Our Annual Conference
The Center's Annual Conference on Precision Psychiatry
The Center for Precision Psychiatry hosts an annual conference every autumn. This conference, hosted by the Center, the Mass General Department of Psychiatry, and the Psychiatry Academy, has already begun to become a leading venue for showcasing advances in the application of precision medicine approaches to psychiatric research and clinical practice. So far, the conference has drawn an average of 1,000 registrants and has featured outstanding speakers.
The conference is designed to cover a broad range of domains including:
- Applications of AI & machine learning in psychiatry
- Genomics and other "-omics"
- Precision therapeutics
- Risk stratification for suicide and other important outcomes
- mHealth and digital technologies
- Implementation science
- Ethics
The Fifth Annual Conference on Precision Psychiatry
Register today at https://mghcme.org/Precision2025
The Fifth Annual Conference on Precision Psychiatry, "Innovation to Implementation", is occurring virtually on Thursday, September 25th and Friday, September 26th, 2025!
Earn 8 continuing education credits for attending!
The CPP will also be hosting two optional (space-limited) workshops!
Conference registration is required, and additional information is available below:
Hands-on AI in Precision Psychiatry Workshop
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025, 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM ET
Artificial intelligence techniques are increasingly applied to precision psychiatry, assisting in the estimation of health risks, aiding in diagnosis, recommending treatment planning, and supporting the scientific publication process. This workshop will focus on AI techniques for routinely collected electronic health record data, as well as emerging generative AI methods for more complex modalities such as clinical notes and patient conversations.
In this 5-hour workshop, we will explore 3 core aspects of AI: supervised machine learning for risk prediction (e.g. boosting, SHAP, ensembling, and AutoML), deep learning for complex understanding of patients (e.g. Q&A of clinical notes, facial emotion tracking), and generative AI to support scientific research (e.g. AI-assisted literature reviews, SQL code, and summarization).
Each of these sections will feature high-level overviews of essential techniques to build understanding, combined with hands-on running of pre-written code in small groups to make these concepts tangible. Participants will take home high-quality notebooks in R and Python for use in their own projects (or sharing with collaborators), a set of key articles to further explore each technique, as well as a more concrete understanding of emerging opportunities for AI in precision psychiatry.
Please note additional details, including a breakdown of the workshop structure, information about course instructors, and supplementary workshop materials, will be provided.
Target Audience:
This workshop is intended for a broad audience, including graduate students, researchers, and clinicians with an interest in machine learning and generative AI applications in mental health. No prior experience is required.
Prerequisites:
None. Small groups will be formed that include individuals with and without coding expertise.
Learning Objectives:
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Understand the basic principles of supervised machine learning, including popular algorithms like XGBoost, SHAP variable importance, and hyperparameter tuning
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Gain intuition for what is distinctive about generative AI and how it differs from standard machine learning
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Recognize emerging opportunities and clinical use cases for deep learning in psychiatry
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Gain familiarity with user-friendly AI tools that can assist in scientific research, and associated ethical considerations
Contact:
For any questions on registration please email mghctrprecisionpsych@mgh.harvard.edu.
Register at https://mghcme.org/Precision2025
Predictive Models in Neuroimaging Workshop
Predictive models play a crucial role in advancing precision psychiatry by enabling data-driven insights into individual differences in brain function and clinical outcomes. Unlike traditional group-level analyses, predictive modeling leverages machine learning to forecast future states or identify risk patterns at the individual level. This approach has the potential to support early detection, tailor interventions, and improve prognosis in mental health by integrating neuroimaging biomarkers into clinical decision-making frameworks.This 5-hour workshop provides an introduction to cutting-edge predictive modeling techniques applied to neuroimaging data, with a focus on understanding developmental trajectories in neuropsychopathology. Participants will explore how functional activation and resting-state functional connectivity derived from fMRI data can be harnessed to forecast cognitive and clinical outcomes in youth and adolescent populations.Please note additional details, including a breakdown of the workshop structure, information about course instructors, and supplementary workshop materials, will be provided.
Target Audience:
This workshop is ideal for graduate students, researchers, and clinicians with a basic understanding of neuroimaging and an interest in machine learning applications in neuroscience. No prior experience in predictive modeling or fMRI is required.
Learning Objectives:
- Understanding the principles of predictive modeling in the context of fMRI data.
- Exploring the role of functional activation and functional connectivity in forecasting developmental and clinical outcomes.
- Gaining hands-on experience with preprocessing and feature extraction from resting-state fMRI data.
- Applying predictive modeling techniques to real-world neuroimaging datasets using CONN.
Outcomes:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped with foundational knowledge and practical skills to start incorporating predictive modeling techniques into their own neuroimaging research.
Contact:
For any questions on registration please email mghctrprecisionpsych@mgh.harvard.edu. For workshop specific questions please email Dr. Alfonso Nieto Castañón at alfnie@bu.edu or Dr. Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli at sgabrieli@mgh.harvard.edu.
Learn more and apply for the CPP's 2025 Emerging Innovators in Precision Psychiatry Awards below:
2025 Emerging Innovators in Precision Psychiatry Awards
Applications Due: June 30th, 2025, 5:00pm EST
Description of Award:
The Center for Precision Psychiatry (CPP) invites applications for the 2025 Emerging Innovators in Precision Psychiatry Awards. This opportunity recognizes the contributions of early career investigators in the emerging area of precision psychiatry. Winners will be selected to present their work at the virtual 5th Annual Conference on Precision Psychiatry on September 25th and 26th, 2025 and will receive a $500 USD honorarium.
Precision psychiatry aims to identify and leverage individual differences in biology, lifestyle, environment, and the social determinants of health, to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health conditions. Integrating research, clinical implementation, education and training, the Center is committed to driving innovation to implementation and making discoveries that can be translated to clinical care.
The Annual Conference on Precision Psychiatry has become a leading venue for showcasing advances in the application of precision medicine approaches to psychiatric research and clinical practice. Learn more about our annual conference and past events below.
Eligibility:
- Postdoctoral fellows (incoming or current) or faculty at the level of Instructor or Assistant Professors are eligible to apply.
- U.S. and non-U.S. citizens are eligible.
Review Criteria:
Applications will be considered based on:
- Innovation, rigor, and potential impact of the research;
- Alignment with the goals of precision psychiatry;
- Applicant track record and potential for future research in precision psychiatry.
Due Date:
Applications will be accepted until 5:00 pm EST Monday, June 30th, 2025.
Application Requirements:
- A current curriculum vitae or resume.
- Abstract/Summary (no more than 2 pages) including:
- Project title
- Authors/affiliations
- Background/significance (preliminary data, research design)
- Objective/aim
- Methods
- Results
- Interpretation/discussion including relevance to work in precision psychiatry
- One letter of support commenting on the applicant’s research and potential for leadership in the field.
- Recommenders may direct letters to mghctrprecisionpsych@mgh.harvard.edu.
Application Timeline:
- Abstracts due: June 30th, 2025, 5:00pm ET
- Award notification: August 15th, 2025
- Final presentation due: September 15th, 2025
- Conference presentation: September 26th, 2025
- 10-minute presentation followed by a 5-minute Q&A with conference moderator
Applicants should apply by utilizing the 2025 Emerging Innovators Application Survey, linked below.
https://redcap.link/2025EmergingInnovators
Questions can be directed to mghctrprecisionpsych@mgh.harvard.edu.
It is the policy of Mass General Brigham to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law.
To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran’s Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at (857)-282-7642.
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Interested in sponsoring this year's event? Please email mghctrprecisionpsych@mgh.harvard.edu to learn more.
Past Conferences
2024: Fourth Annual Conference
Our fourth Annual Conference, "Innovation to Implementation", was held virtually on September 26th and 27th, 2024. The Conference was held in partnership with the Mass General Department of Psychiatry and the Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit in the Mass General Center for Genomic Medicine. The conference featured Keynotes by Dr. Isaac Kohane, Professor & Chair within the Dept. of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Rosalind Picard, Founder and Director of Affective Computing Research at MIT.
View highlights from the 2024 Conference Here!
2023: Third Annual Conference
Our third Annual Conference, "Innovation to Implementation", was held virtually on September 29th and 30th, 2023. The Conference was held in partnership with the Mass General Department of Psychiatry and the Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit in the Mass General Center for Genomic Medicine. The conference featured Keynotes by Dr. John Krystal, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University, and Dr. Helen Mayberg, Director of The Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
View highlights from the 2023 Conference Here!
2022: Second Annual Conference
Our second Annual Conference, "Innovation to Implementation", was held virtually on November 2nd and November 3rd, 2022. The Conference was held in partnership with the Mass General Department of Psychiatry and the Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit in the Mass General Center for Genomic Medicine. The conference featured keynote addresses from Dr. Kelsey Martin, Director of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), and Dr. Thomas Insel, former Director of NIMH and author of Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health (Penguin Press, 2022). (1).png)
2021: First Annual Conference
Our first Annual Conference, "The Promise of Precision Predication, Prevention, and Treatment in Mental Health", was held virtually on September 30th and October 1st, 2021. The Conference was held in partnership with the Mass General Department of Psychiatry and the Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit in the Mass General Center for Genomic Medicine. The Conference featured a Keynote address from Dr. Joshua Gordon, and an opening plenary from Dr. Joshua Denny. 