Dr. Karen Parker

Biography

Dr. Karen J. Parker is the inaugural Truong-Tan Broadcom Endowed Professor and an Associate Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. She also holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Comparative Medicine. Dr. Parker directs the Social Neurosciences Research Program, aiming to deepen the understanding of the biological basis of social functioning across species and to translate these insights into effective diagnostic and treatment strategies for patients with social impairments. Her core research interests include the signaling pathways of oxytocin and vasopressin, the development of valid animal models to facilitate clinical translation, and biomarker discovery for therapeutic testing in children on the autism spectrum. Her work has been supported by prestigious institutions such as the National Institutes of Health, the Simons Foundation, and the Department of Defense. Furthermore, she has published extensively in leading scientific journals and has been recognized in various media outlets for her contributions to neuroscience. Dr. Parker completed her undergraduate and graduate training at the University of Michigan and pursued postdoctoral training at Stanford University, joining the faculty subsequently. She is an elected fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and a Kavli fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Research Interests

Experience

Courses