Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D., is the Donovan-Chien Family Endowed Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School, Chief, Division of Psychology at Mass General Brigham (MGB), Director of the Center for Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders (CORD) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Director of the Center for Digital Mental Health in Psychiatry at MGH.
To address the increasing rates of mental health concerns in the context of a global mental health service provider shortage, her work has focused on the development of scalable digital and AI-powered approaches to assessment and treatment. Dr. Wilhelm has developed or is currently testing smartphone-based treatments for depression, anxiety, suicidality, OCD, and body dysmorphic disorder. She is currently working on AI-supported approaches to enhance the detection of high-risk behaviors and suicidality, machine learning algorithms to match patients with treatments, and generative AI to support more personalized and effective interventions. Her goal is to use technology-based interventions to expand global access to high-quality mental health care.
She has published over 375 papers and chapters, as well as nine books. She has also given around 300 lectures on advances in psychotherapy, including many invited international keynotes focused on the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of AI in mental health care. She has mentored more than 50 junior investigators in the field.
Dr. Wilhelm has been the principal investigator or site principal investigator of many NIMH- and foundation-funded clinical research grants investigating medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy, digital services, and other treatments for a range of psychiatric disorders in children and adults. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the distinguished Aaron T. Beck Award from the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. She was also awarded the Peter K. Ranney Innovation Award from the World Medical Innovation Forum and the 2023 NAMI Scientific Research Award.
Dr. Wilhelm holds or has held many national and international leadership positions in psychology and digital mental health, including past president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT); she is on the Scientific Advisory Board for One-Mind (PsyberGuide), Koa Health, Inc., Noom, Inc., and Jimini Health, chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation, and founding board member for the new Society for Digital Mental Health (SDMH).
Publications
Published Articles
Published Books
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Cognitive Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Guide for Professionals by Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D., and Gail Steketee, Ph.D. Published by New Harbinger Press (2006).
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
A Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Manual for Body Dysmorphic Disorder by Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D., Katherine A. Phillips, M.D., and Gail Steketee, Ph.D. Published by Guilford Press (2013).
Feeling Good About the Way You Look: A Program for Overcoming Body Dysmorphic Disorder by Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D. Published by Guilford Press (2006).
Tourette Syndrome
Managing Tourette Syndrome: A Behavioral Intervention Workbook by Douglas W. Woods, Ph.D, John Piacentini, Ph.D., Susanna Chang, Ph.D and Thilo Deckersbach, Ph.D. Published by Oxford University Press (2008).
This book comes in multiple editions: Parent Workbook, Adult Workbook, Children and Adults Therapist Guide. Each edition is specifically tailored to its audience and offers practical suggestions on how to manage Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders, including new and up-to-date behavioral interventions.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Editors Susan E. Sprich, Ph.D., Timothy Petersen, Ph.D., and Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D. Published by Springer in 2016, latest edition 2023.
Disclosures
The following are relevant financial relationships with a commercial interest to disclose (last 3 years):
- Royalties from Guilford Publications, New Harbinger Publications, Oxford University Press, and Springer
- Speaking honoraria and travel reimbursement from various academic institutions and foundations, including the International OCD Foundation and the Tourette Association of America.
- Research Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Professional liability program longevity reward from the American Insurance Trust
- Research support from Koa Health, Inc.
- Honoraria for serving in the Scientific Advisory Board Committees for One Mind (PsyberGuide), Koa Health, Inc., Noom, Inc., and Jimini Health
