​The Substance and Anxiety Intervention Laboratory (SAIL) at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System consists of a cohesive and dynamic team of investigators who are committed to conducting innovative and high-impact research focusing on Substance Use & Disorders (SUD), PTSD, mobile health technology, comorbid physical (e.g., HIV) and mental health disorders, and malleable trans-disease risk factors (e.g., emotion dysregulation, insomnia, cognitive dysfunction) that impede recovery from these conditions.  

Examples of ongoing projects include (1) a randomized controlled trial of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for cannabis cessation, (2) mobile cognitive remediation for individuals with co-occurring alcohol use disorder and PTSD, (3) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for psychosis, (4) compassion-based treatment of PTSD, and (5) the development, testing, and refinement of a mobile app for co-occurring SUD and PTSD.  

The SAIL is affiliated with 3 VA centers, namely the VA Center of Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education (CESATE), National Center for PTSD (NC-PTSD), and Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i). Active funding sources range from CESATE to VA Offices of Research and Development (HSR&D, CSR&D, RR&D), and from the Department of Defense to the Mind and Life Institute.