Nick Allen, PhD

Nick Allen has more than thirty years of experience in clinical psychology, social neuroscience, research and education. His research works to understand the interactions between multiple risk factors for adolescent onset mental health disorders, and to use these insights to develop innovative approaches to prevention and early intervention. As the director of the Center for Digital Mental Health, his group holds multiple NIH funded grants for work focusing on the use of mobile and wearable technology to monitor risk for poor mental health outcomes including suicide, depression, and bipolar disorder. His team has developed software tools that combine active and passive sensing methods to provide intensive longitudinal assessment of behavior with minimal participant burden. The ultimate aim of these technologies is to develop a new generation of “just-in-time” behavioral interventions for early intervention and prevention of mental health problems. He is currently leading a project with Google to determine the effect that smartphone usage has on mental health. Nick is also the co-founder and CEO of Ksana Health Inc, a company whose mission is to use research evidence and modern technology to revolutionize the delivery of mental health care through remote behavioral monitoring and adaptive, continuous behavior change support.