Integrative Psychiatry Faculty | Psychiatry Redefined

Designed By Clinicians, For Clinicians.

Discover a wealth of evidence-based courses developed and led by Dr. James Greenblatt, a psychiatrist with decades of clinical experience in functional medicine and nutritional psychiatry.

Meet the Instructors.

James Greenblatt, MD

A pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, James M. Greenblatt, MD, has treated patients since 1988. After receiving his medical degree and completing his psychiatry residency at George Washington University, Dr. Greenblatt completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School. Dr. Greenblatt currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, MA and serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine.

An acknowledged integrative medicine expert, educator, and author, Dr. Greenblatt has lectured internationally on the scientific evidence for nutritional interventions in psychiatry and mental illness. Through three decades of practice and research, Dr. Greenblatt is a leading contributor to the revolution of personalized medicine for mental illness.

In April of 2017, Dr. Greenblatt was inducted into the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame by the International Society of Orthomolecular Medicine, which has recognized significant contributors to science and medicine who operate from the perspective of biochemical individuality and nutrition-based therapies since 2004. Dr. Greenblatt shares this honor with recognized founders in the field of integrative medicine, beginning with the pioneers of nutritional psychiatry Abram Hoffer, Linus Pauling, and Roger Williams.

His book series, Psychiatry Redefined, draws on his many years of experience and expertise in integrative medicine for psychiatry. Dr. Greenblatt’s knowledge in the areas of biology, genetics, psychology, and nutrition as they interact in the treatment of mental illness has made him a highly sought-after speaker at national and international conferences and workshops. He currently offers online courses for professionals as well as specialized fellowship programs in the functional medicine approaches to integrative psychiatry. For more information, please visit www.JamesGreenblattMD.com.

Peter Bongiorno, ND, LAc

Dr. Peter Bongiorno is a naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist and serves as co-medical director of InnerSource Natural Health and Acupuncture, a thriving practice with two clinics in New York (New York City and Long Island). He specializes in using integrative care to heal mood disorder. Dr. Bongiorno researched as a pre-doctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health, at the National Institute of Mental Health’s department of Clinical Neuroendocrinology, where he first studied the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis response to stress. He also researched at Yale University in the department of pharmacology before training at Bastyr University in naturopathic medicine and acupuncture.

Peter is a sought after thought leader in the field of integrative medicine for mental health. He has spoken at the Integrative Medicine for Mental Health conference, for general session at A4M, at the Integrative Health Care Symposium in New York City, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, Council for Responsible Nutrition, American Academy of Environmental medicine, as well as to medical schools and functional medicine physician groups across the country. He is the immediate past president of the NY Association of Naturopathic Physicians and, was chosen naturopathic physician of the year in New York State in 2008. For more information, please visit www.DrPeterBongiorno.com

Felice Gersh, MD

Dually board-certified in Integrative Medicine and OB-GYN, Felice Gersh, MD is an internationally recognized expert in women’s health and complex disease management, a bestselling author, and the medical director of Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, California.

After receiving her medical degree from the USC School of Medicine, Dr. Gersh studied Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kaiser Hospital in Los Angeles where she was honored with the CEROG Top Resident award every year of her residency.

Upon graduating, she launched her private practice, founded on medical science and a passionate belief in holistic women’s healthcare. From the beginning, her practice included a range of modalities spanning western medicine to acupuncture and massage.

About twelve years ago, Dr. Gersh graduated from the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, becoming one of the first-ever dually board-certified Integrative Gynecologists in the United States.

In addition to her ongoing efforts as Medical Director of Integrative Medical Group Irvine, Dr. Gersh serves the professional community through her work as a writer and educator. Having taught obstetrics and gynecology at the Keck USC School of Medicine for over a decade, she is now an Affiliate Faculty Member at the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine through the University of Arizona School of Medicine. Dr. Gersh lectures internationally at scientific and health conferences, has appeared on numerous podcasts, and has been featured in several medical documentaries. A bestselling author, she has published two books on PCOS and an ebook on menopause.

Judith E. Pentz, MD

Judith E. Pentz, MD is an integrative psychiatrist who has dedicated her career to combining the very best of western and integrative medicine in order to cultivate balanced mental health for all those who seek it.

Dr. Pentz attended the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo (now the University of Toledo), completing her psychiatric training in 1990 and achieving board certification in 1993 (adult psychiatry) and 1994 (child and adolescent psychiatry), respectively.

In addition to her training in the medical field of psychiatry, Dr. Pentz has studied numerous complementary healing methods ranging from craniosacral therapy and EMDR to homeopathy and qi gong. She has trained with various healers exploring Chinese, Native American, Peruvian, and Ayurvedic herbal, bodywork, and energetic modalities.

Dr. Pentz is an active writer as well as a healer. In addition to her own articles and blogs she is published in the breakthrough Integrative Therapies for Depression: Redefining Models for Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention (Greenblatt JM, Brogan K (eds), 2016) textbook, which features her chapter on botanicals for the treatment of depression. Her new book, Cleanse Your Body, Reveal Your Soul (Mango Publishing) will be released in 2020, and documents her personal odyssey towards physical and spiritual healing through an Ayurvedic cleanse called panchakarma.

Arwen Podesta, MD, ABPN, FASAM, ABIHM

Arwen Podesta, MD is a board-certified adult psychiatrist with sub specializations in addiction medicine, forensic psychiatry, and integrative medicine. A graduate of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Dr. Podesta completed her psychiatry residency in at Louisiana State University before pursuing fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry at Tulane University.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Podesta became involved in actioning psychiatric care for underserved and disenfranchised populations, and was awarded the Gambit’s 40 Under 40 in 2009. Since then she has been an enthusiastic participant in the public sector as Medical Director of ACER and a consultant for the Orleans Criminal Court, Drug Court and Re-entry Services. Additionally, she maintains status as a consulting Addiction Medicine Specialist. Across all contexts and venues, Dr. Podesta’s primary focus has been and continues to be access to integrative mental health and addiction treatment, and rational prescribing practices.

Dr. Podesta maintains an active role in the academic community as a clinical faculty for Tulane Psychiatry Residency, Louisiana State University Psychiatry Residency, and Tulane Addiction Medicine Fellowship. Her outstanding clinical and academic contributions to the field of medicine earned her a nomination for the role of President of the Louisiana chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine in 2017. In 2019 she was awarded the honor of Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. A renowned speaker, Dr. Podesta regularly travels to teach and speak on the topics of Addiction Medicine and Integrative Psychiatry.

Since opening Podesta Psychiatry LLC in 2012, Dr. Podesta has been voted into the ranks of New Orleans Magazine’s Top Doctors on an annual basis. The Podesta Psychiatry team includes some of the best treatment providers in the Gulf Coast, and Podesta Psychiatry continues to evolve toward the multi-disciplinary collaborative model that embodies Dr. Podesta’s wellness model for whole health.

William Shaw, PhD

William Shaw, PhD, is board certified in the fields of clinical chemistry and toxicology by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry. Before he founded The Great Plains Laboratory, Inc., Dr. Shaw worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Children’s Mercy Hospital, University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Medicine, and Smith Kline Laboratories. He is the author of Biological Treatments for Autism and PDD, originally published in 1998 and Autism: Beyond the Basics, published in 2009. He is also a frequent speaker at conferences worldwide.

Dr. Shaw is the stepfather of a child with autism and has helped thousands of patients and medical practitioners to successfully improve the lives of people with autism, AD(H)D, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, bipolar disorder, chronic fatigue, depression, fibromyalgia, immune deficiencies, multiple sclerosis, OCD, Parkinson’s disease, seizure disorders, tic disorders, Tourette syndrome, and other serious conditions. For more information, please visit www.GreatPlainsLaboratory.com