Walter Greenleaf

Walter Greenleaf, PhD, is a neuroscientist working at Stanford University. With over three decades of research and development experience, Dr. Greenleaf is considered a leading authority in digital medicine and medical virtual reality (VR) technology.

Walter is the Research & Innovations Director for the Stanford Medical Mixed Reality Center. He is an advisor to Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, the Stanford University Wearable Electronics (eWear) Program, and the Virtual Reality & Immersive Technology (VR-IT) Clinic at Stanford.

As a researcher, Dr. Greenleaf focuses on developing computer-supported clinical products, with a specific emphasis on applying VR and digital health technology to address difficult problems in behavioral and physical medicine, such as post-traumatic stress, anxiety disorders, depression, stroke, addictions, and autism spectrum disorder. In his previous position as the Director of the Mind Division at the Stanford Center on Longevity, his focus was on age-related changes in cognition.

Earlier, Dr. Greenleaf founded and served as CEO for Greenleaf Medical Systems, a medical product development company; InWorld Solutions, a company specializing in the therapeutic use of virtual worlds for behavioral health care; and Virtually Better, a company that develops virtual environments for the treatment of phobias, anxiety disorders, and PTSD. He currently works as Chief Science Officer with Interaxon, a leading provider of brain-sensing technology.

Dr. Greenleaf serves on the Board of Directors for Brainstorm: The Stanford Laboratory for Brain Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Cognitive Leap, which develops mental health solutions for children; and Sine Wave. He was Senior Vice President of Strategic & Corporate Affairs to MindMaze and founding Chief Science Officer for Pear Therapeutics, a pioneering company in SaMD (Software As Medical Device).

Walter earned a doctorate in Neuro and Bio-Behavioral Sciences from the Stanford University School of Medicine, where he was awarded a National Institute of Mental Health Graduate Fellowship.