Dr. Bruce Bassi, MD, MS

Locations Served

Biomedical Engineering: Columbia University

Medical Education: University of Michigan Medical School

Residency: University of Florida (Psychiatry)

Fellowship: Northwestern University (Addiction Psychiatry)

Board Certifications: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, in General Psychiatry (#73829) & Addiction Psychiatry (#2685)

My name is Dr. Bruce Bassi and I am a psychiatrist who provides mental health treatment over the internet, which is known as telepsychiatry. You might be a bit hesitant about receiving treatment over the internet if you haven’t done it before, and that’s totally understandable.  If I can provide you any reassurance, most people end up finding they enjoy virtual visits more than going to an office. I enjoy doing telepsychiatry because it allows my patients to stay in the comfort of their own home, without having to drive anywhere, or take time off from work. Also I can reach patients who otherwise would not have had access to a psychiatrist, and multiple family members can join the sessions too. If you’re worried about privacy, you can be assured that the technology that is used is secure and complies with HIPAA requirements. Indeed, there are a lot of benefits to telepsychiatry, but one challenge that even I have experienced myself is that it is nearly impossible to choose a doctor because there is hardly any information about them other than a few reviews from a small set of that provider’s patients. That is why I wanted to give you this introduction for you to know a little about me, so you can feel more comfortable choosing me as your psychiatrist, hopefully!

I initially became interested in psychiatry when I was working as an engineer in a psychiatry research lab, studying the delivery of psychiatric treatment via electrical and magnetic brain stimulation (known as ECT and TMS). Since I approached the field from an engineering angle, I would describe my treatment philosophy as very biologically based and systematic. I believe that there is no perfect treatment for everybody, which is why I leave no stone unturned in learning what past treatments worked and didn’t work for you. I would say that what sets me apart is that my style is very thorough, yet relaxed and conversational. We might talk about your childhood and upbringing and see if it is relevant to your current issues. The treatment plan that you and I will develop, you will see, is very balanced in terms of medication options and talk therapy. I won’t recommend a medication unless I truly believe it would benefit you. I think what is most important is that you feel comfortable in your relationship with your psychiatrist, in being able to share your concerns and fears with him or her. Have hope that what you are feeling will get better. I really enjoy getting to know my patients and see them improve over time and have treated thousands of individuals with depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. I hope you check out some resources I have on this webpage, and if you’d like to see me, submit a request an appointment. I hope that I can help you live the life you want to live.

Areas of interest: Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning/Data Analytics, Clinical/Business Intelligence, Consumer Wearables/Devices/Apps, EHR/EMR, E-Prescribing, Medical Billing/Revenue Cycle/Scheduling, Mental/Behavioral Health/Substance Abuse Disorders, Privacy/Security, Telehealth/Virtual Care/Remote Patient Monitoring/Home Health, Virtual/Augmented Reality

1. TelepsychHealth – Private Practice Founder (July 2018 – Present)

   Addiction Psychiatrist – Deliver general psychiatric care to patients via secure online video.

2. Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation – Substance Treatment Facility (March 2020 – March 2021)

   Medical Director – Provided oversight and patient care to Chicago IL outpatient substance rehabilitation center.

3. Gateway Foundation – Substance Treatment Facility (December 2019 – May 2020)

   Addiction Psychiatrist – Utilized medication assisted treatment in a residential setting.

1. Bassi BD. Steering the Helm of PTSD Diagnosis and Treatment. American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal. 2017: 12(7); 9.
2. Ettensohn M, Soto Y, Bassi BD, Khurshid KA: Sleep Problems and Disorders in Patients with Depression. Psychiatric Annals. 2016: 46(7); 390-395.
3. Friel KM, Kuo HC, Fuller J, Ferre CL, Brandão M, Carmel JB, Bleyenheuft Y, Gowatsky JL, Stanford AD, Rowny SB, Luber B, Bassi BD, Murphy DL, Lisanby SH, Gordon AM: Skilled Bimanual Training Drives Motor Cortex Plasticity in Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. 2016: 30(9);834-844.
4. Bassi BD, Westin GG, Lisanby SH, Luber BL: Determination of motor threshold using visual observation overestimates transcranial magnetic stimulation dosage: Implications for safety. Clinical Neurophysiology. 2014: 125(1); 142-147.
5. Mantovani A, Rossi S, Bassi BD, Simpson HB, Fallon BA, Lisanby SH: Modulation of motor cortex excitability in obsessive-compulsive disorder: an exploratory study on the relations of neurophysiology measures with clinical outcome. Psychiatry Research. 2013: 210(3); 1026-1032.

Abstracts and Posters

1.     Bassi BD, Solomon L. Case report highlighting the importance of psychiatric evaluation prior to spinal cord stimulator implantation. American Psychiatry Association 171st Annual Meeting; 2018 May 5-9; New York, NY.

2.     Bassi BD, Downes E, Pinard K, Burns K, Ye Z, Proemsey J, Lotfallah J, Suryadevara U. Reducing Inpatient Seclusion and Restraint Orders with Intellectually Disabled Individuals [Abstract and Poster, 3rd Place]. University of Florida College of Medicine, 7th Annual Patient Safety and Quality Week; 2017 Mar 13-17; Gainesville, FL.

3.     Bassi BD, Downes E, Pinard K, Burns K, Ye Z, Proemsey J, Lotfallah J, Suryadevara U. Reducing Inpatient Seclusion and Restraint Orders with Intellectually Disabled Individuals [Abstract and Poster]. University of Florida Celebration of Research; 2017 Feb 27; Gainesville, FL.

4.     Bassi BD, Grayson J, Razafsha M, Camacho A. A Case of Prolonged Catatonia Lasting Over One Year [Poster]. American Psychiatry Association 170th Annual Meeting; 2017 May 20-24; San Diego, CA.

5.     Bassi BD, Hu S, Turner A, Welch S, Brown S, Suryadevara U. A Case Report: Diagnosing Frontotemporal Dementia while unraveling the mystery behind medical complications [Poster]. American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry 39th Annual Meeting; 2016 March 17-20; Washington, DC.

6.     Pinard K, Bassi BD, Hansen M, Burns B, Suryadevara U. Fall Prevention: Fall Risk Analysis in a Psychiatry Inpatient Setting [Poster]. University of Florida College of Medicine, 6th Annual Patient Safety and Quality Week; 2016 February 22; Gainesville, FL.

7.     Friel KM, Kuo HC, Bassi BD, Fuller J, Murphy DLK, Luber BL, Carmel JB, Gowatsky JL, Ferre CL, Stanford AD, Rowny SB, Lisanby SH, Gordon AM. Skill training is an important component of intensive bimanual training for maximizing functional skill performance and driving plasticity in motor cortex [Abstract].  67th Annual Meeting of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine; 2013 Oct 16-19; Milwaukee, WI.

8.     Friel KM, Kuo HC, Bassi BD, Murphy DLK, Luber BL, Carmel JB, Gowatsky JL, Ferre CL, Stanford AD, Rowny SB, Lisanby SH, Gordon AM. Motor cortex representations expand after bimanual training in children with hemiplegia [Abstract].  Fourth International Cerebral Palsy Conference.  2012 Oct 10-13; Pisa, Italy.

9.     Friel KM, Kuo HC, Bassi BD, Murphy DLK, Luber BL, Carmel JB, Gowatsky JL, Ferre CL, Stanford AD, Rowny SB, Lisanby SH, Gordon AM. Changes in the organization and excitability of the corticospinal system associated with intensive bimanual training in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy [Abstract]. 66th Annual Meeting of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. 2012 Sep 12-15; Toronto, ON.

10.   Friel KM, Kuo HC, Bassi BD, Murphy DLK, Luber BL, Carmel JB, Gowatsky JL, Stanford AD, Rowny SB, Schroeder CE, Gordon AM, Lisanby SH. Changes in the organization and excitability of the corticospinal system associated with intensive bimanual training in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy [Abstract and Poster]. Society for Neuroscience 41st Annual Meeting. 2011 Nov 12-16; Washington DC.

11.   Mantovani A, Bassi BD, Simpson HB, Fallon BA, Rossi S, Lisanby SH. Effect of Supplementary Motor Area Modulation on Motor Cortex Excitability in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Relations to Clinical Improvement [Poster]. Society of Biological Psychiatry 65th Annual Meeting; 2010 May 20-22; New Orleans, LA.

12.   Chen CM, Luber BL, Stanford AD, Bassi BD, Schroeder CE, Lisanby SH. Cross-frequency coupling analysis on scalp EEG in healthy individuals while performing a working memory task with active and sham 5 Hz repetitive TMS [Abstract]. Society for Neuroscience 39th Annual Meeting. 2009 Oct 17-21; Chicago, IL.

13.     Harm DL, Taylor LC, Bassi BD, Bloomberg J. Adaptive Responses in Eye-Hand Coordination following Exposure to a Virtual Environment as a Possible Space Flight Analog [Poster]. International Society for Gravitational Physiology 28th Annual Meeting; 2007 Apr 8-13; San Antonio, Texas.

1.     Hrisko S, Payne R, Dalal I, Bassi BD. “Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorders: Special Considerations in the Older Adults.” American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry 29th Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium; 2018 Dec 6; Bonita Springs, FL.

2.     Bassi BD, Welch S. “Digi…What? An Overview of Technology Advances for Dementia Care.” American Psychiatry Association 170th Annual Meeting; 2017 May 22; San Diego, CA.

3.     Suryadevara U, Bassi BD, Campbell C, Welch S. “Think Delirium: an Inter-professional Automated Assessment, Intervention, and Educational Program.” American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry 40th Annual Meeting; 2017 March 24-27; Dallas, TX.

4.     Bassi BD, Hu S, Turner A, Welch S, Suryadevara U.  “When you hear hoof beats, think horses and zebras: The importance of a wide differential in delirium/dementia cases.” American Psychiatry Association 169th Annual Meeting; 2016 May 14; Atlanta, GA.

Grants

1.     STEP5: Starting an Exercise Program on the Fifth Floor Psychiatric Ward, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN)-8 Innovation Grant, Department of Veteran Affairs, $12,200, 2016.

2.     Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship, American Parkinsons Disease Association, $4,000, 2011.

3.     Medical Student Summer Research Program, Multidisciplinary Clinical Researchers in Training Program (MCRiT), University of Michigan, $4,400, 2011.

Quality Improvement

1.     Fall Prevention: Fall Risk Reduction Intervention in an Inpatient Psychiatry Setting, 2018, Bassi BD (Group Leader), Nathani M, Flanagan B, Watnick J, Morrissey H, Knudson K, Putinta K, Suryadevara U.

2.     Multidisciplinary Panel on Reducing Falls on Inpatient Psychiatric Units, February 2017.

3.     Reducing Inpatient Emergency Treatment Orders for Intellectually Disabled Individuals, 2017, Bassi BD (Group Leader), Downes E, Burns K, Lotfolla J, Pinard K, Proemsey J, Ye Z, Suryadevara U.

4.     Psychiatry Representative of Root Cause Analysis Regarding Near Suicide, University of Florida, December 20, 2016.

5.     Fall Prevention: Fall Risk Analysis in a Psychiatry Inpatient Setting, 2016, Pinard K, Bassi BD, Hansen M, Burns B, Suryadevara U.

Teaching Experience

1.     Addiction as a Disease, Family Night Lecture at Hazelden Betty Ford, Chicago, IL (5/12/20, 7/14/20, 9/8/20, 11/17/20)

2.     CBT-I for Substance Use, Positive Sobriety Institute Partial Hospitalization Small Group, Chicago, IL (6/10/19)

3.     Substance Use and Its Effects on Sleep, Lunch and Learn Lecture, Positive Sobriety Institute, Chicago, IL (5/22/19)

4.     Cannabis Use Disorder Review, Psychiatry Fellow Lecture, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL (1/2/19)

5.     Telepsychiatry Webinar for Psychologists, TelepsychHealth, Chicago, IL (10/10/18)

6.     Addiction Psychiatry Review for the General Psychiatry Boards, Drug Dependence Treatment Clinic, Jesse Brown VA, Chicago, IL (9/14/18)

7.     Addiction Psychiatry Review for the General Psychiatry Boards, Psychiatry Fellow Lecture, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL (9/12/18)

8.     Buprenorphine for Pain, Multidisciplinary Conference, Jesse Brown VA, Chicago, IL (8/24/2018)

9.     Marijuana for Pain, Multidisciplinary Conference, Jesse Brown VA, Chicago, IL (8/17/2018)

10.   Opioid Induced Hyperalgesia, Multidisciplinary Conference, Jesse Brown VA, Chicago, IL (8/3/2018)

11.   Master’s Group Weekly Group Therapy, Department of Psychiatry, Jesse Brown VA, Chicago, IL (7/18/18, 7/25/18, 8/1/18, 8/8/18, 8/22/18, 8/29/18, 9/12/18)

12.   Noon Case Conference, Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (7/20/2015)

13.   Splinting Workshop, Department of Emergency Medicine, NY Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY (11/17/2014)

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