James C. West, MD

Dr. James C. West is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and a Scientist at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He earned his B.S.E. from the United States Naval Academy in 1989 and his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School in 2001. He served eight years as a submarine warfare officer in the Navy and completed residency training in psychiatry at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia. He has completed tours with First Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, California and National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. He deployed in 2006 to Fallujah, Iraq as Operational Stress Control and Readiness (OSCAR) psychiatrist for Regimental Combat Team 5 and in 2010 to Helmand Province, Afghanistan as Combat and Operational Stress Control Officer for Combat Logistics Regiment 15 (Fwd). He served on the leadership team integrating with Walter Reed Army Medical Center as Assistant Deputy Commander and Deputy Commander of Behavioral Health at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Dr. West is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and currently serves as assembly representative for the Society of Uniformed Services Psychiatrists. His professional interests include research into assessment methods in psychiatry education, and translating understanding of biological underpinnings of PTSD and trauma-related disorders into more effective treatments.