My Philosophy
Medication and psychotherapy are valuable tools that can significantly enhance your journey toward better mental well-being. My job is to partner with you and act as a guide and coach in a non-paternalistic, culturally informed way. I want you to tell me about all your concerns about medication and therapy so that we can discuss them openly. I want to put my knowledge at your fingertips so that you can take back control in your life.
Most kids don't want to create the kind of family and school-related friction that can result from ADHD, OCD, Anxiety, Autism, or any number of other conditions. Children often see a psychiatrist when behavioral strategies haven't been enough to tackle the current challenges. Thoughtful pharmacologic intervention can make it easier for kids to do the work in therapy, at school, and at home. However, medication should only be one tool in your toolbox, and our hope is that it can act as a kind of catalyst so that your child can build the kind of life they want for themself.
John Stewart, MD PhD
Educational Background
MD & PhD
Loma Linda is the only Blue Zone in the United States. The dominant culture values community, physical activity, healthy eating, laughter, and faith. During my time there, my formal studies focused on epigenetic inheritance, pharmacology, and physiology with an emphasis on the immune system. As my training progressed into medical school, a close family member manifested serious mental illness. It was through that experience that I witnessed the current state of the mental health care system and felt called to provide a higher quality of care.
Master of Health Science
Why is it that two people go through the same stressors, resulting in one seemingly coming out unscathed while the other develops an anxiety or a depressive disorder? We are not islands. We are products of the interaction between self and environment. We are members of a family, a community, and a larger sociopolitical ecosystem. Air pollution, access to fresh fruit and vegetables, excessive consumption of processed foods, exposure to microplastics, and the microbiome are just the tip of the iceberg when considering all the environmental contributions to our mental well-being.
Post Graduate Training
General Psychiatry Residency
Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C.
I worked alongside world-class psychiatrists in community and private medical and psychiatric hospitals. Like Loma Linda, Georgetown emphasizes the need to understand the whole person and their community. This intellectually rigorous program helped me refine my skills as a psychiatric provider and taught me the foundations of psychoanalytic and cognitive behavioral therapy, which remain an area of active interest and expertise.
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship
University of Southern California / Los Angeles General Medical Center / Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
Being a parent is one of the hardest things any of us will ever do. People often see themselves in their children ... and they see their parents emerge in themselves. The moment we are born, we begin to internalize the voices and community around us, and we never stop. Development is a lifelong process, and behavioral patterns are reinforced or punished within the context of our family, school, and larger community.