Ralph Wittenberg

Ralph Wittenberg M.D., (born May 5, 1934) is founder and president of New Life Community, LLC in Washington D.C. as well as a practicing psychoanalyst and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at The George Washington University School of Medicine.

Wittenberg, a native of Detroit, Michigan, is a graduate of Detroit Central High School. He holds a B.A. from the Wayne State University and earned his M.D. from the Wayne State University, School of Medicine. He served a general medical internship and residency at Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco, California and his psychiatric residency at Detroit Receiving Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Wittenberg received his psychoanalytic training at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute in Washington, D.C. and his group psychotherapy training at the National institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and the Washington School for Psychiatry in Washington, D.C. Wittenberg is a leader in the medical and psychiatric community as an innovator, public health activist, educator, physician and private psychoanalyst. He is credited with making screening for depression the standard of care throughout the military. He is a national authority in working with women who have perinatal psychiatric disorders and developing community programs for primary prevention care for their babies.

In 2009, Wittenberg founded New Life Community, LLC a comprehensive and transformative health and lifestyle wellness acceleration program designed for individuals who are at risk, have, or are recovering from serious illness, as well as those looking for a more fulfilling life. The program is based on Dr. Wittenberg’s personal history of surviving life threatening illnesses such as heart diseases and multiple cancers, his education and training, fifty years of practicing medicine, and his experience with holistic healing.

LICENSURE:

Virginia, District of Columbia

BOARD CERTIFICATION:

Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 1969

Certified in Psychoanalysis, American Academy of Psychoanalysis, 1986

CLINICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS:

President of the Family Mental Health Institute 2003-present

Full time private practice of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, 1969 - present

Medical Director, Counseling Center of Northern Virginia, 1987- 1987-2003

Consultant in Psychotherapy Training, Overholzer Division of Training, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, D.C., 1979-1988

Supervising Faculty Associate, Meyer Treatment Center, Washington School of Psychiatry, 1979-2003

Associate Medical Staff Member, Fairfax Hospital, 1989-1999

Senior Attending Physician, George Washington University Hospital, Washington, D.C., 1979-1985

Attending Physician, Washington Hospital Center, 1970-1978

Acting Director of Training, National Institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeths Hospital, 1969

Director Psychiatric Residency Training Program, National Institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington D.C., 1968-1969

Senior Surgeon, United States Public Health Service, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington D.C., 1966-1968

Chief Training Officer, St. Elizabeths Hospital, 1967

Training Officer, St. Elizabeths Hospital, 1966-1967

Staff Psychiatrist, Washington Veteran's Administration Hospital, 1965-1966

Consultant, Peace Corps Training Project, Georgetown University, Washington,D.C.,1964

Staff Psychiatrist, Student Health Service, Georgetown University, 1964-1965

Staff Psychiatrist, Veterans Administration Hospital, Washington, DC

Chief Resident in Psychiatry, Detroit Receiving Hospital, 1963-1964

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS:

Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, George Washington University Medical School, 1987-present

Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, George Washington University Medical School, 1979-1987

Director of In-Patient Psychiatric Nurses Training, Washington Hospital Center, 1973

Acting Director of Training, National Institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeths Hospital, 1968-1969

Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, George Washington University Medical School, 1968-1969

Instructor in Psychiatry, Georgetown University Medical School, 1964-1965

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association

Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association 1998-2002

Senior Fellow in Psychoanalysis. American 
Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry 2003-present

Member of the American Society of Psychoanalytic Physicians

Senior Fellow, American Academy of Psychoanalysis

Member of the Marce Society, 2001-2005

Member of Postpartum Support International, 2000- 20005.

Member, North American Society of Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliate of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology. 2000- present.

Member of the Advisory Editorial Board of the Journal of Preventing [...], 2003

Member, Board of Directors, American Society of Psychoanalytic Physicians 1985- 1995

President, Family Mental Health Foundation 1995-2004

Founder and President of the Washington Psychiatric Foundation, 1989-2000

Vice-President, “Portales”, Mental Health Services for Immigrant Children, 2000-2002

Chair, Headquarters Committee, American Psychiatric Association, 1994-1996

Consultant, Joint Commission on Public Affairs, American Psychiatric Association, 1996-1998.

Member, Headquarters Committee, American Psychiatric Association, 1987-1994

Chairman, Public Information Committee, Washington Psychiatric Society, 1979 -1990

Founder and Chairman of the Washington Foundation for Psychiatry 1985-1990

Member, Joint Commission on Public Affairs, American Psychiatric Association, 1985 to 1996

Founder and Chairman, "Reaching Out Coalition", 1986-1997

Member, Fairfax County Medical Society, 1985-20003

Member, Medical Society of Virginia, 1985-20003

Member of Legislative Council, Washington Psychiatric Society, 1984-1996

Chairman, Public Affairs Committee, Washington Psychiatric Society 1980-1997

Member of Budget Committee, Washington Psychiatric Society, 1989- 1999

Affiliate Member, American Psychoanalytic Association, 1973-1986

Chairman, Judicial Affairs Committee, Washington Psychiatric Society, 1977-1988

Member, Council for the Advancement of Psychoanalytic Education, 1966-1983

Member, Senior Coordinating Committee on Community Psychiatry, Washington School of Psychiatry, 1967-1969

PROJECTS

Founded and developed the PPD-Moms Organization to Provide Peer Support Groups for women suffering from perinatal psychiatric disorders in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area 2000-2003

Developed the Area D Community Mental Health Program, National Institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC 1968-1969

Developed the First Comprehensive Intramural Psychiatric Residency Training Program, National Institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC 1968-1969

Developed the First Training Course in Forensic Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC

Developed the First Child Psychiatry Service, National Institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC

Developed the Group Psychotherapy Training Program, National Institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC

Developed the Outpatient Psychotherapy Training Program in Conjunction with both the George Washington University, Department of Psychiatry and the Alexandria, Virginia Health Department, National Institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC

Developed the Intensive In-Patient Individual and Group Therapy Programs, National Institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, DC

Senior Investigator, Health Resources and Services Administration, Healthy Start Grant; "Improving Women's Health Through Screening for Perinatal Depression in Primary Care Settings.”

Developed the "Women's Mental Health Consortium" composed of the Departments of Psychiatry of Georgetown University and George Washington University, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Georgetown University Hospital, the Office of Prevention of the George Washington University School of Public Health, the Services Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the National Naval Medical Center, the Maryland Department of Women’s Health, The Virginia Maternal Hospital Alliance (comprising 17 hospitals from Culpeper to Leesburg), The Arlington County Health Department, Women’s Health Program, the District of Columbia Department of Maternal and Child Health, Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Bio-Statistics,

Consultant to the National Naval Medical Center in the Development of a Program of Universal Depression Screening in the Departments of OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Mental Health Activity (Psychiatry and Psychology), and Social Work which is now the Standard of Care throughout the United States Navy.

Consultant to the Mid-Shore Mental Health Association of Maryland in the Development of a Comprehensive Program of Depression Screening and Professional Training for the Entire Eastern Shore. 2003-Present

Developed and implemented “First Chance”; a program for DC elementary school children who were identified as disruptive by their kindergarten teachers and then evaluated and treated by volunteer child psychiatrists and psychologists in the First Grade.

Developed a television public service campaign, in association with WUSA-TV, to write, produce and air a series of public service announcements about mental illness.

Created the “Open Line”; a free information and referral telephone service manned by volunteer psychiatrists throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area

Developed the “Reaching Out Coalition”; an association of over 50 mental health organizations and individuals in the DC area interested in using the media to reach the mentally ill in the Washington Metropolitan area.

President of Concerned Citizens for Exceptional Children, an umbrella group of more that thirty organizations working to improve special education in the District of Columbia Public Schools.

Member of Superintendent’s Task Force for Special Education, District of Columbia Public Schools

President of the Reorganization Committee of The Amidon District of the DC Public Schools

CONFERENCES ORGANIZED

Use of Psychotropic Medications During Pregnancy and Lactation, speaker, Dr. Zachary Stowe, Washington D.C., 1998

Psychiatric Telephone Triage, Speaker, Dr. Ralph Wittenberg, Bethesda MD, 1997

Bipolar Disorder, Speaker, Dr. Robert Post, Falls Church, VA 1997

Panic Disorder, Help Line Volunteers, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Arlington, VA, 1997

Assessment of Children, Speaker, Dr. Stanley Greenspan, Washington, D.C., 1996

Down Time, Depression in the Workplace, Speaker, Dr. Ralph Wittenberg, Bethesda, MD, 1996

[...] Harassment in the Workplace, Panel Discussion, Washington, D.C., 1996

The “Americans' with Disabilities Act” and Substance Abuse, Panel Discussion, Washington, D.C. 1995

Psychiatric Disability in the Workplace, Panel Discussion, Washington, D.C., 1994

Children at Risk, Symposium, Howard University, 1993

Crisis of Substance Abuse, Forum, Howard University Hospital, 1993

Americans With Disabilities Act, Panel Discussion, Washington, D.C, 1992

Access to Psychiatric Care, Symposium, Georgetown University. 1991

Substance Abuse Treatment, Panel Discussion, Washington D.C., 1990

Reaching the Unreachable, Panel Discussion, Washington, D.C., 1989

Participant and Group Leader in the Dean Ornish Group Supportive Therapy Program for Patients With Heart Disease, Rockville Maryland, 1994 to 2003

MEDIA ACTIVITIES

Written media articles including the Washington Post, the Washingtonian Magazine, the Journal newspapers, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, etc

Radio interviews including the Mimi Geerges Show on XM-Satellite Radio, The Diane Rheem Show, WAMU-FM, NPR Morning Edition , WDCU, WRC, etc.

Television interviews including, CNN, CNBC, WUSA, WTTG, etc.

PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS:

National Naval Medical Center, the DeWitt Army Hospital, Potomac Hospital, Bolling Air Force Base Family Care Clinic, Washington, DC, Perinatal Clinics of the Military District of Washington, Bolling Air Force Base,, Prince Georges County Medical Center, Easton Memorial Hospital, Chestertown Maryland Hospital, Salisbury Maryland Regional Hospital, the Washington Hospital Center Department of OB-GYN,

   Topics include: 
       Universal Perinatal Depression Screening

       Use of Psychotropic Medication During Pregnancy and Lactation

       The Role of Peer Support

U.S. House of Representatives Medical Briefing on Postpartum Depression

Perinatal Psychiatry Presentations for Nurses and Social Workers in Conjunction with Chesapeake Community College,

PUBLICATIONS

A Combat Casualty Approach to the Treatment of PPD, North American Society of Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2006

Draft of a Treatment Manual for Perinatal Psychiatric Disorders for Professionals and Para-Professionals, HRSA Healthy Start Grant, 2004

  • 1] A New Life is Possible