Mark Ragins grew up in Southern California.  He graduated from the California Institute of Technology and received his MD from Washington University in St. Louis.  After completing his residency in psychiatry at LA County-USC Hospital, he worked for several years in LAC-DMH public mental health clinics and at UCLA-Harbor General Hospital.  In 1990, he became staff psychiatrist and one of the founding members of the Village, Mental Health America-LA’s demonstration Integrated Service Agency program under AB3777 (the Wright-Bronzan-McCorquodale Act of 1988).  Here Dr. Ragins developed his philosophy and methods of recovery-oriented treatment, which has made him one of the leaders of the Recovery Movement, not only in Los Angeles County, but nationally and internationally.  He has lectured and consulted widely and his book, Road to Recovery, and many of his other writings are available on the MHA-LA website (www.mhala.org).  Dr. Ragins was the co-recipient of the American Psychiatric Association’s van Ameringen Award in 1995 for his outstanding contributions to the field of psychiatric rehabilitation and was named a Distinguished APA Fellow in 2006.

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