Brian Zhou

Brian Zhou is an MD candidate at Yale School of Medicine with interests in global mental health, medical anthropology, and interventional psychiatry. Brian graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College with a B.A. in Social Anthropology, minoring in Global Health/Health Policy. Brian's guiding aspiration is to learn and practice a human-centered philosophy of empathy and care, grounded in a biopsychosocial and integrative approach to wellbeing.

Brian is currently involved in the Adversity, Brain, and Novel Therapeutics (ABN) Lab as a qualitative research scientist investigating the acute subjective effects of DMT (a short-acting psychedelic) on treatment for alcohol use disorders. Brian's prior research focused on sociocultural explanatory models of adolescent substance use, along with peer counseling and community-based psychological interventions. Brian's multidisciplinary perspective is informed by work experience in global health contexts, including Morocco and India, and exploration of mental health, spirituality, and quests for meaning in 15+ countries as a Henry Russel Shaw Fellow.