New ECHO program will support care of people with TBI

Department news | December 28, 2021

The ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) model uses a virtual educational lecture series and patient case discussion to improve provider preparedness to treat patients and improve patient outcomes. Our latest ECHO launch will test whether the model can enhance the care of traumatic brain injury (TBI).



Can magic mushrooms help ease anxiety and depression?

Right as Rain | November 15, 2021

Microdosing psilocybin has become trendy among people hoping to alleviate anxiety or increase creativity. Nathan Sackett, MD, talks about its promise as a therapeutic agent and his plans to build a novel therapeutics research program that will explore the pairing of compounds like psilocybin and ketamine with behavioral interventions to treat addictions.


DOD funds $4.3M human trial on device to enhance sleep

UW Medicine newsroom | October 26, 2021

Jeffrey Iliff, PhD, is co-PI of the first human trial of a device to speed up and enhance glymphatic function (brain cleansing) that occurs when we sleep. The trial is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and based on research funded by the Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions. The story was covered in Patch, GeekWire, KXL, FOX 13, KOIN, and KIRO 7, among others.


Teletherapy often leaves out older people. Here’s how a Washington researcher is trying to help them connect

Seattle Times | October 10, 2021

Debby Tsuang, MD, MSc, director of VA Puget Sound Health Care System’s Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, with funding from the Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions, is studying how Black adults ages 60-80 respond to three modes of screening for mental health concerns: through written forms, phone interviews or video calls.


New faculty member Marco Pravetoni will lead a new Center for Medication Development for Substance Use Disorders

Department news | September 30, 2021

We’re excited to announce that Marco Pravetoni, PhD, will be joining our department as the inaugural holder of the Rick L. Seaver Endowed Professorship for Brain Wellness funded by the Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions. Dr. Pravetoni is an expert in the development of vaccines, antibody-based strategies, and small molecules to counteract opioid use disorders and […]


University of Minnesota announces clinical trial for opioid vaccine

Drug Discovery & Development | September 7, 2021

The University of Minnesota Medical School has developed a therapeutic vaccine for opioid use disorder that is the subject of a new Phase 1 randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Marco Pravetoni, PhD, is leading the drug discovery research and will join the UW Medicine Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions in 2022.