I'm a psychiatrist specializing in mental health support for neurodiverse individuals. Many people with neurodevelopmental differences — ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, developmental trauma — experience dysfunction and distress related to their learning and attentional profiles. They are at higher risk for depression, anxiety, obsessive and compulsive disorders, psychosis, substance use disorders, and trauma disorders. I work with children, adolescents, and adults, and I see patients across the lifespan because these conditions don't stop at 18 years old.
I completed my MD and PhD in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, where my doctoral research was conducted at the National Institutes of Health. My dissertation was in neuroimaging — developing MRI techniques to study how diseases damage the brain at the cellular level.
I then trained in adult and child psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. I stayed for post-doctoral research at the UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment, using imaging tools to study how sensory processing and trauma interact in people with autism. That scientific foundation matters to me — I read the evidence carefully, and I push back when clinical practice outpaces it.
I'm board-certified in both general and child and adolescent psychiatry.
Before opening my private practice, I spent several years doing public psychiatry: working with youth in the Los Angeles County juvenile halls, as a supervising psychiatrist at the LA County Jail (one of the largest mental health facilities in the world), and in a Medi-Cal-only inpatient unit.
I teach neuroscience to psychiatry residents and fellows at Charles R. Drew University, where I'm a Clinical Assistant Professor. I also teach mental health to California Superior Court judges through the Judicial Council's Center for Judicial Education and Research. And I'm active in mental health advocacy and policy at the state and national level through the Southern California Psychiatric Society and the California State Association of Psychiatrists — advocating for better systems, better access, and care that's grounded in evidence and compassion.
Overview
Board Certifications
Psychiatry
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Education & Training
MD, PhD in Neuroscience
Johns Hopkins
General Psychiatry Residency
UCLA
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship
UCLA
Post-Doctoral Research
UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment
Academic Appointment
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Psychiatry
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
