Arash Javanbakht (dz0083)
University information
Contact information
Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences
Associate Professor (Clinical Scholar)
Tolan Park Medical Building
3901 Chrysler Service Dr
Detroit, Michigan 48201
313-577-1561
Arash Javanbakht, M.D., is a psychiatrist and serves as the director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic (STARC). His clinical work is mainly focused on anxiety and trauma related disorders, and PTSD in civilians, first responders, law enforcement, and refugees and victims of torture and human trafficking. His clinic utilizes pharmacotherapy (medication), psychotherapy, exercise, and lifestyle modification to help patients achieve their full capacity for a fulfilling life.
His research is also focused on anxiety disorders and trauma. Several research studies at the STARC examine the impact of exposure to war trauma in adults and children Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the US, and biological and psychological factors of risk and resilience. This research examines genetic, environmental, and inflammation correlates of trauma as well. Also, use of art, dance and movement, and yoga and mindfulness in helping refugee families overcome stress.
STARC also researches neurobiology of psychotherapy, and utilization of augmented reality and telemedicine technologies for providing in vivo treatment for anxiety disorders and PTSD. Dr Javanbakht has a special interest in the "personal meaning" of trauma: how does personal interpretation of a traumatic experience affect the way an individual is affected by it.
Dr Javanbakht's work has been frequently featured on the CNN, Aljazeera, NPR, Washington Post, Smithsonian, PBS, American Psychiatric Association Press Briefing, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and tens of other media outlets.
Translational Neuroscience Program
Arash Javanbakht, M.D., is a psychiatrist and serves as the director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic (STARC). His work is focused on anxiety, trauma, and PTSD specifically among refugees and first responders.
STARC is funded by NICHD R01 to examine the longitudinal impact of exposure to war trauma in adults and children Syrian and Iraqi refugees, and biological (epigenetics, inflammation, autonomic responses) and psychological factors of risk and resilience in children and adults. Also, use of art, dance and movement, and yoga and mindfulness in helping refugee families overcome stress. Other studies examine exercise and mental health and genetic aging, and trauma among first responders.
We also develop and research utilization of cutting edge of augmented reality and telemedicine for in vivo treatment for phobias and PTSD.
Disease/Disorder
GAD, Phobias, PTSD, Depression
Species
Human
Methods
brain imaging, psychophysiology, epidemiology, epigenetics, inflammatory markers, augmented reality.
Key Collaborators
Tanja Jovanovic, Nicole Nugent (Brown), Alicia Smith (Emory), David Rosenberg, Alireza Amirsadri.
Courses taught by Arash Javanbakht
Fall Term 2024 (current)
Fall Term 2023
Recent university news spotlights
- Michigan voters face election anxiety amid political ad bombardment
- How to handle election anxiety
- Dealing with election anxiety? A psychiatrist explains how to channel your fears and break out of tribal thinking
- Wayne State drives advancements in health with cutting-edge technology
- Wayne State University awarded $1.3 million from Department of Defense to fine-tune augmented reality exposure therapy for PTSD in veterans
- Wayne State University awarded $1.3 million from Department of Defense to fine-tune augmented reality exposure therapy for PTSD
- Wayne State faculty address mental health from all angles
- Watching war unfold is distressing – here’s how to protect your mental health
- Mass shootings often put a spotlight on mental illness, but figuring out which conditions should keep someone from having a gun is no easy task
- Violent and disturbing war images can cause vicarious trauma