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Faculty

Ashley Mason

PhD
Associate Professor in Residence
University of California San Francisco

Ashley Mason, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Residence at the Weill Institute of Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Mason received her PhD from the University of Arizona, completed her resident training in behavioral medicine at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, and completed a National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellowship training at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health.

Dr. Mason has an active federally and philanthropically funded research program. She directs the Sleep, Eating, and Affect (SEA) Laboratory, which focuses on the development of novel mind and body treatments that address long-neglected targets in (1) mood disorders, principally clinical depression, (2) insomnia and sleep-related anxiety, and (3) reward-related behaviors, in particular, craving-related and compulsive overeating. She focuses on treatments that employ cognitive-behavioral processes and reward-based learning, as well as thermal therapies. She also has an active research area in firefighter health. Clinically, Dr. Mason directs insomnia treatment at the UCSF Osher Center, where she provides cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) to patients with insomnia and patients who want to quit using substances for sleep. She has published more than 85 peer-reviewed manuscripts and several handbook chapters, and her work has been featured in many news outlets, including NPR, AXIOS, and WIRED magazine.

To learn more about digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, check out the Rest App, which Dr. Mason advises. Clinician trials are available: https://getrest.app/for-clinicians

2026 Sessions

Integrative Psychiatry Intensive: Systems-Level Biology and Lifestyle Factors Transforming Psychiatric Practice

<b>*Additional fees apply and pre-registration is required.*</b><br><br>This year’s Integrative Psychiatry Intensive is designed as a clinically grounded primer for the modern psychiatric clinician, focusing on evidence-based integrative strategies that complement and enhance contemporary psychopharmacologic care. As psychiatric treatment increasingly moves toward whole-person models, clinicians must understand not only how medications work, but how nutrition, metabolism, sleep, and physiologic regulation can be strategically integrated to optimize mental health outcomes.<br><br>Through four focused, expert-led sessions, this intensive will review foundational mechanisms, emerging evidence, and practical clinical considerations across core domains of integrative psychiatry. Sessions will examine nutritional psychiatry, metabolic approaches to mood and energy regulation, sleep optimization as a foundational treatment target, and temperature-based interventions that influence stress physiology and emotional resilience. Emphasis will be placed on translating integrative science into real-world clinical decision-making, helping attendees build a cohesive framework that aligns with and strengthens standard psychiatric treatment.<br><br>Each session will include time for interactive discussion and clinical Q&A, ensuring attendees leave confident and prepared to thoughtfully incorporate integrative strategies into patient care.<br><br><b>Topics to Be Covered</b><br>1. Temperature-Based Interventions: Thermoregulatory Influences on Mood and Mental Health - Charles L. Raison, MD<br> An introduction of temperature-based approaches and their relevance to psychiatric care. This session will examine how controlled heat and cold exposures influence stress physiology, mood regulation, and emotional resilience, along with emerging evidence and practical considerations for integrating thermoregulatory strategies into integrative psychiatric treatment.<br><br>2. Sleep Optimization in Psychiatry: Mechanisms, Health Impact, and Clinical Integration - Ashley E. Mason, PhD <br>This presentation will review common sleep myths, the definition of clinical insomnia, and provide an overview of four high-impact, evidence-based, low- and no-cost, rapid strategies that can be integrated within psychiatric care to improve sleep. <br><br>3. Nutritional Influences in Psychiatry: Biological Mechanisms and Clinical Implications - James Greenblatt, MD <br>A summary of how nutrition and micronutrient status influence brain function, mood regulation, and psychiatric outcomes. This session will explore the role of specific nutrients and dietary patterns in supporting neurotransmitter synthesis, neuronal resilience, and emotional well-being, along with evidence-based guidance for integrating nutritional strategies into comprehensive psychiatric care.<br> <br>4. Metabolic Regulation and Brain Function: Pathways Linking Energy Balance and Mood - James Greenblatt, MD<br>A focused overview of how metabolic processes and diet patterns influence brain function and psychiatric outcomes. This session will explore mechanisms linking energy metabolism, nutritional states such as ketosis, neuronal resilience, and mood regulation, along with emerging clinical evidence and considerations for integrating metabolic strategies into comprehensive psychiatric care.

Speaker

Tuesday, September 15 9:00–12:00 PM
Room Great Hall B
Integrative Psychiatry
Steering Committee

James Greenblatt

MD
Founder and Medical Director
Psychiatry Redefined

A pioneer in the field of functional and integrative medicine, board-certified child and adult psychiatrist, James M. Greenblatt, MD, has treated patients since 1988. After receiving his medical degree and completing his psychiatry residency at George Washington University, Dr. Greenblatt completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School.

Dr. Greenblatt has lectured internationally on the scientific evidence for nutritional interventions in psychiatry and mental illness. He is the author of several books including Finally Focused: The Breakthrough Natural Treatment Plan for ADHD, Finally Hopeful and the upcoming book The Lithium Revolution.

He is the founder of Psychiatry Redefined, an educational platform dedicated to the transformation of psychiatry, which offers online courses, educational webinars, and fellowships for professionals. He is also the founder of Finally Living, a precision functional psychiatry clinic for children and adults. Please visit www.JamesGreenblattMD.com for more information.

Faculty

Ashley Mason

PhD
Associate Professor in Residence
University of California San Francisco

Ashley Mason, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry in Residence at the Weill Institute of Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Mason received her PhD from the University of Arizona, completed her resident training in behavioral medicine at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, and completed a National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellowship training at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health.

Dr. Mason has an active federally and philanthropically funded research program. She directs the Sleep, Eating, and Affect (SEA) Laboratory, which focuses on the development of novel mind and body treatments that address long-neglected targets in (1) mood disorders, principally clinical depression, (2) insomnia and sleep-related anxiety, and (3) reward-related behaviors, in particular, craving-related and compulsive overeating. She focuses on treatments that employ cognitive-behavioral processes and reward-based learning, as well as thermal therapies. She also has an active research area in firefighter health. Clinically, Dr. Mason directs insomnia treatment at the UCSF Osher Center, where she provides cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) to patients with insomnia and patients who want to quit using substances for sleep. She has published more than 85 peer-reviewed manuscripts and several handbook chapters, and her work has been featured in many news outlets, including NPR, AXIOS, and WIRED magazine.

To learn more about digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, check out the Rest App, which Dr. Mason advises. Clinician trials are available: https://getrest.app/for-clinicians

Steering Committee

Charles Raison

MD
Professor
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Charles Raison, MD, is a Professor of Human Ecology and Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Raison also serves as Director of Clinical and Translational Research for Usona Institute, as Director of the Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center, Director of Research on Spiritual Health for Emory Healthcare and as Visiting Professor in the Center for the Study of Human Health at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Raison’s research focuses on the examination novel mechanisms involved in the development and treatment of major depression and other stress-related emotional and physical conditions, as well as for his work examining the physical and behavioral effects of compassion training. More recently, Dr. Raison has taken a leadership role in the development of psychedelic medicines as potential treatments for major depression. He was named one of the world’s most influential researchers by Web of Science for the decade of 2010-2019 and has been honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Raison received the Raymond Pearl Memorial Award from the Human Biology Association “in recognition of his contributions to our understanding of evolutionary biocultural origins of mental health and illness.” Dr. Raison has also won the 2024 Emory University Science on Spiritual Health Torch and Trumpet Award “for a career devoted to the mental and spiritual health of humanity by responding and attending to suffering with a compassionate heart and a keen scientific mind.”
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