Kira Stein, MD
Medical Director
West Coast TMS Institute

Dr. Kira Stein, the Institute’s founder and lead physician, is a board-certified psychiatrist in the Los Angeles area with extensive experience in the treatment of psychiatric conditions using medication and non-medication approaches. Dr. Stein started the Institute to help people who suffer from treatment-resistant depression or intolerable drug-related side effects. She understands the deep pain experienced with clinical depression and is pleased to provide access to TMS, an alternative treatment to drug therapy that is FDA-approved, effective, safe and non-invasive.

Certified by Neuronetics in the clinical application of TMS Therapy, Dr. Stein has also completed intensive coursework on TMS at Harvard Medical School’s Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, directed by Alvaro Pascual-Leone MD, PhD. Dr. Stein was named one of eighty best doctors in the San Fernando Valley by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal in December 2010 and has been elected by her peers for inclusion in the Best Doctors in America® database from 2003 to 2012.  Dr. Stein was also recently selected as a US News & World Report/Castle-Connolly Top Doctor in 2012.

Dr. Stein has extensive and diverse expertise in treating depression and is committed to patient recovery. Further, she is also one of the few psychiatrists in the area formally trained in the practice of reproductive psychiatry.

Specialty Areas:

• Mood disorders / Affective disorders, including but not limited to:
  • Major Depressive Disorder,
  • Bipolar Disorders,
  • Depression during Pregnancy
  • Postpartum depression,
  • Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD),
  • Peri-menopausal Depression
• Adjustment disorders
• Anxiety Disorders, including but not limited to:
  • Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD),
  • Panic disorder,
  • Social Anxiety,
  • Generalized Anxiety,
  • Acute Stress Disorder,
  • Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
  • Anxiety During Pregnancy or Postpartum
  • Phobias
• Attention deficit / Hyperactivity disorders / ADD
• Eating Disorders
• Schizophrenia/Schizoaffective disorders

Post-Doctoral Training

• University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, Resident, Adult Psychiatry 1998-2001; Chief Resident, UCLA Anxiety Disorders Program 2000-2001
• Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, California, Intern, Internal Medicine 1997-1998
• University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, Doctor of Medicine, 1993-1997
• Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania, Post-baccalaureate Premedical, 1992-1993
• University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, 1987-1991, Licensure and Certifications
• Active State of California Medical License
• Board-Certified Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
• Certified in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
• Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Harvard Medical School. Introduction to Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Neuropsychiatric Research. 2011.
• Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Harvard Medical School. Intensive Course in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. 2011. Attended formal lectures on different historical, technical, methodological, and safety aspects of the TMS technique, and completed extensive daily practical sessions.

Academic Appointments

• UCLA Department of Psychiatry Faculty Clinical Instructor 2001 – Present
• UCLA Anxiety Disorders Clinic Supervisor 2001
• General Lecturer Summer 2005
• UCLA Anxiety Disorders Clinic Chief Resident 2000-2001

Professional & Fellowship Positions

• Private Practice, Adult and Reproductive Psychiatry July 2001-   Present
• California Representative, Committee of Residents & Fellows 1999-2001
• Liaison, Committee of Medical Student Education 2000-2001
• AMA Resident and Fellow Section Delegate 1999-2000
• AMA Section Council on Psychiatry Member 1999-2000
• APA Violence Management Video Assistant Coordinator 1999-2001

Memberships & Associations

• American Psychiatric Association (APA), General Member
• Southern California Psychiatric Society, Member
• California Psychiatric Association, Member
• UCLA Psychiatric Clinical Faculty Association, Member
• Neuroscience Education Institute, Member
• Los Angeles County Psychological Association, Member
• Postpartum Support International, Member

Awards & Honors

• US News & World Report/Castle Connelly Top Doctor  2012
• Compassionate Doctor Award 2011
• Patients Choice Award 2011
• Listed as one of eighty Best Doctors in the San Fernando Valley by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, Dec 20, 2010
• Listed among the Los Angeles Times Magazine’s “Best Doctors in So Cal” on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009
• Elected by her peers for inclusion in Best Doctors in America® 5 consecutive lists: 2003-2004, 2005-2006, 2007-2008, 2009-2010 and 2010-2011
• Listed in Marquis Who’s Who of American Women 2007 registry
• Listed in Manchester Who’s Who Among Executive and Professional Women in Healthcare 2007 “Honor’s Edition”.
• Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare 2011 – 2012

Research Interests

• General Adult Psychiatry
• Reproductive Psychiatry

Publications

• Burt VK and Stein K: Treatment of Women with Psychiatric Disorders. American Psychiatric Association’s Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th Edition. 2007
• Stein, K: Book Review – Psychotropic Drugs and Women: Fast Facts. Journal of Psychiatric Practice. Vol. 12, No. 3, Page 200. May 2006
• Burt VK, Stein K: Epidemiology of Depression Throughout the Female Life Cycle. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc. Volume 63; Supplement 7; 2002
• Stein K: Teaching Limit Setting. Psychiatric Residents’ Newsletter. American Psychiatric Association. Spring 2001
• Stein K: Split Therapy: The Psychologists’ Point of View. Psychiatric Residents’ Newsletter. American Psychiatric Association. Fall 2000
• Stein K (Committee of Residents and Fellows): Case Presentation. Split Therapy and the Psychiatric Resident. 2000 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting Workshop Presentation. Chicago, Illinois
• Stein K: Primary Care and Psychiatry. Psychiatric Residents’ Newsletter. American Psychiatric Association. Winter 2000
• Stein KD: Substance Abuse. UCLA Residents’ Handbook. Editor Smurda J. 1999. (UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute Internal Publication)
• Stein KD: Medical Problems. UCLA Residents’ Handbook. Editor Smurda J. 1999. (UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute Internal Publication)