Center for Digital Mental Health

Scaling Technology Solutions

to prevent, assess, and treat mental illness and promote mental health

Scaling Technology Solutions

to prevent, assess, and treat mental illness and promote mental health

About the Center

The Center for Digital Mental Health is a hub for digital health innovation and for the sharing of ideas and resources within the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry.

Directed by Dr. Sabine Wilhelm, the Center began as a think tank in 2019 and has grown to over 120 members, energized by the shared goal of applying technology to address mental health needs. In particular, we share a vision that technology-based solutions are critical for addressing the severe imbalance between the demand for mental health care and the scarcity of existing resources.

Our Mission

The Center’s mission is to scale evidence-based technology solutions to prevent, assess, and treat mental illness and promote mental health in all individuals across race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, ability, or socio-economic backgrounds.

To achieve this goal, we will:

  • DEVELOP AND TEST
    technologies that are tailored to the needs of individuals of all backgrounds to prevent, assess and treat mental illness.
  • COLLABORATE
    with those with lived experience and multidisciplinary stakeholders to ensure that our solutions are informed by diverse perspectives and experiences.
  • PERSONALIZE
    mental health care to the needs of individuals and organizations.  
  • IMPLEMENT
    evidence-based scalable health solutions that expand access to affirming mental health care for all.

Additionally, we are committed to engaging in ongoing self-evaluation in order to meaningfully align our actions with our mission.  

Giving

Our work is supported by investigator-initiated industry sponsorships, federal (NIH) and foundation grants, and philanthropy.

Philanthropic support is critical to maintaining the Center’s infrastructure, fueling our work, and achieving our mission and goals

LEARN MORE ABOUT SUPPORTING OUR CENTER

In the News

The Current State of and Emerging Trends in Clinical Training for Telemental Health

Report and webinar about: "The Current State of and Emerging Trends in Clinical Training for Telemental Health"

Awards

Sabine Wilhelm, PhD, named the inaugural incumbent of the Donovan-Chien Family Professorship in the Field of Psychology at HMS

Sabine Wilhelm, PhD, chief, Department of Psychiatry, was named the inaugural incumbent of the Donovan-Chien Family Professorship in the Field of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. The endowed professorship, a tribute to Joe Donovan and Luther Chien, was made possible by The 72 Fund.

Publications

Lessons and Untapped Potential of Smartphone-Based Physical Activity Interventions for Mental Health

Paper written by Dr. Emily Bernstein, Emma Wolfe, Dr. Brynn Huguenel, and Dr. Sabine Wilhelm which summarizes early efforts to adapt and test smartphone-based or smartphone-supported physical activity interventions for mental health.

Publications

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of a Smartphone App–Led Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression Under Therapist Supervision: Open Trial

Published paper on our center's work, supported by and in collaboration with Koa Health, in developing and testing Mindset for Depression, a smartphone-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) app.

Highlights

Dr. Sabine Wilhelm, Director, talks about How Smartphone Apps Can Improve Your Mental Health

Awards

Dr. Geneva Jonathan named the Summer 2025 MGH Postdoctoral Association Travel Awards winner

Dr. Geneva Jonathan was named the Summer 2025 MGH Postdoctoral Association Travel Awards winner by the MGB Postdoctoral Division & Mass General Postdoc Association (MGPA).

Awards

Dr. Jenna Sung awarded the 2025 IOCDF Jenike Young Investigator Award

Jenna Sung, PhD, was awarded the 2025 International OCD Foundation Jenike Young Investigator Award for her study, “A Web-Based SSI to Reduce Caregiver Distress and Accommodation in Financially Disadvantaged Parents of Youth with OCD: Project EMPOWER.”

Awards

Dr. Geneva Jonathan winner of the ISRII Early Career Researcher Award

Geneva Jonathan, PhD was named the 2025 Early Career Researcher Award winner by the International Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ISRII). ISRII recognizes outstanding leaders, innovators, and rising stars in the field of digital health and behavior change interventions who are making a profound impact on science, technology, and global health equity.

Funding

Dr. Anushka Patel awarded early career development award by the NIH/NIMH

Anushka Patel, PhD received her NIH K23 funding for her project “Designing and Evaluating a Single-Session Transdiagnostic Intervention for Emotion Regulation with Follow-Up mHealth Support for Domestic Violence Survivors.”
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