ADAA Special Interest Groups

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) SIG will focus on exploring the evolving intersection of AI technologies and their application in the prevention, assessment, and treatment of mental health disorders. The SIG will serve as a collaborative hub for clinicians, researchers, and students interested in understanding and responsibly integrating AI tools into evidence-based mental health care.

SIG Chair

• Grace Berman, LCSW

SIG Vice-Chair

• Alnardo Martinez, LMHC

Board Liaison:

• Jill Emanuele, PhD

Creates a place for clinicians and researchers to discuss, debate, and address issues relevant to the understanding and treatment of childhood anxiety and mood disorders. 

The SIG promotes networking between clinicians and researchers and helps combat isolation for therapists in private practice and offers opportunities for learning and connection between the annual conferences through online communication and CE.

Watch this video to learn more about the Child and Adolescent SIG and learn about you can get involved and succeed!

SIG Co-Chairs

• Lana Grasser, PhD
• Rachel Lippin- Foster, LCSW

SIG Co-Vice Chairs

• Jennifer Blossom, PhD
• TBD

Board Liaison:

• Jill Emanuele, PhD

Unites students and early career professionals interested in the clinical treatment and research of anxiety and depression. The group develops ADAA conference activities organized around topics specifically relevant to students and early career professionals, and offers an initial avenue for students and early career professionals to become involved in ADAA. Early Career is typically defined as 5 years post degree attainment. 

Why Join the Early Career SIG? 

• Unparalleled networking opportunities,
• Learn and share ideas in a welcoming space,
• Engage in Professional Development, including honing your leadership skills;
• Share your expertise; and
• Share Opportunities 

Watch this video to learn more about the ECPS SIG and learn about you can get involved and succeed!

SIG Co-Chairs:

• Stanley Seah, PhD
• Marina Zhukova, PhD

SIG Vice Chairs:

• Rachel Siciliano, PhD
• Kate Surrette, LCSW

Social Media:

• Poulomi Mitra, UTMB John Sealy School of Medicine
• Zoë Laky, MA

Student Representative: 

• Camila Orozco, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Board Liaison:

• Jill Emanuele, PhD

Resources for Early Career and Student Mental Health Professionals (authored by the 2024 SIG)

Read the SIG's Spring 2026 Newsletter

Read the SIG's Fall 2025 Newsletter

Read the SIG's Summer 2025 Newsletter

Read the SIG's January 2024 Newsletter

Read the SIG's Winter 2024 Newsletter

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Brings together researchers who are broadly involved in the biological science of anxiety and depressive disorders. This includes clinical and basic neuroscience (electrophysiology, imaging, animal models, experimental paradigms) and genetics (twin and family studies, molecular genetics, endophenotypes). The SIG provides ADAA members with opportunities to network, share ideas, form collaborations, and update one another and the broader ADAA community on the state of the genetics and neuroscience field. The group is comprised of a diverse array of clinicians, researchers, and clinician-researchers across the student, postdoctoral scholar/clinical trainee, and faculty/practitioner levels.

Watch this video to learn more about the Genetics and Neuroscience (GAN) SIG and learn about you can get involved and succeed!

• Read the March 2026 GAN SIG Newsletter
• Read the November 2025 GAN SIG Newsletter
• Read the September 2025 GAN SIG Newsletter
• Read the August 2024 New Featured Articles Update
• Read the September 2024 New Featured Articles Update

SIG Chair:

• Mohammad (Mo) Sendi, BSc, MSc, PhD - Harvard Medical School/Mclean Hospital

SIG Vice Chair:

• Leland Fleming,  PhD - Harvard Medical School/Mclean Hospital

SIG Communications

• Nicola Sharp, BA, MS

Board Liaison:

• Jill Emanuele, PhD

LGBTQ+ individuals experience higher rates of anxiety and depression and are more likely to seek treatment, demonstrating a clear healthcare disparity. The LGBTQ+ SIG aims to utilize ADAA resources to address this disparity, specifically by fostering professional community building, advancing research and clinical care, and developing publicly available resources. Key initiatives include collaborating with ADAA to create educational materials, hosting professional and public webinars, and connecting researchers and clinicians working to improve LGBTQ+ mental health care. 

We also plan to offer clinical consultation meetings for ADAA members seeking to enhance their practice in treating LGBTQ+ individuals. This SIG aligns with ADAA’s mission by improving care, raising awareness of unique challenges (e.g., minority stress), and expanding access to support with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ individuals. Given the increased risk for anxiety and depression the LGBTQ+ population faces, the absence of an LGBTQ+ SIG could be a significant gap. In developing this proposal, we have received substantial interest from current members, including from professionals who indicated they would be more likely to attend ADAA if LGBTQ+ supports were expanded. Establishing this SIG has the potential to not only improve mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals but also contribute to ADAA’s growth by increasing professional membership and public engagement.

SIG Co-Chairs:

• Jeff Cohen, PsyD
• Ceci Westbrook, MD, PhD

SIG Vice-Chairs:

• Andreas Bezahler, MA
• Lauren Wadsworth, PhD

Board Liaison:

• Jill Emanuele, PhD

Encourages collaboration, communication, education, research, mentoring, and networking focused on multicultural issues within anxiety, depression, and related disorders. This SIG aims to facilitate increased attention on topics and issues concerning diversity and multiculturalism within ADAA and in the field in general, and encourages discussion, collaboration, and research among researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders interested in meeting the mental health needs of diverse underserved communities.

ADAA has also launched a Spanish-language online peer-to-peer support community as part of our ongoing efforts to provide enhanced resources for our Hispanic community.  

Watch this video to learn more about the Multicultural SIG and learn about you can get involved and succeed!

SIG Co-Chairs:

• Allegra Skye Anderson, PhD, Brown University
• Azul Lozoya Gomez, MA, NW Anxiety Institute

Board Liaison:

• Jill Emanuele, PhD

Promotes collaboration, education/mentoring, research, and networking among ADAA members who have a specific interest in OCD and related conditions.

Watch this video to learn more about the OCD SIG and learn about you can get involved and succeed!

SIG Co-Chairs: 

• Glenda Carman-Gray, MSW, RSW
• Tamar Gordon, PhD

SIG Co-Vice Chairs: 

• Jayme Kolb, PhD
• Steve Tsao, PhD

Board Liaison:

• Jill Emanuele, PhD

Focusing on all stages of career mentorship, dissemination of research, and advancement of quality patient care. The SIG provides a venue for professionals from all disciplines to network and create new connections in the field.  

Watch this video to learn more about the PTSD SIG and learn about you can get involved and succeed!

SIG Co-Chairs: 

• Sophie A. Palitz Buinewicz, PhD
• Annie-Lori Joseph Denk, PhD

SIG Vice Chair: 

• TBD

Board Liaison:

• Jill Emanuele, PhD

Read the SIG's article summaries:

2024

• June
• February 

2023

• November
• August
• March

Sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances are common among individuals with mental health difficulties, including mood disorders, anxiety, trauma, and suicidality. The Sleep SIG fosters opportunities for colleagues to build professional connections and collaborations in service of advancing sleep and circadian rhythm research and translating research into evidence-based clinical practice. This community offers mentorship in sleep and circadian rhythm-related research and clinical practice, including early career professionals. 

SIG Co-Chairs:

• Jessica Badawi, PhD
• Tessa Orellana, PhD

Board Liaison:

• Jill Emanuele, PhD

Promoting research and clinical collaboration among psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other mental health professionals who are interested in the assessment and treatment of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors across the lifespan. There is an urgent public health need to improve our understanding of and interventions targeting STB risk. STB are prevalent among individuals with anxiety, depression, and other related psychopathology, and we have seen a growing research interest in this area over the past decade. This SIG seeks to bring together ADAA members with all levels of interest and expertise in STB research and clinical services.

Watch this video to learn more about the SSI SIG

SIG Co-Chairs 

• Nadia Al-Dajani, PhD
• Daniel Coppersmith, PhD

SIG Vice-Chairs 

• Adam Horowitz, PhD
• Kiera James, PhD

SIG Student Representatives

• Felix Yirdong, PhD. Student, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
• Stuti Sharma, MA, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Memphis

Board Liaison:

• Jill Emanuele, PhD

Creating a place for clinicians and researchers to discuss, debate, and address issues relevant to the understanding and treatment of women suffering from anxiety and depression and related disorders. The SIG develops specific education presentations at the ADAA annual conference, such as workshops, roundtables, and poster sessions to increase the understanding and overall awareness of how the treatment of women suffering from anxiety and depression may be different than others in the population. The SIG will also create a series of women-focused webinars and blog posts. In addition, the SIG will help educate the public about mental health treatment options for women to help decrease the stigma of mental illness.

SIG Co-Chairs

• Sohye Kim, PhD
• Liza Hinchey, PhD, LPC

Board Liaison:

• Jill Emanuele, PhD