Dr. Burstein is a board certified psychiatrist with over 25 years of experience. He strives to combine his extensive experience with his passion to stay at the forefront of emerging medical information. His professional activities include clinical services, forensics, and teaching. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Dr. Burstein has served as an expert witness for both the plaintiff
and defense. He has worked on cases involving:
- Standard of care, psychiatrists, psychiatric hospitals, clinics
- Assessing psychiatric/emotional damage
- Competency evaluations in context of medical/neurologic/cognitive disorders
- Consultation/formulation of cases involving substance abuse, unclear
or multiple diagnoses
- Cases where vivid explanations to a jury may be required to explain
the emotional issues
Background
Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:A: Dr. Burstein attended Johns Hopkins University from 1968-72 and graduated with a B.A. He went to medical school in Detroit, Michigan, at Wayne State University, and was elected to the Aesculapian Society for his contribution to medical teaching. After completing medical school he moved to Boston, Massachusetts to further his training at Massachusetts Mental Health Center, the major psychiatric training center at Harvard’s Longwood Medical Campus. He became the chief resident in psychopharmacology. During his four years there he had the good fortune to study under Drs. Richard Shader, Joseph Schildkraut, Tom Gutheil, Leston Havens, Carl Salzman, and Norm Geschwind. He held a faculty position at Harvard Medical School, Tufts Medical School and Arizona State University. He is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at Midwestern Medical School. He has received a "Teacher of the Year award" for his work with Geriatric Fellows.
After residency he began private practice in the greater Boston area, and has been in clinical practice since 1980. He founded the consultation psychopharmacology department at Tufts New England Medical Center. Then he spent 6 years treating hundreds of psychiatric and dual diagnosis patients at Hampstead Hospital.
In 1992 Dr. Burstein moved to the Phoenix, Arizona area to become the Medical Director at St. Lukes Behavioral Health Center, a private 100+ bed psychiatric hospital for children, adolescents and adults with psychiatric and/or substance abuse disorders. He served in this position for ten years, and then became the Medical Director of Senior Horizons, a psychiatric hospital for geriatric patients in Scottsdale, Arizona. He has been the Medical Director of Arizona Biodyne (the managed care company for Arizona Blue Cross/Blue Shield) for the past 15 years.
Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
A: Dr. Burstein is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Midwestern
Medical College. Previous teaching positions have included Harvard
and Tufts Medical Schools. He has taught medical students, residents,
fellows, nurses, therapists, and public lectures. He is comfortable
teaching groups of all sizes. He has taught on all aspects of
psychiatric diagnosis and treatments. He regularly teaches in local,
regional and national meetings. He has been recognized and awarded
for his teaching.
Dr. Burstein has been a public speaker since 1981. He is sought after to teach and entertains audience on a wide variety of psychiatric subjects. His style is energetic and highly interactive with the audience. Frequently this includes PowerPoint with embedded multi media presentations.
Dr. Burstein has lectured to groups of 3 to 500 people. He presents to doctors, other health care providers, and the public. He is available locally or nationally and is consistently recognized as a credible and information speaker.
He also has been seen on local television as a guest commentator, and has been interviewed in numerous newspaper articles.
Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
A: Dr. Burstein does a limited amount of forensic psychiatry. He serves as a Standard of Care expert for psychiatrists and psychiatric facilities. He has a reputation of describing the emotional impact of different traumas, and making them vivid to judges and juries. Attorneys also appreciate his ability to sort through complex medical/psychiatric/substance abuse and emotional factors to help formulate legal cases.
Dr. Burstein has years of experience assessing questions of competency, especially in elderly people who experience cognitive and psychiatric difficulties.
He also performs employee evaluations for fitness and safety.
Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
A: -Legal & Expert Witness
-Public Speaking
-Independent Medical Examination
-Evaluating Fitness for Duty
Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
A: -$350 per hour
Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
A: -$350 per hour
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
A: - Per 1/2 day, includes travel time (minimum charge is 1/2 day, or 4 hours). Minimum $2,000.
- Schedule changes or cancellations must be completed one week prior to scheduled date.
- All travel costs must be reimbursed in advance.
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
A: -Per 1/2 day, includes travel time (minimum charge is 1/2 day, or 4 hours). Minimum $2,000.
-Schedule changes or cancellations must be completed one week prior to scheduled date.
-All travel costs must be reimbursed in advance.
Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
A: -Minimum initial retainer -- $2,500.
-Independent Medical Examiniation/Fitness for Duty -- $750. (Include maximum of 1/2 inch of medical records.)
-All travel costs must be reimbursed in advance.
