Executive Council Bios
We invite you to meet the members of our Executive Council. Included are our Officers, Councilors, Representatives, Advisors, and our Executive Director. To meet our Society's Committee Chairs, please continue to the next page.
» Officers
Gemma Espejo, M.D.
President
Dr. Gemma Espejo earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and completed her psychiatry residency at Washington University in St. Louis, where she served as chief resident. She subsequently completed a public psychiatry fellowship at NYU and held academic and clinical leadership roles at Bellevue Hospital and Montefiore Medical Center before relocating to Orange County.
Dr. Espejo is currently an Assistant Professor at the UCI School of Medicine, where she remains involved in medical student and residency education. Her clinical work spans inpatient psychiatry, outpatient care, and a faculty practice serving a diverse patient population. Her professional interests include severe mental illness, psychopharmacology, medical education, and physician development. She is honored to serve as President of OCPS and values the opportunity to support and advocate for the local psychiatric community.
Daniel Cho, M.D.
President-Elect
Bio coming soon!
So Min Lim, M.D.
Secretary
Bio coming soon!
Ben Nguyen, M.D.
Treasurer
Ben Nguyen, MD earned his medical degree at the University of California, Irvine - School of Medicine. He went on to complete his residency training in psychiatry at the same institution, serving as chief resident during his final year of residency. Dr. Nguyen has been involved in OCPS since his first year of residency training. He has participated in the statewide Advocacy Day event in Sacramento, has been involved in the Government Affairs and IT Committee and now currently serves as Treasurer. He has a particular interest in public and community psychiatry.
Alexis Seegan, M.D.
Immediate Past President
Bio coming soon!
» Councilors
Committee Chair Bios
Dalia Balsamo, M.D.
Councilor
Dr. Dalia Balsamo was born in Turin, Italy, and raised in Paris, France. She is quadruple board certified in Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, and Addiction Medicine. She completed a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Cognitive Science and Neuroscience at the University of Virginia. She graduated from the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine with Areas of Concentration in Medical Humanities and Neuroscience. She completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Miami, her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center, and her forensic psychiatry at the Yale Law and Psychiatry Division. She hold a certificate in psychodynamic psychotherapy from the Florida Psychoanalytic institute. She is an alumna of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma.
Dr. Balsamo is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, Riverside. She mentors and supervises medical students, residents, and fellows. She previously served as the Associate Training Director for the UCR Psychiatry Residency Program and as a faculty advisor for the Medical Students for Immigrant Justice Interest Group. She is currently the TAY Outpatient Site Director for the UCR CAP Fellowship, and serves on the UCR SOM Clinical Appointments and Advancement Committee. She is also the Associate Medical Director for TAY, LGTBQ+, and Juvenile Justice at the Riverside University Health System, and serves as the Chair of the Medical Staff Well-Being Committee.
Dr. Balsamo has received the UCR CAP Fellowship Teacher of the Year Award and the UCR Psychiatry Residency Teaching Award. She is also a former recipient of the AACAP Psychodynamic Faculty Training and Mentorship Initiative. She is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. She has served on various professional committees at APA, AACAP, AAPL, and ASAM. She has published and has given numerous presentations on gender and sexuality, refugee care, juvenile justice, and physician well-being.
Robert Bota, M.D.
Councilor
As a psychiatrist, I have always focused on understanding the interplay between psychiatric illnesses and medical conditions and on developing innovative ways of addressing the whole spectrum of psychosomatic needs in patients with complex presentations by using my broad background in diagnosing and treating mental illness. Before my residency, I had designed and conducted neuro-imaging research at UCLA and USC focused on correlations between structural brain changes, depression and adiction. During my residency, I became interested in the interplay between medicine and psychiatry, especially the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric conditions in medically ill patients – who present unique challenges due to their multiple comorbidities and the high risk of drug interactions.
My professional path gives me a deep understanding of both academic and private psychiatric practices. Between 2014 and 2019, I was a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCI where I ran the medical psychiatry inpatient unit, developed the first UCI Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation clinic, and was involved in the teaching of medical students and residents. Though I decided last year to move into private practice, I also have committed to a part-time position with UC Riverside to continue my passion for resident training.
My efforts in private practice are focused on developing novel concepts for psychiatric care. My psychiatry group - BrainHealth Solutions (BrainHealth-Solutions.com), practices in a dedicated clinic in Costa Mesa, and offers Psychiatric Second Opinion Clinics as well as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation clinics for the three FDA indications- depression, OCD and Smoking Cessation. My translational research interests have flourished. As part of CITrials, I am the Principal Investigator for over 12 psychiatric clinical trials. I serve on the executive board of multiple insurance companies, I run the consultation liaison program for one hospital and have helped and supervised the opening neuromodulation clinics at three medical groups, amongst other activities.
I am pleased to serve OCPS as the President and look forward to the opportunity to serve our members as a voice for psychiatry on behalf of physicians and an advocate for increased awareness of mental health issues both locally and statewide. Improving our networking will improve our access to several important career development resources. Therefore, I would like to start the Networking Committee for our members, including residents, focused on creating opportunities and collecting information to support our members’ practices and career plans. In this committee and others, we ask that our members suggest activities beneficial for them or their colleagues, such as lectures on topics of interest, networking opportunities, and resources. As we look toward the future, mentoring residents and early career psychiatrists will help strengthen our organization for the benefit of both members and patients.
Roula Creighton, M.D.
Councilor
Dr. Roula Creighton was transplanted to Southern California at the age of eight and has called it home ever since. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of California Irvine, earned her medical degree from the UC San Diego School of Medicine and completed her psychiatry residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Following completion of her training, Dr. Creighton established her private practice in Irvine. She has served the community in a variety of clinical settings including emergency psychiatric consultation, inpatient care, rehabilitation facility support and now focuses primarily on outpatient care. Dr. Creighton’s outpatient practice, Irvine Psychiatry and TMS, recently relocated to a new office building on Von Karman Avenue. Her practice specializes in treatment-resistant mood and anxiety disorders. She is pleased to offer advanced treatment options for her patients, including Spravato and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.
Dr. Creighton has been a member of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the Orange County Psychiatric Society (OCPS) since 2008. She has served in multiple leadership roles within the OCPS Council since 2010. She has also been actively involved in the development of the state advocacy organization, California State Association of Psychiatrists (CSAP) and has served as a board member. She looks forward to continuing her service to OCPS during the 2026-28 term as a council member.
More information can be found on her website at www.irvinepsychiatry.com
Douglas G. Kahn, M.D.
Councilor
Co-Chair, Investment Committee
Douglas G. Kahn, M.D., D.L.F.A.P.A., graduated Tulane University cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1968. He received his M.D. from the University of Miami School of Medicine in 1972 and completed an internship in medicine and psychiatry there at Jackson Memorial Hospital in 1973. He graduated his psychiatry residency training at the Institute of Living in Hartford, Connecticut in 1976, serving as chief resident during his final year of residency, and was awarded a Falk Fellowship by the American Psychiatric Association during that year. Rare among psychiatry residency training programs, the Institute focused on long-term intensive psychoanalytic psychotherapy of patients, who came to live there for months and years at a time, and were seen three to five hour-long sessions per week in individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
After serving one year on the faculty of the Institute he moved to California where he established his private practice of psychiatry in 1977 in Huntington Beach, moving his office to Newport Beach in 1983 where he been in full-time private practice ever since.
Dr. Kahn has served as an elected member of the Council of the Orange County Psychiatric Society every two years since 1982, and is a past President of that Society (1986-88).
He trained with Habib Davanloo, M.D. in the technique of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy from 1988 to 1993, and was a founding member of the California Institute for Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (with Noel Drury, M.D., David Davis, M.D., and Gary Crouppen, Ph.D. in 1990). Dr. Kahn served on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Short-Term Psychotherapy from 6/90-6/95. He was a Member of the Board of the International Institute for Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy during that same period, and served as Vice-President of the International Institute for Teaching and Research in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy from 7/92 to 7/94.
Dr. Kahn is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, U.C.I. College of Medicine since 2001 (having begun there as an Assistant Clinical Professor in 1979). He teaches a weekly “case on videotape” psychotherapy seminar for the PGY3 (third year psychiatry) residents. He has been awarded “Teacher of the Year” five times since 1999 for that course.
Charles Nguyen, M.D.
Councilor
Bio coming soon!
Thomas Okamoto, M.D.
Councilor
Tom Okamoto, M.D. is a Board Certified Adult Psychiatrist in private practice. He was previously an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine as well as Medical Director of the Minirth-Meier Clinic West Adult and Adolescent inpatient and day treatment programs. He has participated in clinical research trials, trained medical students, psychiatric residents, physicians as well as church leaders and pastors.
He has served on various committees of the Southern California and Orange County Psychiatric Societies and various Southern California hospitals and has served on the Board of Directors for para-church organizations and counseling services. He currently serves on the OCPS Governmental Affairs/Public Affairs committee.
He has spoken and written for both scientific and general audiences on various topics in psychiatry, mental health and the Church.
He is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California School of Medicine in Irvine, and practices psychiatry in Santa Ana, California. He also enjoys a position as Adjunct Faculty of Talbot School of Theology's Institute of Spiritual Formation and Marriage and Family Therapy Programs. He is the former chair of the Psychiatry Section of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, a national physician organization, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Jonathan Serrato, M.D.
Councilor
Bio coming soon!
Nicolaas-John van Nieuwenhuysen, M.D.
Councilor
Bio coming soon!
» Representatives & Advisors
Carolyn Cookson, M.D.
Early Career Psychiatry Representative
Dr. Carolyn Cookson is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist currently practicing at UC Irvine. In her outpatient practice, she holds multiple roles, including providing direct patient care, serving as the Medical Director of the Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program, and supervising psychiatry residents and child and adolescent psychiatry fellows. Additionally, she is the Associate Program Director of the General Psychiatry Residency Program and the medical student Psychiatry Clerkship Director. Originally from Ohio, Dr. Cookson earned her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati. She completed her Psychiatry Residency at George Washington University and her Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at UC Irvine. Her clinical interests focus on substance use disorders and developmental disorders. Dr. Cookson is passionate about teaching, mentorship, and advocating for her peers at both the local and national levels. In addition to serving as the Early Career Psychiatrist Representative for OCPS, she is also a member of the Early Career Psychiatrist Committee of AACAP.
Vivien Chan, M.D., DFAACAP, DFAPA
APA Assembly Representative
Vivien Chan, M.D., DFAPA, DFAACAP(she series pronouns) is honored to represent our district branch at APA (American Psychiatric Association) Assembly. Her duties in this role are to represent our district branch nationally by attending governance meetings; reviewing action papers; collaborating within Assembly and with our elected OCPS Deputy Assembly Representative; notifying and soliciting feedback from OCPS Executive Committee and Council who also represent you, on these activities in the tradition of our past Assembly Representatives while bringing fresh perspective, representation, and advocacy to the Assembly.In her role as chair of the child and adolescent committee, as a longtime advocate in the field of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, she has collaborated locally, regionally with The Southern California Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (the representing American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry district branch), and nationally. In her role as Chair of the Orange County Child and Adolescent Committee, she has advocated continuously for Orange County to have a sustained presence, local forum, and representation regionally/nationally. She also originated the format for local MOC-specific Journal Club discussion and support to members.
As a proven and reliable leader locally and nationally, she understands psychiatric issues individually and organizationally. Her history of professional duties include academia/public sector (University of California Irvine and UCI Health, UC San Diego Health, UC Office of the President Health), Medicaid (county contracted agencies, Orange County Health Care Agency), as well as private practice, research (UCI Department of Pediatrics), publications, and teaching/education. She has a history of recognized service to OCPS. In OCPS, she has served on Council, Membership and Distinguished Fellow Committees (chairs), Asian American Issues Committee (sunset), Education Committee, and Executive Committee as past Treasurer. She has represented OCPS at the state level specific to Child & Adolescent psychiatry matters and regularly attempted coordination of these efforts with OCPS Government and Public Affairs committees (respectively). At APA, she has been a member of the College Mental Health Task force (sunset) and Disaster Response training. Her service has been recognized by being awarded distinguished fellowship at APA, and also at AACAP. She has presented regularly at AACAP's national annual meetings, and her many peer-reviewed publications, including her involvement of 3 subject matter expert books can be found at her UCI faculty profile. She has attained the rank of Professor (volunteer clinical track) with UCI's Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior based on her years of teaching, supervisory activities, and scholarly contributions.
Alvaro Alvarez, M.D.
Resident/Fellow Representative
Bio coming soon!
» Administration
Pam Reed Presnall
Executive Director
Pam Reed Presnall has been involved in Orange County’s social services community since 2003. She began her part-time position at OCPS in January 2022 and has been the Director of Development and Outreach at 2-1-1 Orange County since January 2021. Previous to being at 211OC, she worked for 8 years at the Mental Health Association of Orange County. A native of Southern California, she has a Bachelor’s Degree from Biola University where she studied counseling and political science. Her passions are social and economic justice, mental health, and ending homelessness. As a volunteer, she oversees operations of a twice weekly food pantry in Orange. Ms. Presnall is married with two adult daughters. She enjoys traveling and wine tasting.