Psychiatry Residency · Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship
Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist
Clinical care grounded in community, culture, and human connection.
Richard D. Ha, DO is a board-certified psychiatrist, educator, and community mental health leader whose work spans youth and family care, physician education, Asian American mental health, professional leadership, and public-facing advocacy.
Dual board-certified
Psychiatry · Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
AACAP leadership
Asian American Caucus Co-Chair
Ventura County
Youth & Family Lead Psychiatrist
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Community Mental Health
Medical Education
Asian American Mental Health
Youth & Family Advocacy
About
Psychiatry with a wider lens.
Dr. Ha is a child and adolescent psychiatrist serving youth and families in Ventura County, California. He is the Youth and Family Lead Psychiatrist at Ventura County Behavioral Health and a core faculty member in the Community Memorial Hospital psychiatry residency program.
He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2013, completed psychiatry residency at Virginia Tech Carilion Clinic in 2016, and completed fellowship training in child and adolescent psychiatry there in 2018.
His professional interests include culturally responsive mental health care, reducing stigma, strengthening communication between adolescents and families, mentoring the next generation of physicians, and translating psychiatric knowledge into practical tools for communities.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, 2013
Leadership & education
Building systems, mentoring people.
Dr. Ha’s work extends beyond the clinic into professional leadership, teaching, mentorship, and community-facing mental health education.
AACAP Asian American Caucus
Co-Chair of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Asian American Caucus, supporting representation, mentorship, professional community, and culturally informed child mental health.
Community psychiatry
Youth and Family Lead Psychiatrist at Ventura County Behavioral Health, with a focus on accessible public-sector care for children, adolescents, and families.
Physician education
Core faculty for the Community Memorial Hospital psychiatry residency program and an active mentor to students and trainees interested in psychiatry, advocacy, and community engagement.
Asian American mental health
Engaged in professional and community efforts addressing stigma, cultural context, mentorship, and access to mental health care in Asian American communities.
Scholarship & writing
Selected work.
Research, professional writing, presentations, and public education across child psychiatry, culture, quality improvement, physician training, and mental health stigma.
Independent writing
Essays and reflections on Substack
Read Dr. Ha’s public-facing writing and reflections beyond the academic literature.
JAACAP Connect · 2025
Measurement of Satisfaction with Stanford CHIPAO in a Virtual Format
AACAP News · 2023
Namaste! Psychiatry Residency Training is Medical Training Too!
Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders · 2017
Autoerotic Asphyxiation: A Case Report
American Journal of Medical Quality · 2018
Teaching the Concepts of Quality Improvement for Challenging Patient Populations
AACAP Annual Meeting · 2024
Asian American Satisfaction with the Stanford CHIPAO Program in a Virtual Format
American Psychiatric Association · 2026
10 Years of Stanford CHIPAO: Theatrical Vignettes and Mental Health Stigma in Asian Communities
Community
Making mental health conversations easier to start.
Through AACAP leadership, teaching, public-sector psychiatry, and community engagement, Dr. Ha has focused on reducing stigma and creating spaces where young people, families, and physicians can talk more openly about mental health.
His scholarship has also included collaborative work evaluating community education programs for Asian American families. Across these settings, his work emphasizes connection between clinical expertise, culture, communication, and practical community needs.
Contact
Speaking, teaching, research, or community collaboration.
For professional inquiries related to child and adolescent psychiatry, education, advocacy, or community mental health initiatives, connect with Dr. Ha on LinkedIn.