PD&A Expert Spotlight: Psychiatric Practice and Malpractice Expert Jeff C. Huffman, MD

Jeff C. Huffman, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Associate Chief of Psychiatry for Clinical Services at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where he oversees more than 300 clinical staff.  He served for eight years as director of the Inpatient Medical Psychiatry Service at MGH, specializing in the care of psychiatric patients with significant medical co-morbidities, such as heart disease, burns, and the need for chemotherapy or supplemental oxygen.  Dr. Huffman holds leadership roles in major national and international medical psychiatry organizations and journals.  He has published over 200 papers and is the Editor-in-Chief of General Hospital Psychiatry.

Dr. Huffman’s outstanding credentials and expertise are ideal for the review of psychiatric malpractice cases involving:

· Psychopharmacology

· Care of psychiatric patients with cardiac and other medical conditions

· Care of suicidal patients

·  Inpatient care

· Outpatient care

· Administration and supervision of clinical care and clinical research

Dr. Huffman’s team has developed an intervention for cardiac patients that is being implemented clinically in California, Germany, and Pakistan.  His clinical expertise has been recognized through plenary speaker and visiting professor invitations in the U.S., Canada, and internationally to discuss clinical care in cardiac psychiatry.  He is the recipient of more than two dozen awards for his teaching and research.

He is the Director of the Cardiac Psychiatry Research Program at MGH studying optimism, gratitude, and positive affect in patients with heart disease and other medical conditions and patients hospitalized for suicidal ideation.  He also directs the Inpatient Psychiatry Research Program, serving as site Principal Investigator on projects related to developing interventions for patients at high risk for suicide, funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Psychiatric Association, and National Institutes of Health.

Clinically, he currently provides urgent psychiatric assessments, ongoing psychopharmacology outpatient care, and interventions with psychiatric inpatients.

Dr. Huffman completed medical school at Baylor College of Medicine and residency training in psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/McLean Hospital.

Park Dietz, MD, PhD, commented:

When Renee Sorrentino, MD, proposed her colleague Jeff Huffman, MD, as a PD&A expert, she described him as both brilliant and a great teacher. We’re delighted to welcome him on board, and he is now one of five psychiatrists in our practice to share a Harvard/MGH/McLean heritage.

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Huffman or other PD&A experts, call 949-723-2211 or click here at expert@parkdietzassociates.com.