valley News
Read article – Quotes medical student Dina Abdalla in an article about free vaccine clinics administered by volunteers from the Geisel School of Medicine, many of whom are first-year students. “Studying and taking exams is one thing,” Abdalla said, “but then actually practically doing all of the stuff that we’re here to do is what’s actually fulfilling.”
Dartmouth Expands Cold Cap Therapy Service to Southern New Hampshire Patients — New Hampshire Union Leader
Read article – Linda Vahdat, a professor of medicine, is featured in an article about the expansion of the Dartmouth Cancer Center’s cold cap therapy service to chemotherapy patients in the Nashua area. “Not losing hair is very important for many patients,” Vahdat said. “It preserves a sense of privacy for the patient — and when patients look in the mirror, they don’t look sick … It makes a big difference in leading a ‘normal’ life while undergoing cancer chemotherapy.”
Using AI as a Therapist? Why Professionals Say You Should Think Again — CNET
Read article – psychiatry, talks about how AI chatbots that are confident and helpful can provide a false sense of the software’s competence. Mentions Therabot as an example of chatbots designed within clinical guidelines. “It’s harder to tell when it is actually being harmful,” Jacobson said.
Regulators Struggle to Keep Up with the Fast-Moving and Complicated Landscape of AI Therapy Apps — Associated Press
Read article – Nicholas Jacobson, an associate professor of biomedical data science and psychiatry, is featured in an article about efforts to regulate AI therapy chatbots with Therabot featured as an example of careful development. “The space is so dramatically new that I think the field needs to proceed with much greater caution that is happening right now,” Jacobson said. (Also picked up by ABC News, Yahoo News, The Hindu, US News and World Report, Houston Chronicle, SF Gate, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Seattle P-I, and others.)
Antarctic Research Tests Healthy Bodies and Minds for Astronauts (Video) — ABC News Australia
Watch now – Jay Buckey, a professor of medicine and director of the Space Medicine Innovations Laboratory, is quoted in a segment about the Australian Antarctic Division’s work with NASA on medical research and operational medicine. “If you look at what ends missions on Antarctica and other places, a lot of time it’s the psychosocial factor. Either crews that don’t get along or people who develop depression or stress. So that’s a really, really important consideration and shouldn’t be trivialized,” Buckey said.
Dartmouth Graduate Selected as One of NASA’s 10 Astronaut Candidates — Valley News
Read article – Lauren Edgar ’07 is one of 10 people NASA selected to join its 2025 astronaut candidate class. While at Dartmouth, Edger took a class called “Life on Mars?” with Mukul Sharma, a professor of earth sciences, and former astronaut Jay Buckey, now a professor of medicine and director of Dartmouth’s Space Medicine Innovations Lab. “She always wanted to be an astronaut and so her dream and hard work have borne fruit,” Sharma said. “I remember making a deal with her—when she brings Mars samples back, I will have the first dibs!”
These 99 ‘Lab Hacks’ Will Make Your Scientific Work Easier — Nature
Read article – Katherine Bradley D ’17 MED ’25, contributes to a list of top advice for scientists. “Instead of purchasing poster tubes for conferences, look for a local poster shop, which can often give you poster shipping tubes for free if they have extra,” Bradley said.