UCLA Depression Grand Challenge Director Nelson Freimer is senior author of a Perspective in npj Digital Medicine, published Dec. 18, 2024, advocating for the establishment of common standards in digital sensing research for mental health to grow the field. Samir Akre, who recently earned his PhD at UCLA, is lead author; see below for a complete list of contributing authors.
The paper highlights key objectives that the field of digital mental health research must meet to overcome critical challenges such as limited data standards; underpowered studies; cost-prohibitive, per-project infrastructure; and a disconnect between research goals and community needs. Objectives include setting data standards, establishing Centers of Excellence, increasing reporting within studies and fostering community engagement and outreach.
The Perspective, “Advancing digital sensing in mental health research,” draws on insights, findings and related reports generated from the 2023 Workshop on Advancing Digital Sensing Tools for Mental Health, hosted by UCLA and sponsored by Wellcome, the National Institute of Mental Health and the DGC.
In a companion Behind the Paper post in Springer Nature Research Communities, Freimer provided background explaining how the workshop catalyzed the development of the paper, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure rigorous, equitable and impactful research in this rapidly evolving field.
“It is our hope that in publishing these objectives in npj Digital Medicine that we can continue — and accelerate — the investment and concerted efforts that will enable mental health research to achieve the groundbreaking advancements that digital sensing technology has rendered possible,” said Freimer.
Read the full paper in npj Digital Medicine. Read Freimer’s Behind the Paper post in Springer Nature Research Communities.
Full author list: Samir Akre (UCLA), Darsol Seok (UCLA), Christopher Douglas (Washington University), Adrian Aguilera (University of California, Berkeley), Simona Carini (University of California, San Francisco), Jessilyn Dunn (Duke University), Matthew Hotopf (King's College London), David Mohr (Northwestern University), Alex Bui (UCLA), Nelson Freimer (UCLA)
