# Don Vaughn

> Don Vaughn, Ph.D. is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ampa Health, a Palo Alto-based neurotechnology company building FDA-cleared portable TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) devices that compress 36 days of depression treatment into a single day. A Stanford-educated physicist turned UCLA neuroscientist, Vaughn has built a career at the intersection of brain science, machine learning, and accessibility - detoured, notably, through a DJ career that landed him a #28 iTunes Dance chart hit featuring Nick Lachey. His TEDx talk on neurohacking has surpassed one million views. Ampa raised an oversubscribed $8.5M pre-A round in October 2025, achieved FDA clearance for its Ampa One device in February 2025, and is targeting 5,000 patient remissions by end of 2026 - with a long-term audacious goal of a billion remissions in ten years.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Ampa Health
- **Organizations:** Ampa Health, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior, Santa Clara University, Ground Effect Ventures
- **From:** San Diego, California, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. Physics, B.A. Economics, Stanford University, Ph.D. Neuroscience, UCLA
- **Known for:** FDA clearance for Ampa One portable TMS device (Feb 2025), TEDxUCLA talk surpassing 1 million views, Published ONE-D trial demonstrating single-day TMS protocol with ~70% remission rates

## Career timeline

- **2012-2015** — DJ and music producer; released 'The Don Vaughn Experiment' album featuring Nick Lachey, reaching #28 on iTunes Dance charts
- **2015-2020** — PhD neuroscience research at UCLA's Semel Institute; worked in David Eagleman's lab studying perception, consciousness, and machine learning
- **2017** — Developed ChatterBaby app helping hearing-impaired parents decode infant cries via real-time sound visualization
- **2018** — Developed eyeFi, a sensory substitution app converting video to sound for visual impairments
- **2019** — Delivered TEDxUCLA talk 'Neurohacking: Rewiring Your Brain' - later surpassed 1 million views
- **2020** — QCBio Collaboratory Fellow teaching machine learning and statistical methods to UCLA researchers
- **2022** — Co-founded Ampa Health with Dr. Jonathan Downar; began development of portable TMS device
- **2023** — Co-founded Ground Effect Ventures, investing at intersection of physical systems, biological signals, and applied intelligence
- **2025-02** — Ampa One device received FDA clearance for treatment of major depressive disorder
- **2025-10** — Ampa raised oversubscribed $8.5M pre-A round led by Nexus NeuroTech Ventures; launched national rollout
- **2025** — Accepted into One Mind Accelerator 2025 cohort; ONE-D trial results published showing single-day TMS protocol efficacy

## Achievements

- FDA clearance for Ampa One portable TMS device (Feb 2025)
- TEDxUCLA talk surpassing 1 million views
- Published ONE-D trial demonstrating single-day TMS protocol with ~70% remission rates
- Raised $8.5M oversubscribed pre-A round from Nexus NeuroTech Ventures, Satori Capital, Morningside Ventures, and others
- Album 'The Don Vaughn Experiment' reached #28 on iTunes Dance charts
- ChatterBaby app development for hearing-impaired parents
- ResearchGate: 11 publications with 316+ citations
- Featured in TIME, Forbes, The Economist, ABC, ESPN, The Today Show, NOVA ScienceNow
- Identified 'the glimpse effect' - brief exposure to photos increases perceived attractiveness
- Adjunct faculty at Santa Clara University; postdoctoral scholar at UCLA Semel Institute

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Ampa Health launched national rollout following $8.5M oversubscribed pre-A funding round led by Nexus NeuroTech Ventures
- **2025-10** — ONE-D trial results published showing single-day TMS protocol with pharmacological augmentation achieving ~70% remission rates
- **2025-02** — FDA clearance received for Ampa One portable TMS device (K243319)
- **2025** — Ampa Health accepted into One Mind Accelerator 2025 cohort

## Links

- Website: https://ampahealth.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdonvaughn
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/DrDonVaughn
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9tjeQsokldP7iAWawbk0aw
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdonvaughn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrDonVaughn/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/don-vaughn
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-06