Rania Awaad, MD

Psychiatrist


Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

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Additional Languages Spoken:
Arabic

Biography


Rania Awaad, M.D. is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine where she is the Director of the Stanford Muslim Mental Health & Islamic Psychology Lab as well Stanford University's Affiliate Chaplain. She also serves as the Associate Division Chief for Public Mental Health and Population Sciences as well as the Section Co-Chief of Diversity and Cultural Mental Health. In addition, she is a faculty member of the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford University. She pursued her psychiatric residency training at Stanford where she also completed a postdoctoral clinical research fellowship with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

As a nationally recognized leader in Muslim mental health, Dr. Awaad has been invited by Presidents Obama and Biden, the CDC, HHS and SAMHSA to present her work at national convenings in DC. She has pioneered by establishing the first Muslim Mental Health Community Advisory Board (BAMMH CAB) in the US. Dr. Awaad has also established multiple Muslim mental health clinics as well as custom-tailored clinical and educational training programs for clinicians, religious and community leaders to address the mental health needs of Muslim communities.

Through community partnerships established by the Stanford Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Awaad is currently the Psychiatric Director of the El Camino Women's Medical Group where she pursues her interest in women's mental health. Additionally, she serves as the Executive Director of Maristan, a holistic mental health nonprofit serving Muslim communities. Previously, she served as the founding Clinical Director of the Bay Area branch of the Khalil Center.

Her courses at Stanford range from teaching a pioneering course on Islamic Psychology (PSYC 144/244), to instructing medical students, psychiatry residents and clinical psychology trainees on implicit bias and integrating culture and religion into medical care (PAU’s CLDV 700 and Stanford’s PGY-3 “Culture and Religion in Psychiatry”), to teaching undergraduate and graduate students the psychology of xenophobia (PSYC 86Q). Some of her recent academic publications include an edited volume on "Islamophobia and Psychiatry" (Springer, 2019), "Applying Islamic Principles to Clinical Mental Health" (Routledge, 2020) and an upcoming clinical textbook on Muslim Mental Health for the American Psychiatric Association. She has also produced a toolkit, fact sheet, CME course on Muslim mental health for the APA.

Dr. Awaad is particularly passionate about uncovering the historical roots of mental health care in the Islamic intellectual heritage and has two upcoming books on the topic. In addition, she is affiliate faculty of Islamic Psychology at the Cambridge Muslim College and The Islamic Seminary of America. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Yaqeen Institute and the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. She 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. She worked on developing and presenting a "train the trainers" curriculum to aid workers and therapists in Amman working with Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

Prior to studying medicine, she pursued classical Islamic studies in Damascus, Syria and holds certifications (ijaza) in Qur’an, Islamic Law and other branches of the Islamic Sciences. Dr. Awaad has also previously served as the first female Professor of Islamic Law at Zaytuna College, a Muslim Liberal Arts College in Berkeley, CA. In addition, she serves as the Director of The Rahmah Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Muslim women and girls. Dr. Awaad been the recipient of several awards and grants for her work. She is a nationally recognized speaker, award-winning teacher, researcher and author in both the Islamic and medical sciences. Follow her @Dr.RaniaAwaad

Professional Summary


Education & Certifications
  • Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Psychiatry (2015)
  • Fellowship, Stanford University School of Medicine, T32 NIMH Clinical Research Fellowship (2014)
  • Residency: Stanford Hospital and Clinics (2014) CA
  • Medical Education: Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine (2009) OH

Honors & Awards
  • Annual Leadership Award, Muslim Coalition of Connecticut (2018)
  • APA/SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Award, American Psychiatric Association/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2011-2013)
  • Arnold P. Gold Foundation Award for Humanism and Excellence in Teaching, Arnold P. Gold Foundation (2011)
  • Community Achievement Award for exceptional commitment to promoting mental health wellbeing, ACCESS California (2019)
  • Department Faculty Professional and Leadership Award, Stanford University School of Medicine (2021)
  • Faculty Teaching Award, Stanford University School of Medicine (2019)
  • Islamic Psychology Researcher of the Year Award, University of Southern California (2018)
  • Minorities in Mental Health APA Travel Scholarship, American Psychiatric Association (2008-2009)
  • Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, Stanford Psychiatry Residency Program (2021)
  • Program for Minority Research Training in Psychiatry National Research Service Award (NRSA), American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education and NIMH (2008-2009)
  • Stanford Leadership Development Program, Stanford University (2020-2021)
  • Stanford Outstanding Community Partnership Award, Stanford University Office of Community Engagement (2017)
  • Top 25 Faith and Spiritual Influencers of 2020 Award, HolyTV (2020)
  • Young Investigators Award, American Psychiatric Association (2009)

Memberships
  • Advisor, Stanford Public Psychiatry Track, Stanford Psychiatry Adult Residency Program Advisory Committee (2021 - Present)
  • Advisory Board Member, International and National Board of the Centre for Islamic Psychology (Pakistan) (2021 - Present)
  • Advisory Board Member, Al-Balkhi Institute of Islamic Psychology Research (UK) (2021 - Present)
  • Affiliate Chaplain, Stanford University (2021 - Present)
  • Content Expert, Special Taskforce on Spirituality, International Islamic University Malaysia (Malaysia) (2021 - Present)
  • Executive Director, Maristan (2021 - Present)
  • Advisory Board Member, Islamic Association of Social and Educational Professions (Germany) (2020 - Present)
  • Chair, Diversity Coalition, Stanford Psychiatry Department (2020 - Present)
  • Member, Chair’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee (2020 - Present)
  • Senior Fellow, Institute of Social Policy and Understanding (2020 - Present)
  • Mentor, LEAD (Leadership Education in Advancing Diversity), Stanford Medicine (2020 - 2021)
  • Search Committee member, Associate Dean for Muslim Life, Stanford University (2020 - 2021)
  • Senior Fellow, Yaqeen Institute (2019 - Present)
  • Interim Chaplain, Stanford University (2019 - 2021)
  • Advisor, Muslim Student Association (MSA) West (2018 - Present)
  • Fellow, International Association of Islamic Psychology (2018 - Present)
  • Faculty Steering Committee member, Haas Center for Public Service, Stanford University (2018 - 2021)
  • Committee Member, Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Wellness Workgroup, Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University SOM (2018 - 2020)
  • Faculty Steering Committee member, Stanford Refugee Research Project, Stanford University (2018 - 2020)
  • Board Member, Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies Education Advisory Board, Stanford University (2017 - Present)
  • Faculty Advisor, Muslim Student Union, Stanford University (2017 - Present)
  • Founder and Member, Community Advisory Board on Muslim Mental Health (2016 - Present)
  • Reviewer, Journal of Muslim Mental Health (2015 - Present)
  • Senior Fellow, Stanford Center of Global Innovation in Global Health (2015 - Present)
  • Advisor and Host, Bay Area Muslim Mental Health Professionals (2014 - Present)
  • Consultant, Care Program for Refugees/ Al-Alusi Foundation (2014 - Present)
  • Reviewer, Journal of Academic Psychiatry (2014 - Present)
  • Education Committee Member, Society for the Study of Cultural Psychiatry (2014 - 2016)
  • Member, Stanford Community Mental Health Committee (2013 - Present)
  • Admissions Committee Member, Zaytuna College (2013 - 2018)
  • Member, APA Council of Healthcare Systems and Financing (2011 - 2013)
  • Member, California Psychiatric Society (2010 - Present)
  • Member, Stanford Society for Physician Scholars (2010 - Present)
  • Founding Director, The Rahmah Foundation (2008 - Present)
  • Member, American Psychiatric Association (2008 - Present)
  • Member, Physicians for Human Rights (2005 - Present)
  • Member, Phi Rho Sigma Medical Society (2005 - Present)

Administrative Appointments
  • Associate Chief, Division of Public Mental Health and Population Sciences (2020 - Present)
  • Chief, centerspace Clinic (2020 - Present)
  • Clinical Director, Khalil Center- Bay Area (2015 - 2020)
  • Co-Chief, Diversity Retention and Recruitment (2020 - Present)
  • Co-Chief, Diversity Section, Adult Psychiatry (2020 - Present)
  • Director, Stanford Muslim Mental Health & Islamic Psychology Lab (2014 - Present)
  • Psychiatric Director, El Camino Women's Medical Group (2015 - Present)

Publications

Specializing In

  • Adjustment Disorder
  • Anxiety
  • Behavior Therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Cognitive Therapy
  • Depression
  • Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
  • Panic Disorder
  • Pharmacotherapy
  • Phobias
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Psychiatric Conditions
  • Psychiatric Evaluation
  • Psychotherapy
  • Psychotropic Medication Management
  • Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders
  • Women's Health

Practice Locations


Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic in Palo Alto Stanford, CA
Stanford, CA

401 Quarry Road

Stanford , CA 94304

(650) 498-9111

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