Our Team
Samuel P. Smith, MD — Psychiatrist
Samuel P. Smith, MD, is the Medical Director and Co-Program Director of I-HPS. He has practiced psychiatry since 1987. He earned his medical degree at the University of Ghana in 1976, pursued residency training in sports medicine in Rostock, Germany, and later trained in psychiatry at Charles Drew in Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Smith retired after almost 30 years with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and has maintained a private practice since 1990. His experience includes more than 20 years of work with residential programs, the Department of Child and Family Services, probation services, Regional Centers, and people with co-occurring developmental disabilities and mental illness.
H.R. Christopher O’Brien, PharmD, BCPP, APh
H.R. Christopher O’Brien, PharmD, BCPP, APh, is a Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist, an Advanced Practice Pharmacist, and the Program Developer and Co-Program Director of I-HPS. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of the Pacific. His work focuses on psychiatric medication management, measurement-based care, medication safety, and collaboration with the psychiatric care team.
His experience includes 22 years consulting with the Regional Center system, work with the Sonoma Developmental Center, seven years with the University of Southern California’s developmental and behavioral pediatrics and child and adolescent psychiatry programs, and 10 years working with psychiatric transitional facilities. He also served in the United States Navy as a corpsman during Operation Desert Storm.
