Psychiatry and Addiction - Medical Staff
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For more information on psychiatry and addiction medicine, make an appointment or talk with our care coordinator by calling (805) 569-8339
Paul Erickson, MD, Medical Director
Dr. Paul Erickson is Medical Director and Chair of Psychiatry and Chemical Dependency Services at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. He is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. He is Board Certified in both Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine.
Dr. Erickson attended Yale University undergraduate, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and completed his psychiatry residency at the Cambridge Hospital Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Prior to moving to Santa Barbara in 2002 he was Acting Chief and Director of Clinical Services at the Cambridge Hospital Harvard Department of Psychiatry, where he worked for 20 years. He is in practice in hospital and outpatient psychiatry at Cottage Hospital loves teaching residents and medical students.
He is married to Dr. Pamela Reeves and they have four grown children. He enjoys his family, tennis, and traveling.
Adam Awerbuch, MD, MBA
Adam Awerbuch, MD, MBA is a psychiatrist with particular focus in Addiction Medicine and treating those with serious mental illness (SMI). He was born and raised outside of Detroit, MI, and he earned his Bachelor's degree in Near Eastern Studies with a focus on the history of religions from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he received the Nathan D. Metzger Award for writing.
Dr. Awerbuch attended medical school at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, FL, earning a dual MD/MBA degree, with the business degree concentrated in Healthcare Administration. He completed his psychiatric residency training at the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL. During his residency, he worked closely with substance use and HIV-positive patients, treated those suffering with serious mental illness, and researched interventions to assist victims of human trafficking.
Dr. Awerbuch is new to Santa Barbara, and he is excited to serve the community while working at Cottage Hospital in the inpatient setting. Outside of medicine he is interested in music, sports, and travel.
Dustin Sanchez, MD
Dr. Dustin Sanchez is Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at USC Keck School of Medicine. He is board certified in both general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. Dr. Sanchez received his undergraduate degree in Human Biology from Stanford University and attended medical school at USC Keck School of Medicine. He returned to Stanford University for residency and fellowship training and went on to complete a visiting fellowship in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at Duke University Medical Center.
At Cottage Hospital, Dr. Sanchez provides patient care on the inpatient and consultation-liaison services and directs the consultation-liaison rotation for the Community Memorial Healthcare psychiatry residency program. He serves on the Medical Advisory Panel and is Chair of the Medical Staff Well-Being Committee. His clinical interests include mood disorders across the lifespan, psychotherapy, interventional psychiatry (TMS and ECT), and novel treatments in psychiatry including psychedelic psychotherapies. He has been involved in global mental health projects including development of trauma-focused therapies in Uganda and Zimbabwe. In addition to his hospital work, Dr. Sanchez sees children, adolescents. and adults in his outpatient practice.
Dr. Sanchez enjoys being outdoors and in the water, spending time with his family, and advancing his cooking skills. He is always looking for a travel adventure.
Chase Warren, MD
Chase Warren, MD is a Psychiatrist specializing in Emergency Mental Health, also focusing on Medical-unit Psychiatric Consultation and Addiction Medicine. A UCSB undergraduate alumnus, he graduated from medical school at UC Irvine with a distinction in medical humanities, and completed his psychiatric residency training at Stanford University, where he co-taught an undergraduate class on the intersections of Art and Mental Health.
He is adjunct clinical faculty at USC Keck Medical School, a guest lecturer for UCSB’s Medical Humanities course, and received a 2020 CalHealth Cares Award for his Psychiatric Emergency Department work with underserved and underinsured populations in Santa Barbara County.
