Credentials and Licensure
Licensed Physician, Osteopathic Medical Board of California
Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
DEA Certification, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
Graduate of the Harbor UCLA Psychiatry Residency Training Program
Graduate of Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Couples and Sex Therapist Certified by the American Association of Couples and Sex Therapists through Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA
Member of the American Psychiatric Association
Member of the Southern California Psychiatric Society
What is the difference between D.O.s and M.D.s?
About D.O.s
You may not be aware that there are two types of complete physicians in the United States. A doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) is a fully trained and licensed doctor who has attended and graduated from a U.S. osteopathic medical school.
D.O.s and M.D.s are alike in many ways:
- Both D.O. and M.D. medical schools are 4 years long and require the MCAT entrance exam after a 4 year Bachelors degree.
- After medical school D.O.s and M.D.s train side by side in hospital internships, residency programs, and fellowships.
- D.O.s and M.D.s are licensed through their respective state medical boards
- Both D.O.s and M.D.s can choose to practice in any specialty of medicine such as pediatrics, neurology, surgery, radiology, or anesthesiology. They take the same specialty board exams and are certified by the same specialty board in their chosen field.
Osteopathic Approach
D.O.s are trained with an emphasis on prevention. The goal is to look beyond the specific presenting symptom and treat the person as a whole. This concept is especially relevant to psychiatry as our mental health depends on a multitude of interwoven factors like nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress level, environment, relationships, community, previous life experiences, and patterns of thinking and behaving.