Blanca Pineda, Ed.D. (Director, July 2024 - present)
Dr. Blanca Pineda joined the i4Health team in March 2018 as the Research Project Director and is now Director of i4Health. Prior to joining PAU, she worked at Stanford University for several years. She is bilingual (English/Spanish) and is interested in using internet interventions and digital technologies to enhance learning outcomes in psychology and education. She is also Adjunct Faculty teaching courses related to Digital Mental Health and directs the Digital Health and Education Research (DHER) Lab.
Eduardo Bunge, Ph.D. (Director, July 2023 - June 2024)
Dr. Eduardo Bunge is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Palo Alto University (PAU).
Dr. Bunge directs the Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology (CAPT) Research Lab, and is Director for the International Institute of Internet Interventions for Health (i4Health) at Palo Alto University.
His works focus on integrating technology and mental health, and his most recent contributions were in Artificial Intelligence-Based Chatbots for depression, anxiety, and parenting in English and Spanish.
He is also the Director of the Master of Science in Psychology at PAU. He was born and educated in Argentina, earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Buenos Aires, and received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Palermo (Argentina).
Dr. Bunge has over 80 publications, including five clinical books and more than 70 peer-reviewed articles and chapters.
Ricardo F. Muñoz, Ph.D. (Director Emeritus)
Dr. Muñoz is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology and founding director of i4Health at Palo Alto University. From 1977 to 2012, he was professor of psychology at the School of Medicine of the University of California, San Francisco, based at San Francisco General Hospital, where he served as Chief Psychologist. He specializes in the prevention and treatment of depression and in smoking cessation. He was a founding member of the board of directors for the International Society for Research on Internet Interventions and serves on the editorial boards of Internet Interventions, the Journal of Latina/o Psychology, and Clinical Psychological Science. Since the 1990s, he has been a pioneer in the development of evidence-based internet interventions for health.
Mikael Rubin, Ph.D. (Associate Director)
Dr. Mikael Rubin is an Assistant Professor at Palo Alto University. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He specializes in research and interventions related to anxiety and posttraumatic stress. His research has used a wide range of approaches (including eye tracking, virtual reality, and machine learning). He directs the Transdiagnostic Intervention (TRAIN) Lab at Palo Alto University and is especially interested in using virtual reality and eye tracking methods to evaluate, enhance, and widely disseminate mental health interventions.
Yan Leykin, Ph.D. (Associate Director)
Dr. Yan Leykin is a Professor at Palo Alto University and a bilingual (English/Russian) licensed clinical psychologist. His research interest include the development of internet-based resources for depression, and with his students, he has developed multiple internet interventions and other resources. Additionally, he studies judgment and decision-making of individuals with depression.
Alinne Barrera, Ph.D. (Associate Director, until August 2024)
Dr. Barrera is a bilingual (Spanish/English) licensed clinical psychologist with a specialty in working with immigrant, Spanish-speaking individuals with mood disorders. Her research focuses on designing and testing depression programs for underserved populations. Her most recent work is a prevention of postpartum depression Web-based randomized trial. Dr. Barrera is also working with community providers to design a depression treatment for immigrant women from Latin America.
In June 2016, Dr. Barrera shared her work with colleagues and graduate students at the University of Zaragoza in Teruel, Spain. While in Spain, Dr. Barrera also gave a talk to Sociedad Marce Española, which is part of the Marce Society for Perinatal Mental Health.
Read about Dr. Barrera's visit to Teruel, a subsequent interview about her visit, and her talk to Sociedad Marce.
Pei-Chun Shih, Ph.D. (International Research Collaborator)
Dr. Pei-Chun Shih is Associate Professor of Psychology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain). Her research interests focus on the use of technology in different areas of Psychology. These interests include computational modelling of natural language processing, web-based learning technologies and processes, computer-based psychological assessments and Internet-delivered psychological interventions. She has developed several computerized training program of cognitive (eg. working memory, executive control) and emotional functions (eg. self-control, self-regulation, frustration tolerance) for children and adults. She has also developed different web-based CBT programs of health-behavior promotion (eg. smoking cessation, exercise and eating habits modification, insomnia treatment and workplace stress management).
Jorge Osma, Ph.D. (International Research Collaborator)
Dr. Jorge Osma is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the General Health Psychologist Master at the Department of Psychology and Sociology at the University of Zaragoza in Spain. His researchisfocused on the prevention and treatment of psychological disorders, with a specific focus on anxiety and depression.Heis currently workingon two studies: a group format of the Unified Protocol for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders in a public mental health setting and in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to prevent of perinatal depression.
Angelica Ceja
Angelica received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Stanford University. She has previously worked on research concerning the cognitive and neurological effects of cancer and chemotherapy. Her commitment to serving underprivileged communities has led her to work closely with Spanish speakers in the East Palo Alto area. Through her work with i4Health, Angelica hopes to learn more about long-distance health care delivery methods for people with limited access to in-person care.
Julia Bravin
Julia received her bachelors degree in Psychology from Haverford College, writing her senior thesis on parenting styles and Bicultural Integration. Julia has a love for languages and cultures, which has lead her to travel throughout Latin America and China. She currently works with inpatients at San Francisco General Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Eddie Ong and Dr. Emily Lee. She is also working for Dr. Adrian Aguilera on a study using text messaging as an adjunct for therapy. Her interests lie in how culture relates to psychology and how to provide mental health services for underserved communities.
Jessica Lee
Jessica is interested in the intersection of psychology research, technology, and social impact. Since graduating from Stanford University with a BA in psychology in 2010, she has researched, designed, and launched planning software for the International Space Station at NASA. While at NASA, she joined a mobile gaming startup as first employee where she helped to define and grow a product and business; they were acquired by Yahoo! in 2013. Afterwards, she moved to Indonesia to learn about the challenges of building technology startups in developing countries. She is looking forward to her next adventure - working with top psychologists to research and develop innovative mental health technologies.
