weblog: http://www.njgalarza.blogspot.com
Personal attributes
Resilience under stressful conditions, practical intelligence,
ability to see beyond the moment, organized, efficient worker, well-liked by
supervisees, bilingual, adept at applying new computer technology to the
clinical tasks at hand. Still in good physical and mental health.
Professional Experience
1978-1981 Director, Dorchester Unit, Eastern
Shore Hospital Center, Cambridge, Maryland 1981-1985
Chief Outpatient Section, Psychiatry Service, San Juan VA Medical Center, Puerto
Rico
1981-2000 Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, UPR School of Medicine
1984-1993 Chairperson, Quality Assurance Committee, San Juan VA Medical
Center
1985-1999 Associate Professor, Puerto Rico Institute of Psychiatry
1986-1990 Chief Psychiatric Interventions Center, San Juan VAMC
1989-1992 Psychiatric Consultant, Legal Services of Puerto Rico
1990-1991 President, Puerto Rico Association of Quality Assurance
Professionals
1997-2010 Webmaster, Internet site of the Puerto Rico
Psychiatric Society
1990-1992 President, Parent-Teacher-Student
Association, Antilles High School, Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico
1990-1993
Chief Psychiatric Outreach Program, San Juan VAMC
1991-1993 Book Reviewer:
Readings, Journal of the American Orthopsychiatric Association
1993
Assistant Secretary for Mental Health, Department of Health,, Gov of Puerto Rico
1993-1994 First Administrator, Mental Health and Anti Addiction Services
Administration, Government of Puerto Rico
1994-1999 Coordinator,
Alcohol/Nicotine Dependence Clinic, San Juan VA Medical Center
1996-1998
Member, Board of Directors, Puerto Rico Alliance for the Mentally Ill
1995-1999 Coordinator, Smoking Cessation Clinic, San Juan VA Medical
Center
1996-1998 President-elect, Puerto Rico Psychiatric Society
1998-2000 President, Puerto Rico Psychiatric Society
2000-2002
Puerto Rico Psychiatric Society's Representative to the ………………Assembly of the
American Psychiatric Association
2001-2007 Content author, Mental Health
Psychiatry Page", Department of Veterans Affairs' ……………… intranet
2001-2005 Member, Editorial Board, Revista Latinoamericana de Psiquiatría
2002 - Associate Professor, Psychiatry Department, Ponce School of
Medicine
2002-2003 US Consumers Research Council: “One of the top
psychiatrists in America”.
2004- Provider, Medical Consulting Network,
Seatte Washington
2005-2007 President, Puerto Rico Psychiatric Society
2005-2009 Vice President, Academia de Psiquiatrìa de Puerto Rico
2006-2008 Secretary, Psychiatry Chapter, PR College of Physicians and
Surgeons Vice President, Consejo de Disciplinas Médicas, PR College of
Physicians and Surgeons
2007-2009 President, Puerto Rico Psychiatric
Society (third tenure)
2007- 2020 Local Recovery Coordinator for Mental
Health, Veterans Caribbean Healthcare System
2007-2008 Sentinel Reader for
Evidence-Based Medicine, BMJ Publishing Group and McMaster University's Health
Information Research Unit
2008-2010 Vice President, Puerto Rico College of
Physicians and Surgeons
2008 – 2020 Compensation and pension evaluations
April 2010 Secretary, Psychiatry Chapter, Puerto Rico College of
Physicians and Surgeons
June 2011 Secretary, Puerto Rico Psychiatric
Society, a District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association March
2012 President, Psychiatry Chapter, Colegio de Medicos Cirujanos de Puerto
Rico August
2012 Alternate Senator, Distrito de San Juan del Colegio de Medicos Cirujanos de
Puerto Rico August
2012 Member, Comité de Nominaciones y elecciones,
Colegio de Medicos Cirujanos de Puerto Rico
2020 Retired from the
Department of Veterans Affairs on 1 February. July 2020
Contract with
Veterans Evaluation Services, Houston, Texas for virtual compensation
evaluations during the Pandemia.
Accreditation
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology 1978 (grandfather
clause)
American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review
Physicians 1987
Recertified, ABQAURP 2000
Professional Membership
American Psychiatric Association
Puerto Rico Psychiatric Society
PR College of Physicians and Surgeons
American Medical Association
Community Activities
1989 President, Parent Teacher Student
Association, Antilles High School, Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico
2000-2004
Member, Puerto Rico Genealogical Society
Education
1964-1968 Catholic University of Puerto Rico
1968-1972
University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine
1972-1973 University District Hospital, Internship
1973-1975 Puerto Rico
Institute of Psychiatry, Hato Rey, PR
1975-1976 The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, Towson, Md
Awards and Recognitions
2008 Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association
2009 Eugenio Maria de Hostos Award by the Puerto Rico Chapter of the
American Psychiatric Association
May 2009 Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association
Many performance awards at the VA Caribbean Healthcare system
Personal Interests
The use of the internet for general and specific
learning,
weblog publishing.
Telepsychiatry.
Easy listening music, video movies,
pet care,
building our family tree, writing my autobiography.
Publications
Galarza, Nestor, and Nelson Hendler, Philippe Chanel:
What are the positive and negative aspects of Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Examination? The Maryland Psychiatrist, December, 1978, Vol. 5, No. 6, 1-3.
Galarza, Nestor J. What Services are needed for Children whose Parents are
Psychiatrically Hospitalized? The Maryland Psychiatrist, December, 1980, Vol. 7,
No. 5, 5-6.
Psychological Observations at the Civil commitment Hearing
Process in a Mental Hospital, The Maryland Psychiatrist, Maryland Psychiatric
Society, 1979.
Exploratory Study of the Experience of VA Psychiatrists
with Mentally Ill Colleagues, Newsletter, Mental Health, VA System, Summer 1982.
An integrated Treatment Plan for a VA Psychiatry Service, Newsletter, Mental
Health, VA System, summer 1983.
Joe and Linda or the Interaction of Compensation and Treatment in VA Psychiatry,
Newsletter, VA System, Mental Health, Vol 4, No. 1, Summer 1984.
The interaction of Compensation and Treatment in VA Psychiatry Service, VA
Practitioner Vol. 1 No. 10, October 1984.
La intimidación y su manejo,
Medico Interamericano, diciembre de 1985.
Nestor J Galarza e Ileana Díaz Gumá, Necesidades del Programa de Salud Mental de
Puerto Rico, Médico Interamericano, año 5 no. 9, septiembre 1986
Sobre la
Garantía de Calidad en el Hospital de Veteranos de Puerto Rico, Boletín de la
Asociación de Profesionales en Garantía de Calidad en Salud de Puerto Rico,
Junio 1987.
La terminomanía y la soberbia programática, Boletín de la Asociación de
Profesionales en Garantía de Calidad de Puerto Rico, Septiembre de 1987.
On the Psychotherapy of a patient with AIDS, The San Juan Star, January 4,
1988.
Los mitos sobre el SIDA. Entérese, Febrero 1989.
Conceptos Básicos en
Garantía de Calidad, Revista Farmacéutica, Junio 1989.
Quality Assurance in Hospitals, The San Juan Star, June 10, 1989.
La evaluación del intento suicida: Como evitar el falso negativo. Boletín de la
Asociación Médica de Puerto Rico, Noviembre 1989.
Drugs, Hospitals and a Quality Assurance Answer. Journal of Quality Assurance,
Deerfield, Illinois, October to November 1989.
Three virtues to guide us in caring(letter), The San Juan Star, March 22, 1990.
Single Session Therapy by Moshe Talmon, Book Review for Readings, a Journal of
the American Orthopsychiatric Association, Ernest Herman, Editor, New York, New
York, June 1990
La optimización de los Servicios de Salud. Revista del
Consejo Renal de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico.
Effective Psychotherapy for patient and Therapist by Jules Meisler, Book Review,
in Readings, a Journal of the American Orthopsychiatric Association, Ernest
Herman, Editor, New York, New York, June 1992.
The Homeless Mentally Ill in Puerto Rico: A Psychiatric Perspective, Revista
Psiquiátrica de la Sociedad Psiquiátrica de Puerto Rico, marzo de 1995.
Galarza, Nestor J. designer Website of the Puerto Rico Psychiatric Society,
1997.
Quality of Mental Health in Puerto Rico, presentation of the Puerto Rico
Psychiatric Society
Chairperson, Annual Meeting of the APA, Washington,
D.C., Monday, May 17, 1999. Source: Proceedings and Recommendations from the
Quality of Mental Health Care in Puerto Rico Invitational Summit Conference
authors: Nestor J. Galarza, MD, Lloyd I. Sederer, MD, Eric Lister, MD April 17,
1998 San Juan, Puerto Rico
Aspectos importantes de la nueva Ley de Salud Mental de Puerto Rico, Revista
Latinoamericana de Psiquiatría, ILADIBA, marzo de 2001.
La evaluación del intento suicida: Como evitar el falso negativo. ILADIBA,
August 2001.
Research
Galarza NJ, Ramirez DD, Guzman F, Caballero JA, Martinez
AJ. The use of naltrexone to treat ambulatory patients with alcohol dependence.
Boletin Asociacion Medica de Puerto Rico 1997; 89:157-60.
Acevedo,
Alejandro, Luis Franco, Nestor J Galarza Diaz. The Practice of Psychotherapy in
Puerto Rico: the provider’s perspective, Presented at the Annual Meeting of the
American Psychiatric Association, New York in 2014.
Lectures, Presentations and Seminars
Conceptos básicos en Garantía
de Calidad, Recinto de Ciencias Médicas, Escuela de Medicina de la Universidad
de Puerto Rico 1986-1990.
Alcohol: neurobiología y genética, diagnóstico y tratamiento, MEPSI Center, 7
junio 1997 3..
Mitos para psiquiatras solamente, APA Annual Meeting, May 1999,
Renaissance Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Modelo cognitivo conductual del
tratamiento de veteranos con alcoholismo, 2 de septiembre del 1999.
Mitos de
la Psiquiatría, 7 de abril de 1999.
La adicción a la nicotina, el problema, 5
de marzo del 1999.
Sobre la Ley de Salud Mental de Puerto Rico. The Puerto
Rico Mental Health Law, enero 10, On alcoholism 2001
La adicción a la
nicotina, tratamiento. 4 de febrero 2002.
Consecuencias sociales del maltrato
de menores. Sicopatología como consecuencia. Panelista. Colegio de Abogados de
Puerto Rico, 30de abril 2002.
Fumar o no fumar, versión corta para
televisión, Canal 40, 11 de febrero del 2002.
Management of the Dual Bipolar
patient, 10 septiembre 2005, durante II Convención Anual de APRIP Hotel
Conquistador, Fajardo, Puerto Rico
FEMA Federal Effective Management of
Alcoholism, 11 noviembre 2005, durante la Convención de Psiquiatría de Puerto
Rico, Embassy Suites, Dorado, Puerto Rico..
Identificación y manejo de
riesgo suicida. Expo Salud 2006, Centro de Convenciones, Colegio Médicos
Cirujanos, 23 de septiembre del 2006
Las Esquizofrenias, Expo Salud 2006,
Centro de Convenciones, 23 de septiembre del 2006
Use of humor in
psychotherapy for alcoholism, Convención de Psiquiatría de Puerto Rico 2006,
Noviembre 16-19, 2006
Ethical Implications of mental health patient
empowerment. Presentación en el sistema de salud del Caribe para veteranos.
Diciembre 2007.
Dissemination of mental health recovery concepts among
physicians. Presentation Local Recovery Coordinators Meeting, Dallas, 5 de
febrero del 2008.
Cernimiento, evaluacion y tratamiento de la persona con
alcoholismo, Puerto Rico College of Physicians, 2008
Basic concepts in
psychiatric emergencies, Annual Meeting, Puerto Rico College of Physicians, 2009
Identificación y manejo de la persona con alcoholismo. Mega Congreso
Asociación Egresados Instituto de Psiquiatría de Puerto Rico. sept. 2009
Mutual relevance of mental health recovery services and suicide prevention
strategies, VA Caribbean Healthcare System, June 2010
Como puede ser
domestica la violencia, Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Bayamon, 13
de mayo del 2019, con Lcda Ileana M. Diaz Guma
Recovery Implementation Plan
for Veterans with Mental Disorders, nov 25, 2008
La salud y la moral,
Simposio en la Univerfsidad Central de Bayamon, 28 octubre 2011.
Principles
of Mental Health Recovery: Workshop for US Probation Officers, June 2013
Training psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and psychiatric nursing
personnel in the use the Computerized Patient Record System and the Mental
Health Suite recovery plan .
Department of Veterans Affairs Courses on
compensation and pension Compensation and Pension Examination (CPEP) General
Certification Course, VA employees Education System –
March 6, 2008 CPEP Initial
PTSD Examination –
March 11, 2008 CPEP Review Examination for Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) –
March 11, 2008 Professional
Activities since retiring
from the Department of Veterans Affairs in February 2020.
July 2020 Tele
Psychiatry for the Veterans Evaluation Services since July 2020.
September 2020
Certificate on COVID Contact Tracing from Johns Hopkins University
December 2020
Virtual Convention of the Puerto Rico College of Physicians and Surgeons
January
13, 2021 Certificate from the American Board of Telemedicine
