Founder and Medical Director of CBBS
Ronald M. Podell, M.D. is a board-certified psychiatrist. Dr. Podell graduated with honors from Amherst College and received his medical degree from Columbia University. He completed his post-graduate psychiatric training at UCLA where he was appointed to the Clinical Faculty in 1979 and served over 20 years as Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry.
He regularly teaches post graduate courses for both mental health professionals and laymen at UCLA and has been course director for two national symposia including: “Sexual Science–Bridging the Disciplines with the Master Clinicians,” and “Beyond Prozac.”
In the early 1980’s, Dr. Podell was one of the founding physicians for the Century City Hospital in Vitro Fertilization Program. He developed psychosocial guidelines and a psychological intervention system for couples seeking treatment for infertility. Dr. Podell was then named to co-direct Century City Hospital’s Center for Sexual Medicine, which offered multi-disciplinary treatment for sexual dysfunction.
Dr. Podell conceived the idea for a private research and treatment center for anxiety and mood disorders in 1983. He then co-founded The Center for Mood Disorders in West Los Angeles in 1984 with Michael Gitlin MD, one of the very first private clinical and research facilities of its kind in the United States. He is responsible for bringing the use of “light therapy treatment” for Seasonal Affective Disorder to national attention. He and his colleagues at the Center for Mood Disorders reached widespread national and international recognition including front page of the Los Angeles Times. The Center served over 5000 patients in its 11 years, and regularly conducted multiple FDA clinical trials for new psychiatric medications.
Dr. Podell also co-founded Westridge Psychiatric Medical Group in 1989 with Melvyn Kinder, Ph.D. This multi-specialty group brought research validated psychiatric and psychological treatment to patients struggling with the emotional dilemmas of aging as well as help to families and caregivers. The group focused on providing care in Skilled Nursing Facilities, Intermediate Care, and Assisted Living Facilities where Dr. Podell’s expertise in the psychopharmacologic treatment of mood and anxiety disorders brought relief to behaviorally disturbed and distressed patients with brain injuries, dementia, and chronic illness.
Dr. Podell has published articles in academic and lay journals. His approach to communicating with the public has contributed to destigmatizing psychiatric illness and has encouraged thousands of people to seek treatment. Dr. Podell was the host of, “Sexual Health and Medicine,” a Century Communication cable television show seen in Los Angeles from the mid-to-late 1980’s.
Dr. Podell is the author of Contagious Emotions—Staying Well When Your Loved One is Depressed, a Pocket Books hardcover and trade paperback. Dr. Podell has extensive media experience in every form including local and national television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. He has appeared multiple times on Los Angeles Network News and on national magazine-formatted shows throughout the country.
He has been quoted in Newsweek, Vogue, Readers’ Digest, Ladies Home Journal, Glamour, Red Book, Men’s Health, and other national periodicals, and has been cited in major city newspapers including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the San Diego Union-Tribune, etc. He also conducted an extensive survey through Shape Magazine assessing body image and sexual attitudes of over 8000 female respondents.
Dr. Podell’s creative integration of biological and psychological treatments has restored emotional health and relationship stability to thousands of patients. His innovative treatments have frequently been acknowledged throughout his career by health professionals and laymen from various disciplines. Celebrity patients have publically discussed their recoveries from depression, substance abuse, and relationship disruptions after utilizing Dr. Podell’s integrated treatment methods despite previous multiple failures under the care of other health professionals.
Director Research and Education
Marvin R. Kalt is currently serving as the Director of Research and Education at the Center for Bio-Behavioral Science in Los Angeles. Dr. Kalt is a basic scientist with a long and distinguished career in biomedical research and development. Dr. Kalt received the Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University and did further postdoctoral work at Yale University. He began his academic career as a faculty member in Basic Sciences at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, where he taught and maintained an independently funded research program supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation.. From there he went to the extramural program of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), NIH, where he was in charge of peer review and helped fund the original NIA Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers program, as well as serving as training officer. He then went from the NIA to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), serving as Director of the Division of Extramural Activities for a decade. Here he helped structure and manage many translational research programs and clinical trials groups, working with 3 different NCI Directors, including Andrew von Eschenbach, who later went on to head the FDA. From NCI, he went to the Office of the Director NIH, where he was loaned to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help establish the “Grand Challenges in Global Health” program, as well as the structure and terms of award of their grant and clinical trials programs. After 4 years in Seattle, he returned to the NIH in 2007 as Director of the Division of Extramural Activities for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases. Here he worked closely with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the NIAID Director, to further programs in AIDS, TB, and Immunology.
Dr. Kalt is the only person ever to head the Extramural divisions of the two largest NIH institutes (NCI and NIAID), and over his career helped to review,select and manage grants and contracts in excess of $100 Billion dollars for funding. He has received numerous awards for excellence, including the US Senior Executive Service Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award. He has either worked with, funded and/or used as reviewers a virtual Who’s Who” of the world’s scientific elite. He retired from the NIH in 2011, and has continued as a research and development consultant as well as advocate for Parkinson’s disease.
Supervising Neuro-Psychologist
James Fortman, PsyD earned a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley and a Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Santa Barbara. James specializes in neuropsychological evaluations and works with patients with traumatic brain injury, stroke, brain tumors, Alzheimer’s Disease, memory impairment, and other neurological disorders. He completed a pre-doctoral internship in neuropsychology at the UC Davis Medical Center in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department. He has conducted educational and neuropsychological evaluations in various settings including elementary schools, the Ventura Brain Injury Center, inpatient and outpatient services at UC Davis Medical Center, and the California Department of Rehabilitation. His research interests include utilizing computer-based cognitive training to promote healthy aging and combat age-related cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment. His experience also includes brief psychotherapy, consultation, and cognitive rehabilitation. He is an adjunct faculty member at Antioch University. Dr. Fortman performs extensive neuropsychological exams at CBBS.
Post Doctoral Intern
Timothy Wong, Ph.D. earned his doctorate degree in clinical psychology at Fuller Graduate School of Psychology. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Wong also earned his M.A. in Christian Leadership from Fuller Graduate School of Psychology. Dr. Wong has received training and is experienced in working with cognitive disorders, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and relationship issues at various clinical placements.
Dr. Wong sees patients for psychotherapy in the CBBS West LA outpatient facility where he is supervised by Dr. Podell. Dr. Wong also sees long term care patients for CBBS where he administers neuropsychological assessments and provides psychotherapy at bedside. This gives him a wide array of experience in clinical psychology: from memory disorders to complex mood and anxiety disorders.
Dr. Wong has developed a niche practice under Dr. Podell’s supervision in the work and treatment of cognitive and memory disorders in Long Term Care patients.
His dissertation examined the neurological correlates of sexual abuse through neuroimaging. This endeavor utilized modern neuroradiology and neuroscience to understand the anatomical and physiological consequences that sexual abuse has on the brain.
Pre Doctoral Intern
Chin He Bae, M.A. earned her Master’s degree in psychology at Pepperdine University. She is starting her doctorate program in the Fall 2015 and is fluently bilingual in Korean and English.
