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Elisa M. Rambo, M.D.

Certifications

  • American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) Certificate Number 58056 (2008 - present)

  • Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 2004 - 2022 

Physician Licensure

  • State of California License Number 042592 (2006 - present)

  • State of Connecticut License Number A94203 (2004 - 2006 and 2017 - present)

Education and Training

  • Internship and Residency Training (2002 - 2006)

Yale University Psychiatry Residency Training Program

New Haven, Connecticut, USA

  • Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (2003)

Intensive On-Site 5 Day Visitor's Training Program

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

  • Post-Graduate Medical Education (1998 - 2002)

Medical Doctor and Master of Surgery (M.D., C.M.)

McGill University Faculty of Medicine

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

  • Undergraduate Studies (1993 - 1997)

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Major in Philosophy, Graduated with Great Distinction​

McGill University Faculty of Arts

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Work Experience

Dr. Rambo is trained in a variety of mental health treatment approaches including:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Exposure Response Therapy (ERP)

  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

  • Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

  • Psychopharmacology (Treatment with Psychiatric Medications)

  • Group Therapy

Dr. Rambo has worked in many different treatment settings including:

  • Managed Care Outpatient Mental Health Clinics

  • Community Based Outpatient Mental Health Clinics

  • Yale University Outpatient Department of Mental Health and Counseling

  • Psychiatric Emergency Rooms

  • Inpatient Psychiatric and Medical/Surgical Hospital Wards

 

Specific Work Experience

  • Private Telepsychiatry Practice (2018 - present)

  • Telepsychiatrist (2015 - present)

Fresno County Behavioral Health Clinic

Fresno, California

  • Telepsychiatrist (2014)

Kaiser East Bay Department of Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic

Oakland, California

  • Kaiser East Bay Department of Psychiatry (2006 - 2014)

Psychiatrist, Senior Physician and Shareholder

Quality of Care Liaison for Kaiser East Bay and Greater Northern California Region

Continuing Medical Education (CME) Liaison and Lecturer

Professional Well-Being Committee Member (assessment/support for staff physicians with mental health concerns)

Background and Personal Life

Elisa Rambo is an American Psychiatrist.  She was born in New York City and raised in New Jersey.  She is the second of three siblings.  Dr. Rambo earned her Bachelor's Degree from the McGill University Faculty of Arts, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  She earned her Medical Degree from the McGill University Faculty of Medicine.  During her medical school years, one of her family members suffered a psychotic break which marked the beginning of a lifelong struggle with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness that affected her entire family.

 

Through these family experiences and her medical school education, Dr. Rambo was exposed to many of the complexities of mental health, and, many of the benefits and short-comings of mental health care.  She decided to pursue specialty residency training in Psychiatry at the Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

 

Following completion of her residency training, Dr. Rambo worked for 8 years at the Kaiser Medical Center Adult Services Outpatient Clinic in Oakland, California.  Dr. Rambo learned about large Health Management Organizations (HMOs) and observed differences between the practice of psychiatry in academia (at Yale) and the practice of psychiatry in a managed care setting (at Kaiser).  Each of these experiences influenced Dr. Rambo's current approach to the delivery of mental health care.  Dr. Rambo seeks to combine the high-quality, seamless provision of mental health care delivered to Yale students with the broad accessibility of care available to members of a managed health care organization.

 

During Dr. Rambo's years at Kaiser Permanente, she served on a multidisciplinary treatment team alongside of primary care and subspeciality doctors, nurses, psychotherapists, social workers, and trainees.  Dr. Rambo conducted diagnostic assessments and developed comprehensive treatment plans for addressing each patient's mental health concerns - the latter typically included talk therapy or psychopharmacologic treatment (treatment with psychiatric medications) or both.

 

Dr. Rambo also served as Quality Liaison (ensuring a high quality of care was provided to Kaiser members) and Continuing Medical Education (CME) Liaison (providing departmental and hospital-wide educational seminars on topics including: depression, peripartum mental health conditions, psychopharmacology, suicide risk assessment, and many more).

 

In 2014, Dr. Rambo began to provide psychiatric treatment via Telemedicine.  She is licensed to practice medicine in California and Connecticut.

 

Dr. Rambo is married and she has two sons.

Recommendation from a former patient (to a pregnant woman seeking a "Psychiatrist specialized in pregnancy"):

"If you are a Kaiser patient, I can recommend Elisa Rambo, a psychiatrist at Kaiser Oakland.  She does not necessarily specialize in pregnancy, but is very knowledgeable about depression and pregnancy.  Before getting pregnant, I spent an entire appointment with her going over the research on anti-depressants and pregnancy/breast-feeding (she had recently given a presentation on the topic and was incredibly well versed in the research). The information and guidance she provided at that point was instrumental in me making informed decisions about my mental health care during pregnancy, which for me meant continuing to take anti-depressant medication.  While pregnant, I worked with her to monitor my anti-depressant dosage and adjust as needed.  Work with a psychiatrist during your pregnancy to manage any medications for mental health issues; in my experience, OB-GYNs and nurse midwives do not know enough and are too quick to recommend going off necessary (and safe) medications.  

SSRI-taker through pregnancy/breastfeeding with happy and healthy toddler."

Click on this link and scroll down to the post titled "Psychiatrist specialized in pregnancy" if you would like to see the original review posted on the Berkeley Parents Network (BPN) website.

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