Geoffrey Di Bella, MD    Psychiatrist DBA: OPTILIFE, Inc.

Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association

Education and Experience: 

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION:
Undergraduate University of Maryland
College Park, MD 1958-62
Member of the National Biology Honorary, The Phi Sigma Society
Graduated with honors

MEDICAL EDUCATION:
Medical School State University of New York 1962-66
Downstate Medical Center
450 Clarkson Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11203

INTERNSHIP:
Internship Mixed Medical 1966-67
Jewish Hospital and Medical Center of Brooklyn (Interfaith Hospital)
555 Prospect Place
Brooklyn, New York 11238

5 months medicine
1 month emergency medicine
3 months surgery
3 months pediatrics

PSYCHIATRIC RESIDENCY:
The three years 1967-70 were spent at the New York Medical College/Metropolitan Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, headed by Dr. Alfred Freedman and Dr. Harold Kaplan. The program was eclectic in orientation. 1901 First Ave., N.Y., N.Y. 10028 ( 212-230-6262 or 914-285-8292 ).

The third year elective rotation was spent in the Family Treatment and Study Unit headed by Dr. Clifford Sager. This experience, plus continuing work with families, qualified me to become a full member of the AmericanAssociation of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Out training in Group Psychotherapy in the Division of Group Process, directed by Dr. Benjamin Sadock, qualified me to become a full member of the American Group Psychotherapy Association.

Six Month rotation in Child Psychiatry

I attended and passed the examinations for the first year course, 'Readings in Psychoanalytic Literature' of the Comprehensive Course in Psychoanalysis, Department of Psychiatry, New York Medical College, Spring 1968.

I participated in my own personal psychoanalysis with Hrair Babikian, M.D., from the Fall of 1968 to the Spring of 1970.
 
OTHER CERTIFICATES:
Academic & Administrative Appointments:

Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, Clinical Assistant Professor, 1978-80; New York Medical College, Department of Psychiatry, Clinical Associate Professor, 1980-85.

1977-85: Director of Psychiatric Residency Training and Medical Student Education in Psychiatry at Cabrini Medical Center (CMC). Manhattan. Affiliate of Dept. Psychiatry of New York Medical College. Award for outstanding teaching activities for the years 1982-83, 83-84 and 84-85.

Department of Psychiatry, Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York. Instructor, Feb. 1972 - Aug. 1976; Assistant Clinical Professor, Aug. 1976 - Jan. 1978.

Chief of Service, Division V, Kingsboro Psychiatric Center. Brooklyn, NY.
From December of 1973, I was administrative head of amultidisciplinary staff of 70. I was also appointed as Senior Supervising Psychiatrist of Division XI.

In 1977, I was elected vice-president of the medical staff. 1973-77.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Solo practice of general psychiatry. Sept. 1995-present:

Psychiatrist, 25 hours per week. NewportPsychCare, General Outpatient psychiatry ages 5-105. Feb. 15, 2000 - Feb. 1, 2001

Contract Psychiatrist, Beverly Manor. 30 Severely mentally ill adults in the Special Treatment Program of a Skilled Nursing

Staff Psychiatrist, employed by the Cigna Health Insurance Company's MCC Behavioral Health Care. 97 to September 15, 1997.

Contract psychiatrist with QTC Medical Groups Inc. QTC various evaluations for large companies and governments. California Department of Social Services (disability evaluations), the California Employment Development Department, California Department of Mental Health for the 1987 OBRA law requiring Pre Admission Screening and Annual Reviews on patients in nursing facilities. 1995-August 1997.

Staff psychiatrist for the California Department of Corrections, Los Angeles County. This was a prison for adult men. 1994-July 95 Consulting psychiatrist at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services at the High Desert Hospital August

1989-July 95.

Outpatient general psychiatric practice with the Department of Mental Health of the County of Los Angeles, rector of Psychiatric Residency Training and Medical Student Education in Psychiatry at Cabrini Medical Center (CMC).

Psychiatrist: U.S. Army - Canal Zone Government: Gorgas Hospital
The main base of my psychiatric activities was the Neuropsychiatric service there. COMMISSIONED SERVICE IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY
Major, Medical Corps, July, 1970 to July, 1973.

Honorable Discharge with the Army Commendation Medal

Lt. Colonel, Medical Corps, U.S. Army Reserves
 
BOARD CERTIFICATIONS:
Diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners, 1967., #90162 Scored 90 in Psychiatry.

Licensed to practice medicine in California, 1971: #G21681

Drug Enforcement Administration registration #BD1855040. , 

California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement triplicate number: 9235-033-32.

SPECIALTY CERTIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS:
Certified in Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in October, 1972, #12121.

Certified in Mental Health Administration by the Commission on Certification in Administrative Psychiatry of the
American Psychiatric Association in May 1976, #732.

Certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Society of Addiction Medicine in DECEMBER 1992-2002, #4364.

Qualified Medical Examiner for the Workmans Compensation board of California, July 1994-2004, #905109.

LANGUAGES:
English and Spanish.
 
HONOR AND AWARDS:
Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association.

US ARMY
Major, Medical Corps, July, 1970 to July, 1973. Honorable Discharge with the Army Commendation Medal 
Lt. Colonel, Medical Corps, U.S. Army Reserves, 1984-88
 
PUBLICATIONS:
Di Bella, G. Educating Staff to Manage Threatening Paranoid Patients. American J. of Psychiatry, 136 (3) 333-335, March,
1979.

Di Bella, G. Family Psychotherapy with the Homosexual Family: A Community Psychiatry Approach to Homosexuality.
Community Mental Health J. 15(1) 41-46. Spring, 1979.

Di Bella, G. and Seitel, K: Anxiety of Therapists over Openly Dealing with Money Issues in the Psychotherapy Relationship.
J. of the American Academy of Psychotherapists 14 (4) 16-20, Winter 1979.

Di Bella, G., Weitz, G et. al.: Handbook of Partial Hospitalization., New York.Brunner/Mazel. 1982.

Di Bella, G: Mastering Money Issues Complicating Treatment: The Last Taboo. American J. of Psychotherapy. 34(4)
510-522, 1980.

Di Bella, G: Partial Hospitalization: Update and Overview. Newsletter of the American Assoc. of General Hospital
Psychiatrists, 3(4) 3-4. 1980.
West O., Casarino J., Di Bella G., Gross R: Partial Hospitalization: Guidelines for Standards. Psychiatric Annals. 10 (8) pp.
305-12, August, 1980.

Di Bella G: What Is the Place of Partial Hospitalization in the Total Mental Health Services System? Newsletter of the
American Ass. of General Hospital Psychiatrists, 5(1) 2-3, 1981.

Di Bella G: Update on Hypnotics relative to Insomnia and Clinical Practice. The Mount Sinai J Medicine. 53:2, 82-89, 1986.

Di Bella G: Money Issues Complicating Treatment. Chapter In Krueger, D. (Ed. ) The Last Taboo: Money as Symbol and
Reality in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Brunner/ Mazel, 1986.

Screen Play on mental illness in the US President, Dec. 1992. Bipolar with obsession about the Middle East.

DBA   OPTILIFE