Psychiatry Residency: Residents

Dr. Anu Bodla was born in India and raised in the SF Bay Area. After high school, she moved to Bangalore, India, to attend M.S. Ramaiah Medical College. Dr. Bodla has had a long-standing commitment to community service. During her time in India, she volunteered at a free clinic, where she realized that there is an increased need for psychiatric care in the community setting. After medical school, Dr. Bodla continued to explore her passion for mental health, traveling to Houston, Chicago, and New York to complete psychiatry externships. She also volunteered for the National Sexual Assault Hotline, which she plans to continue during residency. In her spare time, Dr. Bodla enjoys playing board games, hiking, traveling, spending quality time with her family and friends, and reading science fiction novels. Dr. Bodla is delighted to return to California to pursue her dream of becoming a psychiatrist. She looks forward to exploring Southern California during her four years at CMHS.

Dr. Alex Horwitz grew up in Napa, CA. He received his bachelor’s degree in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior from the University of California, Davis, before completing his master’s degree in Pharmacology at Tulane University. He remained in New Orleans with AmeriCorps, teaching students in a historically underserved school. Dr. Horwitz received his MD from the University of Queensland Ochsner Clinical School, studying for two years in Australia followed by two years in New Orleans at Ochsner Medical Center. He is excited to return to his native California to pursue his passion for community psychiatry. In his spare time, Alex loves to read fiction (and a little non-fiction, too), cook, and travel with his wife.

Dr. Nassi Navid was born and raised in Tehran, Iran into a loving, close-knit, and academic family. He entered the business world at an early age while studying diligently to get into the best medical school in the country, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. He graduated with both Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Public Heath (MPH) degrees in 2010. Afterwards, Dr. Navid worked for seven and a half years as a primary care physician, mostly in rural under-served areas of Iran, while simultaneously helping a few start-up companies in the healthcare industry to run flourishing businesses. He also obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Marketing in 2015, from Tehran University School of Entrepreneurship. In 2017, he was blessed with the opportunity to come to the United States and went on in the pursuit of his lifetime dream of becoming a psychiatrist. He volunteered for several months to do inpatient psychiatry externships in different cities in order to gain clinical experience in the United States. Dr. Navid also did research at the Mood and Anxiety Program at the University of Maryland, focusing on biological factors of suicidality and preventive measures of suicidal attempts. He is eager to serve the community of Ventura as the first entering class of residents of Psychiatry at CMHS. Outside of Medicine, Dr. Navid practices daily mindfulness, enjoys meditation after a long hike, playing the electric guitar, and is involved in the art of Persian calligraphy.

Dr. Justin Nguyen grew up in Ventura County and received his bachelor’s degree in psychobiology at UCLA, where he became involved in student activism and oversaw programs that promoted recruitment and retention of students of color in higher education. Dr. Nguyen later attended medical school at Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine while serving in many leadership roles in the California Physicians Alliance (CaPA), Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA), and California Medical Association (CMA). He then completed a transitional year residency in Ocala, Florida before joining the CMHS psychiatry residency program. Dr. Nguyen is excited to return to Ventura County, and is particularly interested in cultural psychiatry and transitional-age behavioral health. He enjoys reading about history, politics, psychology, and personality theory, and in his free time also watches anime, plays video games, listens to music, and visits breweries/wineries.

Dr. Jonathan Rapps was born and raised in New Jersey. After studying psychology in his undergraduate studies in Yeshiva University, and performing community outreach, it was clear to him that psychiatry was his calling. He did a post-baccalaureate pre-medical program in Rutgers University and subsequently studied medicine in Sackler School of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel. During his time in medical school, Dr. Rapps researched Panic Disorder, volunteered as psychiatry triage staff at fairs for refugees, and gave basketball lessons to local youth. Dr. Rapps looks forward to applying this same commitment to community during his psychiatry residency and his future career as a passionate psychiatrist. Outside of medicine, Dr. Rapps enjoys cooking, playing basketball and tennis, and now traveling throughout California with his wife.

Dr. Paul Zimmer hails from the great state of Wisconsin and grew up in the small town of Minocqua. He received his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biomolecular Science from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and subsequently attended medical school at the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Zimmer has a particular interest in specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry and plans to pursue and additional fellowship in Behavioral Neurology/Neuropsychiatry. Ultimately, it is his goal to work closely with patients on the Autism spectrum and their families to provide the multidisciplinary care and support that they deserve. When not in the clinic, Dr. Zimmer enjoys participating in as many outdoor activities as possible. Whether it is hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, snowboarding, watersports, or even yard work; as long as he is outside, you will always find him with a smile on his face.