Mark J. Mills, JD, MD

A prominent figure in psychiatry, Mark J. Mills, JD, MD has built an accomplished career spanning more than 45 years as a doctor and mental health specialist, an administrator, an educator across numerous institutions, a presenter, and a legal expert.  An independent forensic psychiatrist working out of his own practice since 1987, he examines the link between medicine and the law, specifically the biology of the brain in relation to the criminal justice system. He routinely juggles 60 cases at a time, which involves evaluating people, writing up these findings, and consulting with attorneys in complex matters raising a wide range of mental state issues, working to greatly assist the retaining party. Since 1985, Dr. Mills has been a board member of the Greater Los Angeles Partnership for the Homeless.

In addition to these responsibilities, Dr. Mills has established himself as an impactful educator at the college level, serving as a clinical and then an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at New York Medical College and St. Vincent’s Hospital between 1997 and 2010; a clinical professor at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University from 2002 to 2010; and a clinical professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine from 1997 to 2002. Prior to these roles, he was active as a member of the Stanford Medical School Alumni Reserve Group from 1985 to 2001; a clinical professor at the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine from 1987 to 1999; and the director of a program in psychiatry and the law at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA School of Medicine from 1984 to 1991. He served as chief of psychiatry service at West Los Angeles Veterans Administration from 1983 to 1987, a lecturer at Harvard Medical School from 1983 to 1986, an associate professor at UCLA School of Medicine from 1983 to 1985, and an instructor at Harvard Medical School from 1980 to 1981. He has been a walk-in supervisor, an executive director, and the co-director of a Program in Psychiatry and Law at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center and an assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Mills launched his career at Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center at 1977—excelling as the acting director and director of its Psychiatric Evaluation Unit for four years.

An accomplished author of published articles and papers, Dr. Mills has also found success as a presenter and panelist, leading discussions on “Cross-Cultural Issues in the Courts” at the Annual Conference of the National Association of Women Judges at Seton Hall University School of Law; on “Psychiatric Issues in Criminal Defense” at Brooklyn Law School; and on “Current Issues in the Insanity Defense” at the Miami Office of the Public Defender, among others. Over the course of his career, he has maintained strong ties to his industries as a member of the American Medical Association, Nevada Psychiatric Association, Washington Psychiatric Society, Medical Society of the District of Columbia, California Medical Association, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Legal Medicine, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, American Medical Association, and has been a Distinguished Lifetime Fellow at the American Psychiatric Association since 1976.

Attributing his success to luck, hard work, and intelligence, Dr. Mills has been proud of delivering quality mental health services to people and making a difference in their lives, and meeting and marrying his wife, Sandra. Looking ahead to the future, he hopes to still continue helping people through his profession.