Dr. Wood is a pediatrician who has been in pediatric practice over 30 years in the San Diego area.  She is currently in solo practice consulting on patients with eating disorders.  She has served as the Medical Director for the residential eating disorder facility at Center for Discovery La Jolla since 2013.  As part of the American Academy of Pediatrics Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight Steering Committee, she was co-author of a Clinical Report published in September 2016 in Pediatrics, titled “Preventing Eating Disorders and Obesity in Adolescents.” She graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School and went on to Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles for her pediatric residency.  Married with a 29 year old son, who is a professional tennis player, a dog who loves to play ball and she and her husband play tennis, pickleball and do Pilates.

With more than 30 years of experience as a Psychiatrist, Dr. Sanders serves as the Medical Director for Casa Palmera. Dr. Sanders completed his Psychiatric Residency training at the University of California, San Diego and is Board Certified by the Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry since 1993. A native and resident of San Diego, he has been a practicing physician providing direct patient care in hospital and outpatient treatment settings. Doctor Sanders was honored as “Clinician of the Year for 2011″ at the 25th Annual Mental Health Recognition Dinner hosted by over twenty-five major Mental Health Care Organizations in Southern California.

Dr. Sanders has extensive experience as a Clinician and Administrator over the course of his career having served as Medical Director at Casa Palmera for the last 13 years, Medical Director at Alvarado Parkway Institute BHS for the last 7 years, and has served as Associate Medical Director (15 years) and Chief of Staff at two well- known San Diego hospitals, Aurora Hospital BHS and Alvarado Parkway Institute BHS. Dr. Sanders has been the Clinical Director of numerous hospital and outpatient-based treatment programs and has participated as a member of the Medical Executive Committee, the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, Clinical Directors Committees, Performance Improvement Committees, and Peer Review committees in various prestigious institutes and hospitals in California. He currently is an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, and in the past, served as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD.

Dr. Sanders holds a BS Degree in Zoology, and an MS Degree in Physiology from the University of California, Riverside. He obtained his Medical Degree from the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. Dr. Sanders served his Medical/Surgical Internship at Hillside Hospital in San Diego California and completed his Psychiatric Residency at The University of California, San Diego. He is a member of the American Osteopathic Organization and the American Osteopathic

Lara has been with Discovery Behavioral health since January of 2019 serving in multiple leadership positions. As a medical provider, Lara has provided leadership working both within substance use facilities as a Lead Medical Provider as well as throughout the division as a Medical Quality and Compliance Manager. As COO at PaRC, Lara utilizes this background to support the exceptional teams within the facility to provide the highest quality care for each patient. After graduating from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 2001 Lara has focused her career on providing exceptional care to medically underserved populations. With her background in internal medicine, she obtained additional training in psychiatry, HIV specialty care, and substance abuse treatment to bring a unique and holistic approach to care for each individual patient. When not at work Lara enjoys filling her day with volunteer work and international travel focusing on learning from diverse and varied cultures.

MIke Leath has been with Prevention & Recovery Center (PaRC) since 2004, starting as a staff physician, then later becoming the medical director. He has been with Discovery Behavioral Health since the transition in 2021. Prior to joining PaRC, he worked in family and ER medicine. He attended Texas A&M University, then graduated with a degree in pharmacy from the University of Houston College of Pharmacy. He attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, and did his residency in family medicine at Memorial Family Medicine in Houston, Texas. He is board certified in both family and addiction medicine. Dr. Leath has been sober since 2003 and uses his personal knowledge and passion of addiction and recovery to help his patients succeed as they begin their personal journey. In his spare time, Dr. Leath enjoys any and everything outdoors, especially hunting, fishing and spending time with his awesome family.

Irinel Chiriac M.D. is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, practicing in San Diego California. Originally from Romania, Dr. Chiriac earned her medical degree and a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” in Bucharest. Dr. Chiriac completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Chicago, where she also did her PhD studies in social psychology at the School of Social Service Administration. Dr. Chiriac is the owner of Discovery M.D. of California, and the Medical Director of the Neuropsychiatric Center, TMS and IOP services at Discovery Behavioral Healthcare in San Diego and attending psychiatrist at Casa Palmera Treatment Center in Del Mar, California. In addition to that, Dr. Chiriac is also the Medical Director of the Military Intensive Outpatient Trauma, Mood, Dual and Chemical Dependency Clinics at Aurora Behavioral Healthcare in San Diego, CA. A Board Member and owner of the Psychiatric Centers at San Diego until March of 2022, Dr. Chiriac also serves as Board member of the OPTUM Health Credentialing Committee for California. Dr. Chiriac founded the Military Program at Palomar Hospital in 2010, where she also functioned as the Medical Director of the Psychiatric Acute Unit. Prior to that, Dr. Chiriac was Medical Director at Boscobel Area Healthcare in Wisconsin, and the Chief Resident at the University of Chicago psychiatric program. Dr. Chiriac is certified as an Aviation Medical Examiner by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, is also certified SAMHSA provider for Buprenorphine prescription under DATA 2000 and is a certified TMS provider. Sharing her knowledge and experience is a priority for Dr. Chiriac, and previous teaching affiliations include the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. Currently, Dr. Chiriac is part of faculty in proctoring Nurse Practitioner students at the University of San Diego, National University, and Walden University. Dr. Chiriac, a big believer in integrative medicine, is passionate in providing the best care to her patients, promoting the best evidence based clinical practices, besides medication management, TMS, medically assisted addiction treatments, in a continuous activism for psychoeducation and eliminating stigma of mental illness. What makes Dr. Chiriac prouder than any of her own professional accomplishments are her two sons, David and Alex. David is a Senior at the Carey School of Business at ASU graduating with a triple major in Finance, Economics and Advanced Data Analysis and is a successful athlete. Alex is a freshman in High School and an athlete preparing for his first national competitions. Dr. Chiriac and her husband Tony, enjoy traveling, spending time with friends, family, and with their amazing Irish Setter, Lucky.