Faculty
Bio
I received my BA in Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology here at the University of Minnesota. I am an adult psychologist and my primary research focus is to understand how genetic risks for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are expressed in the functions of the brain. I also conduct studies of families affected by schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to understand the ways in which individuals affected by these conditions differ from biological relatives who may carry genetic vulnerability for the conditions but do not develop the disorders. In addition, I study military-related traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder in a search for brain-based measures that differentiate the two conditions and may help guide treatment decisions for individuals who have been exposed to traumatic explosive blast events in combat. I have given 18 grand rounds presentations nationwide, and have presented nationally and internationally at more than 170 conferences.
I am a consulting editor for the Journal of Abnormal Psychology and also work as a trainer for the Minneapolis VA's Psychology Service Training Program. Within the department, I am a graduate student advisor for the Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research Program and supervise clinical training of psychology graduate students, and post-doctoral psychologists for licensure.
Expertise
- Clinical & cognitive assessment
- EEG collection and analysis
Research Summary
Dr. Sponheim's primary research focus is to understand how genetic risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are expressed in the functions of the brain. He uses recordings of brain electrical activity (EEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of brain function and structure, cognitive assessments, and questionnaire and interview-based assessments of symptoms to map the expression of genetic vulnerability. Dr. Sponheim carries out studies of families affected by schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to understand the ways in which individuals affected by schizophrenia and bipolar disorder differ from biological relatives may carry genetic vulnerability for the conditions but do not develop the mental disorder. The discovery of measures that clearly identify either genetic vulnerability or future development of a severe mental disorder will allow early intervention and possible prevention of these conditions before they impair a person's life. Dr. Sponheim also studies military-related traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder in a search for brain-based measures that differentiate the two conditions and may help guide treatment decisions for individuals who have been exposed to traumatic explosive blast events in combat.
Clinical Summary
Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder; Post-traumatic Stress Disorder; Empirically-Validated Recovery Interventions for Severe and Persistent Mental Disorders
Contact
Address
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, F282/2A West Building, 2450 Riverside Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55454Bio
I received my BS in psychology and neurobiology from the University of Wisconsin. I completed medical school and a Psychiatry residency at the University of Minnesota Medical School. I am an adult outpatient psychiatrist with a clinical focus on integrated/collaborative care, which involves working closely with colleagues in primary care to help provide mental health care to a vastly greater number of patients than is possible with a conventional outpatient psychiatry practice. I believe that the integration of behavioral health with primary care is key to improving access and is the future of effective mental health treatment.
Aside from my work with patients, I enjoy working in clinical informatics. I am a certified physician builder and power user with Epic, helping to make improvements to the electronic medical record to streamline the experience for both providers and patients and reduce burnout among providers. I am also passionate about education and work closely with medical students and residents in psychiatry as well as primary care specialties to help them improve their clinical skills and provide excellent patient-centered mental health care.
Expertise
- Development of clinical care models in Integrated/collaborative care areas
- Clinical informatics and resident education
- Certifications to optimize electronic medical records in the interest of reducing burnout among providers
Administrative Assistant
(for academic support only)
Natasha Hampton-Anderson
nhampton@umn.edu
In the Media
- 2023: Featured in this article titled, "Clinic director and educator believes the best time to mentor is 'in the moment'".
Education
Fellowships, Residencies, and Visiting Engagements
Licensures and Certifications
Honors and Recognition
Selected Publications
Selected Presentations
Contact
Address
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, F282/2A West Building, 2450 Riverside Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55454Bio
I am the Donald W. Hastings Endowed Chair in Psychiatry and Department Head of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Minnesota (UMN) Medical School. Before joining UMN, I served as Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and as Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centre.
I earned my MD at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. I further trained at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center and Stanford University, where I served as Chief Resident, followed by a fellowship in Psychiatric Neurosciences Research.
I direct a translational clinical neuroscience laboratory that focuses on cognitive dysfunction in psychosis. My lab studies neuroscience-informed cognitive training methods focusing on young adults in early psychosis with the goal of ameliorating cognition and focusing on functional outcomes. I lead a hub of the national EPINET (Early Psychosis Intervention Network) initiative, overseeing measurement-based specialty care in Minnesota and Iowa. I am also a co-PI on an NIMH Conte Center using computed psychiatry methods to study state representation dysfunction in psychosis.
I serve as Deputy Editor of the Schizophrenia Research Journal and am a fellow of the American College of Neuropharmacology. I lead the Clinical Neuroscience curriculum for the residency program. I have participated in the White House conference on “Video Games to Enhance Attention and Well-Being” and was a recipient of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) National Research Award.
In the Media
- 2023: Helped write this Star Tribune op-ed titled, "Health will suffer with predicted hospital cuts…They may not bring in big money, but we can't afford to lose pediatrics, obstetrics and mental health services"
- 2023: Featured in this MinnPost article titled, “Living beyond diagnoses, Uma Oswald aims for a life ‘in recovery’ from mental illness.”
- 2022: Featured in a video titled, "Tackling Psychiatric Illness Using Translational Models and Computations", shot as part of the American Psychiatric Association's Conference TV with funding from NeuroPRSMH (NeuroPlasticity Research in Support of Mental Health), the U’s multidisciplinary neuroscience research group
- 2022: Featured for their work on NeuroPRSMH in an issue of UMN’s The Scope
- 2022: Featured in this UMN Medical School article titled, “Collaborating to a Successful Grant,” about the process used to secure their P50 Conte Center Grant.
- 2021: Quoted in a Minneapolis Star Tribune story titled, Minnesota's long haul: One year of COVID-19.
- 2021: Quoted in an editorial in the Star Tribune titled, “Doctor's 'long climb out' after bout with COVID-19”.
Education
Fellowships, Residencies, and Visiting Engagements
Licensures and Certifications
Honors and Recognition
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Selected Presentations
Contact
Address
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, F282/2A West Building, 2450 Riverside Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55454Bio
I am a licensed child and adolescent psychologist and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. I attended Stanford University for undergrad and received my PhD at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development. In my current faculty position, I balance direct clinical care of children and families, and teaching/supervision of advanced graduate psychology students. I specialize in evidence-based treatment of children and adolescents with acute and complex trauma. I am committed to providing culturally-affirming care to diverse patients and families including racially/ethnically diverse individuals, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other historically marginalized groups.
Expertise
- Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)
- Evidence-based treatment of children and adolescents with acute and complex trauma
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Prolonged exposure (PE)
- Parent guidance
Administrative Assistant
(for academic support only)
Natasha Hampton-Anderson
nhampton@umn.edu
Research Summary
Dr. Vrieze is broadly interested in developmental psychopathology, namely the myriad biological and environmental factors that contribute to the onset and trajectory of mental health problems in young children. Her research has focused on attachment and the reflective capacity of depressed mothers to attune to the emotional needs of their young children. She is interested in the development of community-based interventions for younger children identified as at-risk for developing emotional-behavioral problems.
Teaching Summary
Dr. Vrieze provides training and supervision for Psychiatry residents, Child Psychiatry Fellows, psychology interns and graduate students on the topics of: developmental psychopathology, cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma, and early childhood mental health. She supervises the clinical work of graduate students from counseling, school, and clinical psychology doctoral programs.
Clinical Summary
Dr. Vrieze is a licensed clinical psychologist in the State of Minnesota. She earned her PhD in Child Psychology through the Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Sciences doctoral program at the University of Minnesota - Institute of Child Development. She completed both her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral clinical fellowship training at Children's Hospital in the Twin Cities.
She focuses on trauma (acute, complex), chronic stress, and adjustment to significant stressors and adversities. Dr. Vrieze works with children, adolescents, young adults, and families utilizing evidence-based approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), prolonged exposure therapy (PE), parent guidance, exposure-response prevention, and supportive psychotherapy.
Education
Fellowships, Residencies, and Visiting Engagements
Licensures and Certifications
Honors and Recognition
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Selected Presentations
Contact
Address
Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, 2025 E River Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55414Bio
Dr. Vuchetich's clinical interests include General Psychiatry with an emphasis on the treatment of the seriously and persistently mentally ill; Community Psychiatry and the Assertive Community Treatment Team model
Expertise:
- Psychosis
- Mood disorders
- Substance use disorders
Research Summary
Dr. Vuchetich's research surrounds behavioral genetics and treatment of the psychoses and major mood disorders, as well as smoking cessation interventions and the role of stress and mental illness in smoking.
Teaching Summary
Dr. Vuchetich’s current teaching consists of supervision of 2nd through 4th year residents doing community psychiatry rotations on the ACT Team
Education
Fellowships, Residencies, and Visiting Engagements
Professional Memberships
Contact
Address
122 South Wabasha Street, Ste 400, St Paul, MN 55107Bio
I am a psychiatrist and biomedical engineer. Clinically, I provide brain stimulation treatments for mood, anxiety, and substance disorders. These include deep brain stimulation, cortical stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation.
My research focuses on developing these treatments further, particularly the creation of new "closed loop" devices. These devices sense brain signals in real-time and deliver energy in a planned and rational fashion, compensating for each patient's specific brain network abnormalities. My laboratory (TNE Lab) prototypes new stimulation paradigms and targets in rodent models, conducts clinical trials of these new technologies, and searches for biomarkers of illness and recovery to guide next-generation therapies.
To inquire about being part of our neurostimulation trials or about existing clinical treatments, please contact my clinical office at 952-525-4500.
Expertise
- Neuromodulation for mental illness
- OCD
Administrative Assistant
(for academic support only)
Natasha Hampton-Anderson
nhampton@umn.edu
In the Media
- 2023: Featured in this WCCO TV piece titled, “New research at U of M measures brain waves to detect depression, suicide warnings.”
- 2023: Featured in this StarTribune article titled, “University of Minnesota studies brain's electrical signals as warnings for depression, suicide,” and in this WCCO interview titled, “ Can brain signals indicate thoughts about suicide and severe depression?”
- 2023: Dr. Widge and his research team are featured in this article titled, “Can we do a better job of detecting suicidality? U of M team using a DARPA award to test the possibility.”
- 2022: Featured in a video titled "Tackling Psychiatric Illness Using Translational Models and Computations", shot as part of the American Psychiatric Association's Conference TV with funding from NeuroPRSMH (NeuroPlasticity Research in Support of Mental Health), the U’s multidisciplinary neuroscience research group
- 2022: Featured in this Psychiatric Times article titled, “Assessing Gaps and Opportunities in ECT, rTMS, and DBS Guidelines”.
- 2021: Spotlighted in The Medical Progress in a piece titled, “Merging AI with targeted electrical brain stimulation to improve specific human brain functions”.
- 2021: Interviewed for this MINNPOST piece titled, “As Minnesota considers qualifying anxiety for its medical cannabis program, psychiatrists raise concerns.
- U of M research team hopes to develop an implantable device to treat mental illness — thanks to a $6.6 million grant”. Features exciting work led by Dr. Alik Widge
Research Summary
Our laboratory develops new ways of modifying brain circuits to treat mental illness. We take a "dimensional" approach, breaking mental disorders into their core components that cut across diagnoses. We use a variety of tools, including electrical, magnetic, and optical stimulation, to change those circuits in a way we hope will translate to humans.