About
Practice
Clinical psychiatry, on the patient’s terms
I have been in private psychiatric practice in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2002, with a pause from 2017 to 2019 for diplomatic service. I am a board-certified Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
The framing I bring to clinical work is evidence-based medicine centered on the individual patient’s strengths and circumstances. That means I offer psychotherapy and medication treatment as indicated, and I work in collaboration with the people I see. My practice has focused on ADHD, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders, in children, adolescents, and adults. I have also taken on organizational consultation to leadership and expert consultations to geriatric facilities, both of which have shaped how I think about systems of care.
Forensic work
Twenty years in courtrooms and consultations
I have practiced forensic psychiatry for twenty years, testifying in federal and state trials and in dozens of depositions for plaintiff and defense. My work has covered criminal, civil, conservatorship, and immigration matters, with a particular focus on competency to stand trial, testamentary capacity, the psychiatric sequelae of accidents, and employment-related issues. I am credentialed to perform Penal Code section 1368 and 1369 evaluations through the Superior Court of California in San Francisco and Marin Counties, and I served as an expert reviewer for the Medical Board of California from 2010 to 2017 and again from 2019 to 2023.
Much of the forensic work I do is consultative rather than testifying. For more on practice areas and how an engagement begins, see the Forensic page.
A long engagement with the Department of Justice
Civil rights consent decrees in juvenile justice
For twelve years I prepared reports and provided testimony for the United States Department of Justice on civil rights consent decrees involving young people in custody. The work took me to Puerto Rico, Alabama, and Indiana, among other sites. Many of the youth carried multiple psychiatric diagnoses and faced serious charges, and the work required full Spanish-language competency. It is some of the most institutionally instructive work I have done.
Diplomatic service
Regional Medical Officer, U.S. Embassy Moscow
From 2017 to 2019 I served as a Regional Medical Officer, Psychiatrist at U.S. Embassy Moscow, with responsibility for 1,500 U.S. government personnel in Russia and 14 neighboring diplomatic missions in 11 countries. The work included member status on the Country Team, organizational behavioral health advice to Ambassadors and other Embassy leadership, and regular travel to address adult and pediatric emergencies in posts that often lacked other resources.
In 2019 I received the Superior Honor Award from the U.S. Department of State, in recognition of psychiatric and material assistance provided to the 60 diplomats and their families who were ordered to leave Russia on one week’s notice in spring 2018, and for ongoing care to that community after their departure.
Technology and AI
Two ventures, both rooted in clinical practice
I co-founded uMore, a mental health technology company, where I served as Chief Medical Officer and Director of Medicine and Psychiatry. The work involved developing and implementing a remote therapeutic monitoring and electronic health record system, building evidence-based psychiatric protocols, and engaging with reimbursement, compliance, and the practical realities of healthcare regulatory frameworks for technology-enabled services.
Separately, I designed Forenpsych, a secure application to assist in the preparation and evaluation of competency-to-stand-trial reports for Superior Court proceedings. I directed the team that built it, and the platform was engineered with stringent privacy and confidentiality protections from the beginning rather than added at the end. Forenpsych received judicial approval for a pilot program, although the pilot was not ultimately implemented due to administrative constraints. The experience of designing and shipping a forensic AI tool has informed much of how I think about healthcare AI governance today.
Law school
A second look at the systems that govern medicine
I am in my second year of law school at Cleveland State University College of Law, in the online Juris Doctor program, on track to graduate in September 2027. My academic focus is on the regulation of artificial intelligence in healthcare, including the interaction between HIPAA, evolving state privacy laws, and the practical realities of AI tools that handle patient information. I came back to school because I think clinicians belong in the conversation about how this technology is regulated, and because the questions are interesting on their own terms.
at Glance
Board certification
Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2003 to present
Subspecialty certification in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2004 to present
Licensure
California (1998 to present), Hawaii (2019 to present), Ohio (2019 to present)
Education
Cleveland State University College of Law, JD expected September 2027
University of California, San Francisco, internship and residency in General Adult Psychiatry (1997 to 2003); residency in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2001 to 2003)
University of Southern California School of Medicine, MD, 1997
Princeton University, AB cum laude, Anthropology, 1992
Diplomatic service
U.S. Department of State, Regional Medical Officer Psychiatrist, U.S. Embassy Moscow, 2017 to 2019
Superior Honor Award, 2019
Forensic
Forensic Expert/Alienist Panel, Superior Court of California, San Francisco and Marin Counties (2020 to 2025), credentialed for PC 1368 and 1369 evaluations
Expert reviewer, Medical Board of California (2010 to 2017, 2019 to 2023)
Long-term engagement, U.S. Department of Justice (juvenile justice consent decrees)
Languages
English; Spanish fluency, U.S. Department of State (2017)
Technology
Co-founder and former CMO, uMore (mental health technology)
Designer of Forenpsych (forensic psychiatry application with judicial pilot approval)
Full Resources & Site Disclaimer
General Purpose The resources and writing on this website are provided as a public informational service. Materials are drawn from sources Dr. Davies believes to be reputable at the time of publication. Inclusion of a resource does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or verification of any organization, treatment, provider, product, or service.
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Not a Forensic Opinion. Articles, essays, posts, presentations, and other materials on this website are general commentary. They are not forensic psychiatric opinions, expert witness reports, independent medical examinations, competency or fitness evaluations, or any other forensic work product. Forensic services are provided only under a written engagement and only after appropriate record review and, where indicated, examination.
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