Meet the Team
Find your care
We provide targeted care for pediatric, adult and geriatric patients. Call 800-825-9989 or 310-825-9989 to learn more about our psychiatry services.
John Piacentini, Ph.D.
ABPP, Director
Dr. Piacentini is Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA School of Medicine and Director of the Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Clinic at the UCLA Semel Institute. In addition, he is Chief of Child Psychology for the Semel Institute Medical Psychology Program and Chair of the UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. His research, teaching and clinical work, focus on the development, evaluation, and implementation of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and other effective treatments, including medication, for children with OCD, other anxiety disorders, tic disorders and trichotillomania.
Erika Nurmi, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Faculty
Dr. Nurmi is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the David Geffen School of Medicine. She is the Medical Director of the UCLA Pediatric OCD Intensive Outpatient Program, faculty in the Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Clinic, and director of a molecular and computational genetics laboratory in the Semel Institute UCLA Semel Institute. Dr. Nurmi's research focuses on the genetic basis of obsessive-compulsive disorder and tic disorders, employing next generation molecular and computational approaches.
Emily Ricketts, Ph.D.
Research Faculty
Dr. Ricketts is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program within the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Her research interests center on sleep and circadian disturbance and intervention (i.e., behavior therapy, light therapy, novel and alternative therapies) in youth and adults with persistent tic disorders, body focused repetitive behavior disorders, and OCD.
Gil Hoftman, MD PhD
Research Faculty
Dr. Hoftman is a Clinical Instructor at the UCLA Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Division and faculty in the Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Clinic. In particular, he is passionate about understanding complex brain disorders like schizophrenia by using integrative, complementary approaches. His goal is to become an independent investigator leading an innovative and prolific research program studying the molecular mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia, with an emphasis on understanding the cell and circuit specific developmental trajectories of these key molecular components.