Contact

  • Academic
    University - Student Department: School of Medicine Position: Graduate, Medicine

Additional Info

  • Other Names:
    Ricardo Jimenez

All Publications

  • Culturally Sensitive Treatment of Caregiver Anxiety With Virtual Reality: A Prospective, Pragmatic, Randomized Study. Journal of patient experience Jimenez, R. T., Zuniga-Hernandez, M., Suen, M. Y., Feng, R., Pinedo, K., Arshad, F., Collins, F., Ganesan, A., Jackson, C., Wang, E. Y., Rodriguez, S. T., Caruso, T. J. 2025; 12: 23743735251326671

    Abstract

    Pediatric inpatient caregivers often experience significant anxiety. Although improving caregiver anxiety is critical for improving patient outcomes, inpatient interventions targeting patients' families are rarely implemented. This study assessed the effectiveness of a language-concordant, virtual reality (VR)-guided meditation on inpatient caregiver anxiety. Using a prospective, pragmatic, randomized study, the primary aim assessed caregiver anxiety using the Visual Analog Scale for Anxiety (VAS-A). Secondary aims explored state and trait anxiety using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), differences in anxiety reduction between English- and Spanish-speaking participants, and satisfaction. With 200 participants included in the final analysis, VAS-A scores in the VR group were lower compared to the standard of care (SOC) group (p = 0.0005), with a greater reduction for Spanish-speaking participants (p = 0.005). After controlling for baseline trait anxiety, the STAI found a greater reduction in state anxiety in the VR group (p ≤ 0.0001). VR-guided meditation effectively reduced caregiver anxiety in pediatric inpatient settings. VR's immersive and versatile nature offers diverse therapeutic options to improve caregiver and patient health, including marginalized populations with previously limited interventions.

    View details for DOI 10.1177/23743735251326671

    View details for PubMedID 40151338

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC11946280

  • Virtual reality improves pain threshold and recall in healthy adults: A randomized, crossover study. Journal of clinical anesthesia Rodriguez, S. T., Jimenez, R. T., Wang, E. Y., Zuniga-Hernandez, M., Titzler, J., Jackson, C., Suen, M. Y., Yamaguchi, C., Ko, B., Kong, J. T., Caruso, T. J. 2025; 103: 111816

    Abstract

    Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology increasingly used to ameliorate acute and chronic pain although controlled, quantifiable data are limited. The purpose of this study is to evaluate VR's effect on heat pain threshold (HPT), pressure pain threshold (PPT), immediate pain and anxiety, and recalled pain and anxiety.Prospective, randomized, crossover clinical trial.The Stanford Chariot Program conducted this study at the Stanford School of Medicine Health System.Healthy participants meeting inclusion criteria were recruited by solicitation from the Stanford School of Medicine Health System.Participants were randomized by hand dominance and condition sequence and underwent standardized pain threshold tests with a thermode or an algometer during VR and control conditions.Pain threshold, numeric pain scores, and anxiety scores were immediately recorded. Recalled pain and anxiety scores were recorded 24 h later.A total of 80 participants were included, 40 who underwent HPT testing and 40 who underwent PPT testing. VR increased pain thresholds for both HPT (P = 0.002) and PPT (P = 0.044). The use of VR resulted in no difference in initial pain scores for HPT (P = 0.432) or PPT (P = 0.24). There was no difference in recalled pain when using VR for HPT (P = 0.851) although there was for PPT (P = 0.003). Initial and recalled anxiety scores for HPT (P = 0.006, P = 0.018, respectively) and PPT (P = 0.014, P = 0.002, respectively) were all reduced when using VR.This study demonstrates that VR increased pain thresholds while modulating initial and recalled experiences with anxiety, which has implications for enhancing patient experiences during medical interventions and long-term health outcomes by optimizing memories during stressful events.NCT05836649, 4/19/23. IRB registration: Stanford IRB #69330.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jclinane.2025.111816

    View details for PubMedID 40117909

  • Gender bias in academia: A lifetime problem that needs solutions. Neuron Llorens, A., Tzovara, A., Bellier, L., Bhaya-Grossman, I., Bidet-Caulet, A., Chang, W. K., Cross, Z. R., Dominguez-Faus, R., Flinker, A., Fonken, Y., Gorenstein, M. A., Holdgraf, C., Hoy, C. W., Ivanova, M. V., Jimenez, R. T., Jun, S., Kam, J. W., Kidd, C., Marcelle, E., Marciano, D., Martin, S., Myers, N. E., Ojala, K., Perry, A., Pinheiro-Chagas, P., Riès, S. K., Saez, I., Skelin, I., Slama, K., Staveland, B., Bassett, D. S., Buffalo, E. A., Fairhall, A. L., Kopell, N. J., Kray, L. J., Lin, J. J., Nobre, A. C., Riley, D., Solbakk, A. K., Wallis, J. D., Wang, X. J., Yuval-Greenberg, S., Kastner, S., Knight, R. T., Dronkers, N. F. 2021; 109 (13): 2047-2074

    Abstract

    Despite increased awareness of the lack of gender equity in academia and a growing number of initiatives to address issues of diversity, change is slow, and inequalities remain. A major source of inequity is gender bias, which has a substantial negative impact on the careers, work-life balance, and mental health of underrepresented groups in science. Here, we argue that gender bias is not a single problem but manifests as a collection of distinct issues that impact researchers' lives. We disentangle these facets and propose concrete solutions that can be adopted by individuals, academic institutions, and society.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.06.002

    View details for PubMedID 34237278