Dr. Matthew D. Sacchet, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and the Director of the Meditation Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Sacchet and his team advance the science meditation in both clinical and non-clinical contexts. Since 2012, Dr. Sacchet has authored over 80 publications and his research has been presented over 125 times and cited over 4000 times. Dr. Sacchet has been awarded funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Dimension Giving Fund, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Ad Astra Chandaria Foundation, Phyllis & Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF), BIAL Foundation, Gatto Foundation, and The Ride for Mental Health. His research has received coverage by major media outlets including CBS, NBC, NPR, TIME, and The Wall Street Journal, and in 2017 Forbes Magazine named him as one of its “30 Under 30”.
The objective of the Meditation Research Program is to advance a multidisciplinary scientific understanding of meditation. The program’s studies span and integrate affective and cognitive neuroscience, applied phenomenology, clinical psychology and psychiatry, computer science and related computational disciplines, contemplative and religious studies, neuroimaging and electrophysiology, psychometrics and psychological assessment, and psychosomatic medicine. Current projects include studies of meditative development and advanced meditation that promise to inform a more comprehensive understanding of the trajectory and outcomes of meditation training. This research promises to contribute to improving individual well-being and the collective health of society by informing the development of meditation training and meditation-based interventions that are more effective, efficient, and targeted.
Education
Ph.D., Neurosciences, Stanford University School of Medicine; Sc.B., Contemplative Studies, Brown University
Select Publications
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1x9tsgj0kLI57/bibliography/public/
2. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ckejHQkAAAAJ&hl=en
Highlights
2021: R01 National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
2021: Anne M. Cataldo Excellence in Mentoring Award Nominee, McLean Hospital
2021: Excellence in Mentoring Awards Nominee, Harvard Medical School