Richard P. Brown, MD

Dr. Richard Brown is an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons where he obtained his medical degree 1977. He completed Psychiatry Residency and a fellowship in Psychobiology and Psychopharmacology at New York Hospital, Cornell University Medical College. The recipient of numerous awards, he has authored over 100 scientific articles, books, and book chapters on pharmacological treatments, clinical studies, and complementary and integrative treatments in psychiatry.

A strong interest in natural treatments developed long before medical school. Gathering medicinal mushrooms with his grandfather in the hills of Kentucky, was an introduction to the healing power of plants. Summer visits to Indian reservations in Wyoming opened a world of traditional treatments. Learning martial arts from master teachers who routinely healed injuries in the course of practice demonstrated the power of ki, the human hands, and physical exercise. Intense breathing practices and physical and mental discipline are fundamental to martial arts. As an adult, training in Yoga and Qigong brought further physical, mental, and spiritual development. All of these sources, traditional healing and conventional medical training, contribute to Dr. Brown’s understanding and his practice of medicine.