Our research lies at the intersection of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Public Health, and Psychology. We focus on broadly on digital mental health, investigating the uses, perceptions, and effects of technology on users' mental health. We look at the interaction from a holistic perspective, which means we investigate AI, general purpose technology, non-condition-specific health technology, and condition-specific technology with the purpose of informing design. Thus, we consider mental health generally (i.e., emotional, psychological, and social aspects) as well as mental illnesses. We take a human-centered approach - meaning we put people first.
Active Projects
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Mental Health
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UNDERSTAND: Uplifting the New generation through DBT Education and Resilience for Social Triggers, Anxiety, Negativity, and Depression - Developing Datasets and Leveraging AI
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Nadir Weibel, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering; Associate Faculty Director Design Lab: Expert in designing and evaluating interactive systems integrating eXtended Reality (XR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and pervasive sensing technologies, leveraging multimodal data —- body and eye movements, physiological signals, speech, and social interactions—to enhance human behavior in real-world and digital environments
Elizabeth Eikey, Assistant Professor, Founding Faculty of the School of Public Health; Design Lab: Expert in designing and evaluating digital technologies to minimize harm and unintended consequences while maximizing benefit by conducting community-engaged research, including mixed methods, qualitative data collection, and human-centered design Aaron Broukhim, PhD Student, Computer Science & Engineering: Focus is at the intersection of human-computer interaction, machine learning, & reinforcement learning; Experience leveraging social signal as rewards to improve machine learning systems using varying modalities and in XAI and the personalization of conversational agents Manas Bedmutha, PhD Student, Computer Science & Engineering: Experience using signal processing and machine learning on ubiquitous devices to interpret and interact with user behaviors, with a focus on human-AI interaction with the goal of making AI accessible and trustworthy through novel sensing and interaction ideas Isaac Bouchard, PhD Student, Health Services Research and Implementation Science; Design Lab: Expert in Clinical Psychology and experience in conducting community-engaged research and informing the implementation of mental health technologies in diverse settings |
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MindNumbers: Designing and Evaluating an App Targeting the Measurement of Symptoms and Wellness Behaviors of People Living with Bipolar Disorder Integrating AI
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Elizabeth Eikey, Assistant Professor, Founding Faculty of the School of Public Health; Design Lab: (see above)
Peter Westlake, Chief Executive Offer of MindNumbers, International Bipolar Foundation Board Member: Expert in medical diagnostics; Founded Mind Numbers Inc. to provide symptom measurement and monitoring to those living with mental illnesses; His family experience of bipolar disorder has made him a humble but passionate advocate of improved care for those living with bipolar illness Gaëla Fernández Florin, Chief Growth Officer of MindNumbers, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Design Lab: Expertise making connections across interdisciplinary teams and industry and academic stakeholders; Mental health advocate Isaac Bouchard, PhD Student, Health Services Research and Implementation Science; Design Lab: (see above) |
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AI-Based Social Media and
Digital Surveillance in Schools 
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More coming soon!
Cinnamon Bloss, Professor of Public Health, Psychiatry, and Medicine Elizabeth Eikey, PhD Melissa Karnaze, PhD Alison O'Daffer, Clinical Psychology PhD Student Deepa Manjanatha, Clinical Psychology PhD Student Kimberly Center, MA, Research Project Manager Amy Vatne Bintliff, Associate Teaching Professor, Education Mark Rothstein, JD Marla Sklover, Finance and Operations Manager |
Community-Engaged Mental Health
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Creative Community Healing: Fostering Engagement and Capacity Building for Art-Based Mental Health Support Among Ukrainian Refugee Women
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Elizabeth Eikey, Assistant Professor, Founding Faculty of the School of Public Health; Design Lab: (see above)
Isaac Bouchard, PhD Student, Health Services Research and Implementation Science; Design Lab: (see above) Kystsina Shchelkunova, Founder and Executive Director of the Slavic Refugee & Immigrant Services Organization (SRISO): In response to the war in Ukraine, SRISO has provided housing, food, clothing, and navigation support to more than 3,000 families, coordinated temporary hotel accommodation for nine families, and recruited over 100 temporary host homes in various U.S. cities Borsika Rabin, Professor, Founding Faculty of the School of Public Health, Co-Director of the UC San Diego Dissemination and Implementation Science Center: Implementation Science (IS) expert on a number of large NIH and VA Center grants and research projects including the VA San Diego Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health; Expertise in the selection and operationalization of IS models and she is a national expert in the use of the RE-AIM framework and its contextually expanded counterpart, PRISM |
Mental Health at the Forefront of Non-"Mental Health" Technologies
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Mental Health in Diet and Fitness Communities
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Elizabeth Eikey, Assistant Professor, Founding Faculty of the School of Public Health; Design Lab: (see above)
Oliver Golden, NSF Fellow and PhD Student, Informatics: UX researcher and designer with a background that bridges psychology and technology; Investigates the impacts of technology on mental health and the ways we can make our digital spaces healthier |
Mental Healthcare
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Compassion in Telepsychiatry
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More coming soon!
Elizabeth Eikey, PhD Nicholas Chen, MD |
Completed Projects
- Headspace Study (Judith Borghouts, PhD)
- iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) Program Evaluation - Belonging, Inclusion, and Mental Health in Education
- Help@Hand: Evaluation of Digital Mental Health Technologies Across CA
- Built-In Belonging: Scaling and Fostering Diverse and Inclusive Intergenerational Communities of Practice
- CAPS Redesign Project
- Mindflow
- The Influence of Priors on Mental Health and Well-being Behaviors Among College Students at UC San Diego
- Supporting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Mental Health Needs Using Digital Tools
- College Students' Mental Health
- The Use & Consequences of Diet and Fitness Apps by College Women with Eating Disorders
- Emotion and Thought Responses to Data Engagement and Design Features in Diet and Fitness Apps
- Stigma and Sharing on Social Media: How Immigrant Students with Depression Cultivate Connections
- SMS Stress and Burnout Monitoring in Physicians (Claire Manhard, MPH, Drs. Fergerson & Hekler)
- Depression Self-Management Among College Students: Understanding Practices and Perceptions to Inform Mobile Applications
- Understanding Ways to Increase Compassion through Teaching Teams at the UC San Diego Campus to Better Serve Student Needs
- #Depression: Immigrant College Students' Perceptions of Social Media
- Instagram Insights for Wellness
- Content Analysis of Diet and Fitness Tracking Apps
- Doulas in Birth Givers' Care
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