Physician, Listener, Autophile
A native of Oakland, California, Duane McWaine opened his psychiatric private practice in West Los Angeles in 1988, focusing on HIV/AIDS, mood disorders and addressing stigma in the Persian communities in Southern California and abroad. In addition to serving as medical director at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services and teaching in the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA Medical School, he served two governors on California’s Council on Mentally Ill Offenders, pursuing ongoing interests in stigma reduction, the severely mentally ill and the intersection between the mental health and criminal justice systems. After spending four years in New Zealand and Samoa while his spouse, David Huebner, served as U.S. ambassador, McWaine returned to California, serving as medical director for Medi-Cal Behavioral Health at Anthem and working with colleagues in physical health and provider communities to develop initiatives and build teams focused on physical health/behavioral health integration; substance use disorder treatment in the primary care setting; and updating and affirming services for transgender members. Currently, McWaine provides consultation services to health plans, medical start-ups, pain management and transgender providers, and the pharmaceutical industry while caring for patients in acute psychiatric inpatient settings around the state.