Principal Investigator:
Sabra Inslicht, Ph.D.
Dr. Inslicht has been conducting human clinical research on the psychobiology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder for the past 20 years, serving as Principal Investigator on projects sponsored by the Dept of Defense, the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, and the National Institute of Health. Her research goals are: 1) to identify psychobiological causes and consequences of traumatic stress symptoms; 2) to characterize sex differences in the biology of PTSD; and 3) to develop drug treatments that have potential for facilitating fear extinction and improving the treatment of PTSD. She has led clinical studies using a human laboratory paradigm to examine fear conditioning in PTSD and has examined complex steroid pathways, reproductive hormones, and immune function. Her ultimate goal is to use the knowledge gained on the neurobiology of PTSD to inform novel interventions for ameliorating prolonged posttraumatic stress responses. The possibility that there may be sex differences in the neurobiology of PTSD may lead to more tailored treatments for men and women.
Post Doctoral Fellow
Shane W. Adams Ph.D.
Shane W. Adams earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2023 from the City University of New York, where he studied parallel processes of posttraumatic stress and cardiometabolic conditions among survivors of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. He is currently the Postdoctoral Fellow in the Advanced PTSD Research Program at VA San Francisco and UCSF. His research includes the study of heterogeneous traumatic stress reactions in civilians, active duty special forces, and veterans. His research efforts aim to capture unique and increasingly representative traumatic stress reactions by integrating multimodal assessments (e.g., psychological, biological, physiological) that help produce an improved nosology of traumatic stress, expand clinical implications/applications, and improve healthcare equity.
Clinical Research Coordinators
Connie Fee
Joyce Gurdock
Sherry Yam
Practicum Students
Lana Marks
Lana is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium, where she is involved in clinical work at the Menlo Park VA outpatient Mental Health Clinic and with a novel group intervention for women who have histories of trauma through Stanford Psychiatry and Behavioral Services. She earned a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and previously worked in research examining a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor for mental illness, exposure therapy for specific phobia, and narrative coding procedures. Alongside trauma, she is interested in crisis services and previously worked with marginally housed youth. In her free time, Lana enjoys yoga, trying new foods, and reading.
Chloe Kaplan
Research Assistants
Christina Lee
Natalie Wieczorek
Ellie Ho
Allen Justin
Janvi Amin
Natalie Cheung
Alex Kunder
Valerie Rutenburg 
Valerie Rutenburg graduated Magna Cumme Laude with a B.S in Economics from Santa Clara University in 2023. After graduating Valerie worked as a Behavioral Technician, implementing principles of ABA therapy for treatment of clients with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition to her work as a Research Assistant for the STAR LAB, Valerie is the Assistant Director and Educator at Club Z. Outside of work Valerie enjoys being an Indoor Cycling Instructor, spending time outdoors with loved ones, and listening to her favorite podcasts.