Hi! I'm Arshya
Arshya Vahabzadeh M.D.
I am passionate about creating real world impact for people with brain conditions through the use of technology. I also have a pretty incredible sweet tooth, so keep those cookies far away from me!
Rapid Bio:
Family medicine, general psychiatry, and child psychiatry trained physician with over 15 years of post-graduate clinical and research experience.
Over 20 national and international awards
USMLE exam scores 99/99/99 centile
Over 40 peer-reviewed academic publications
40/40 Healthcare Innovator.
Personal Best Squat 480 lbs Deadlift 585 lbs
MIT Solve Brain Leadership Group
Former Harvard Medical School Faculty and Clinical Fellow
Member of prominent state and national political think tanks and organizations
About Arshya
What I care about
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Using transformative technology to improve the lives of people with special needs and mental health conditions.
Advocating for innovations in healthcare to reduce death and disability from brain disorders on a global scale.
Creating next generation brain technologies to improve societal wellbeing, and ensure freedom of expression.
How I spend my time
Academic Faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brain leadership group at MIT Solve, and former faculty Harvard Medical School.
Chief Medical Officer at Brain Power, a Congressionally funded neurotechnology company building transformative augmented and brain technologies.
Clinical Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist at Emergency Psychiatric Departments and Maximum Security Correctional Settings for severely mentally ill and vulnerable patients.
The backstory
Published in authoritative texts on cognitive enhancement,neurobiology, neurocircuitry, neuromodulation, and psychopharmacology, and peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Recipient of over 20 national and international awards, including a 40 under 40 in healthcare award, an ACP Laughlin Fellowship, the AMA Foundation Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award, and the APA Leadership Fellowship.
Been quoted or written for CNN, Fast Company, the Altantic, Psychology Today, The Huffington Post,Boston Magazine, MedTechBoston, the Health Care Blog, Medscape, Psychiatric News, and the Boston Globe.
Academic Research
I focus on the study of perceptual technologies and artificial intelligence as applied to mental health and behavioral conditions. I am particularly interested in social neuroscience, social communication, and affective computing.
Selected Papers
1. Vahabzadeh A, Keshav N, Abdus-Sabur R, Huey K, Liu R, Sahin N. Improved Socio-Emotional and Behavioral Functioning in Students with Autism Following School-Based Smartglasses Intervention: Multi-Stage Feasibility and Controlled Efficacy Study. Behavioral Sciences. 2018;8(10):85.
2. Vahabzadeh A, Keshav NU, Salisbury JP, Sahin NT. Improvement of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in School-Aged Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults With Autism via a Digital Smartglasses-Based Socioemotional Coaching Aid: Short-Term, Uncontrolled Pilot Study. JMIR mental health. 2018;5(2):e25.
3. Schwartz AC, McDonald WM, Vahabzadeh A, Cotes RO. Keeping up with changing times in education: fostering lifelong learning of millennial learners. Focus. 2018;16(1):74-9.
4. Sahin NT, Keshav NU, Salisbury JP, Vahabzadeh A. Second Version of Google Glass as a Wearable Socio-Affective Aid: Positive School Desirability, High Usability, and Theoretical Framework in a Sample of Children with Autism. JMIR human factors. 2018;5(1):e1.
5. Sahin NT, Abdus-Sabur R, Keshav NU, Liu R, Salisbury JP, Vahabzadeh A. Case Study of a Digital Augmented Reality Intervention for Autism in School Classrooms: Associated with Improved Social Communication, Cognition, and Motivation as rated by Educators and Parents. Frontiers in Education; 2018: Frontiers.
6. Sahin N, Keshav N, Salisbury J, Vahabzadeh A. Second version of Google Glass as a wearable socio-affective aid in children with autism: theoretical basis, usability, and desirability in schools. JMIR Hum Factors. 2018;5(1):e1.
7. Sahin N, Keshav N, Salisbury J, Vahabzadeh A. Safety and lack of negative effects of wearable augmented-reality social communication aid for children and adults with autism. Journal of clinical medicine. 2018;7(8):188.
8. Keshav N, Vahabzadeh A, Abdus-Sabur R, Huey K, Salisbury J, Liu R, et al. Longitudinal Socio-Emotional Learning Intervention for Autism via Smartglasses: Qualitative School Teacher Descriptions of Practicality, Usability, and Efficacy in General and Special Education Classroom Settings. Education Sciences. 2018;8(3):107.
9. Eyre HA, Vahabzadeh A, Abbott R, Cook IA, Berk M. The Future of Psychiatry Commission. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(1):13.
10. Liu R, Salisbury JP, Vahabzadeh A, Sahin NT. Feasibility of an autism-focused augmented reality smartglasses system for social communication and behavioral coaching. Frontiers in pediatrics. 2017;5:145.
11. Keshav NU, Salisbury JP, Vahabzadeh A, Sahin NT. Social communication coaching smartglasses: well tolerated in a diverse sample of children and adults with autism. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 2017;5(9):e140
12. Kalali A, Richerson S, Vahabzadeh A. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE CLINICAL TRIALS. Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 2017;13(7):P932.
13. Vahabzadeh A, McDougle CJ. Maternal folic acid supplementation and risk of autism. JAMA. 2013 Jun 5;309(21):2208. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.4876. PubMed PMID: 23736720.
14. Vahabzadeh A, Sahin N, Kalali A. Digital suicide prevention: can technology become a game-changer? Innovations in clinical neuroscience. 2016;13(5-6):16.
15. Vahabzadeh A, Landino SM, Finger BC, Carlezon WA, McDougle CJ. Neural targets in the study and treatment of social cognition in autism spectrum disorder. Cognitive Enhancement: Springer, Cham; 2015. p. 309-34.
16. Vahabzadeh A, Gillespie CF, Ressler KJ. Fear-Related Anxiety Disorders and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Neurobiology of Brain Disorders: Academic Press; 2015. p. 612-20.
17. McDougle CJ, Landino SM, Vahabzadeh A, O’Rourke J, Zurcher NR, Finger BC, et al. Toward an immune-mediated subtype of autism spectrum disorder. Brain research. 2015;1617:72-92.
19. Vahabzadeh A, McDougle C. Obsessive–compulsive disorder. 2014.
20. Kiani R, Vahabzadeh A, Hepplewhite E, Abbas M, Finnamore T, Bhaumik S, et al. Overcoming challenges in diagnosing and treating cancers in people with intellectual disability: a case analysis. Tizard Learning Disability Review. 2014;19(2):51-8.
21. Ecker C, Vahabzadeh A, McDougle C, Smallwood R, Hutson R, Robin D. The Psychobiology of Autism. 2014.
22. Vahabzadeh A, Wittenauer J, McDonald WM. Web-based involuntary-commitment educational project for emergency medicine residents: an interdepartmental quality initiative. Academic Psychiatry. 2013;37(1):64.
23. Vahabzadeh A, McDougle CJ. Maternal folic acid supplementation and risk of autism. JAMA. 2013;309(21):2208-.
24. Vahabzadeh A, Buxton D, McDougle CJ, Stigler KA. Current state and future prospects of pharmacological interventions for autism. Neuropsychiatry. 2013;3(2):245.
25. Goldsmith D, Vahabzadeh A. Minimizing metabolic risks. Current Psychiatry. 2013;12(2):4.
26. Delafon V, Kiani R, Barrett M, Vahabzadeh A, Vaidya H, Walker G, et al. Use of PRN medication in people with intellectual disabilities. Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities. 2013;7(6):346-55.
27. Delaffon V, Naik S, Mann R, Vahabzadeh A, Millward T, Majeed A, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of Wernicke's encephalopathy in an in-patient alcohol detoxification unit: a completed audit cycle. The Psychiatrist. 2013;37(12):384-8.
28. Carr ER, Woods AM, Vahabzadeh A, Sutton C, Wittenauer J, Kaslow NJ. PTSD, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation in African American women: A mediated model. Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings. 2013;20(1):37-45.
29. Vahabzadeh A, Schwartz AC. Disease Characteristics Should Be Taken Into Account When Comparing Attitudes and Levels of Stigma Toward Psychiatric and Medical Conditions. Academic Psychiatry. 2012;36(6):499.
30. Vahabzadeh A, McDonald WM. Physicians' warnings for unfit drivers and risk of road crashes. N Engl J Med. 2013 Jan 3;368(1):86-7. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc1212928. PubMed PMID: 23281993.
31. Vahabzadeh A, Wittenauer J, Carr E. Stigma, schizophrenia and the media: exploring changes in the reporting of schizophrenia in major US newspapers. Journal of Psychiatric Practice®. 2011;17(6):439-46.
32. Vahabzadeh A, Juul S. New Duty-Hour Rules Present Challenges. Psychiatric News. 2011;46(11):23.
33. Vahabzadeh A, Goldberg R, Wittenauer J, Posse PR, Juul S. Residents Benefit From Insights Into the Role and Challenges of Psychiatry Departments. Academic Psychiatry. 2011;35(4):273.
34. Mitchell AJ, Vahabzadeh A, Magruder K. Screening for distress and depression in cancer settings: 10 lessons from 40 years of primary‐care research. Psycho‐oncology. 2011;20(6):572-84.
35. McDonald WM. care providers and emergency room attending physicians in general hospital settings. Arshya Vahabzadeh, MD Justine Wittenauer, MD. Emerg Med. 2011;18:368-73.
36. Vahabzadeh AB, Delaffon V, Biswas AB. Meeting the health care needs of people with learning disabilities. InnovAiT. 2010.
37. Vahabzadeh AB, Delaffon V, Abbas M, Biswas AB. Severe learning disability. InnovAiT. 2010.
38. Vahabzadeh A, Wittenauer J. Recession Imposes New Challenges on Psychiatric Care. Psychiatric News. 2010;45(23):36.
39. Vahabzadeh A, Abbas M, Boyle A. National Dementia Strategy. Br J Gen Pract. 2010;60(574):372-3.
40. Delaffon V, Vahabzadeh A, Naik S, Kinnair D, Bruce J. Capgras syndrome in a patient with severe hyponatremia. Ger J Psychiatry. 2010;13:175-7.
41. Biswas AB, Vahabzadeh A, Hobbs T, Healy JM. Obesity in people with learning disabilities: possible causes and reduction interventions. Nursing times. 2010;106(31):16-8.
