Rania Awaad

Biography

Rania Awaad, M.D., is a practicing Psychiatrist based at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She is a Clinical Instructor in the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and pursues her clinical practice through the department's community psychiatry track. She is also a researcher and the Director of the Stanford Muslims and Mental Health Lab where she mentors and oversees multiple lines of research focused on Muslim mental health. She completed her psychiatric residency training at Stanford Hospital and Clinics where she also pursued a postdoctoral clinical research fellowship with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Her research and clinical work are focused on the mental health needs of Muslims. She has been the recipient of several awards and grants for her work.

Research Interest

Dr. Awaad also has an interest in refugee mental health and has traveled to Amman, Jordan multiple times with the Care Program for Refugees (CPR) sponsored by Al-Alusi Foundation, a local non-profit organization. She has worked on developing and presenting a "train the trainers" curriculum to aid workers and therapists in Amman working with Syrian and Iraqi refugees. Dr. Awaad is passionate about community mental health and lectures widely nationally and internationally, particularly in communities where mental health is highly stigmatized. Recently, she was invited by President Obama to present her work on Muslim Mental Health at a convening at the Department of Health in DC. Dr. Awaad received this invitation as a leader who is nationally recognized for her work on the mental health needs of Muslim populations.