Our Team
A dedicated interdisciplinary team led by Dr. Alexander Bystritsky is now providing the FDA-approved* Humanitarian Use Device Reclaim DBS Therapy for OCD. This team is comprised of physicians from the Department of Neurosurgery and physicians from the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science. Our team demonstrates expertise in patient selection, DBS implementation, programming, and long-term management of severely ill psychiatric patients.
Dr. Bystritsky is a licensed Psychiatrist and the Director of this project. He is part of the DBS Screening Committee and a leader in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Dr. Bystritsky has been specializing in the treatment of severe and treatment resistant anxiety disorders for the last 25 years. Dr. Bystritsky is also the Director of the Anxiety Disorders Program and Clinic as well as the Brain Stimulation Laboratory for anxiety disorders.
Dr. Feusner is a licensed Psychiatrist and a member of the DBS Screening Committee. He is the director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Intensive Treatment Program and the director of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) Research Program.
Dr. Espinoza is a licensed Psychiatrist and a member of the DBS Screening Committee. Dr. Espinoza is the director of the Electroconvulsive Therapy Program at the UCLA Semel Institute.
Dr. DeSalles is a licensed Neurosurgeon and a member of the DBS Screening Committee. He is also Co-Director of the Radiosurgery Program at UCLA. He has performed hundreds of DBS surgeries for a variety of indications.
Dr. Pouratian is a licensed Neurosurgeon and a member of the DBS Screening Committee. Dr. Pouratian specializes in functional neurosurgery, with a specific interest in surgeries that improve quality of life and function. Dr. Pouratian has performed hundreds of DBS surgeries for multiple indications including Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, tremor, Tourette’s disease, and medically refractory pain.
Dr. Vapnik is a licensed clinical psychologist and a member of the DBS Screening Committee. Dr. Vapnik has been doing clinical work in the OCD Intensive Treatment Program at UCLA since 1991, and is currently responsible for the evaluations for admission into the program. She is also a CBT supervisor for Psychiatry Residents at UCLA Medical Center.
