Elias Aboujaoude, MD, MA

Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, MD, MA, is a clinical professor, researcher, and writer at Stanford University Department of Psychiatry, where he serves as chief of the Anxiety Disorders Section and director of both the OCD Clinic and the Impulse Control Disorders Clinic. Board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Aboujaoude received his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine and has built an academic career spanning more than two decades. He has also held positions at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, University of California Berkeley, University of California San Francisco, and an honorary professorship at University of York in the United Kingdom.

Aboujaoude is the author of several books that address clinical psychiatry and its intersection with public discourse. His debut work, "Compulsive Acts: A Psychiatrist's Tales of Ritual and Obsession," explores obsessive-compulsive disorder and behavioral addictions. His follow-up, "Virtually You: The Dangerous Powers of the E-Personality," a New York Times Editors' Choice, examines the psychological and cultural impact of internet technologies. He also edited the academic volume "Mental Health in the Digital Age: Grave Dangers, Great Promise," published by Oxford University Press, which brings together global experts to assess digital technology's influence on mental health.

In "A Leader's Destiny: Why Psychology, Personality, and Character Make All the Difference," Aboujaoude analyzes leadership through a psychiatric lens, critiquing the leadership industry and arguing that effective leadership arises from a combination of personal, psychological, and situational factors. The book has been reviewed by Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly.

Aboujaoude's research focuses on the intersection of technology and psychology, including topics such as video game addiction, online narcissism, cyberbullying, AI-mediated mental health care, and telemedicine. He co-founded a Silicon Valley video-enabled therapy platform for remote mental health care. Aboujaoude teaches psychology at Stanford and University of California Berkeley, and has lectured internationally at venues including the World Psychiatric Association and the U.S. Department of Defense. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, TIME, Harvard Business Review, NPR, CNN, BBC, and other major media outlets, contributing to ongoing conversations in psychiatry, digital mental health, and behavioral science.