Writings, Press, and Public Speaking
Writings and Press
I believe in the maxim “You can have it all, you just can’t have it all at once.” Or in my case, perhaps a modified maxim would be more apropos - “You can try to have it all, just don’t try to have it all at once – you’ll be miserable.”
My first officially published article was a technical research paper in graduate school at Caltech.
Strassberg, A. and L. DeFelice. 1992. “Effects of Single Channel Kinetics upon Transmembrane Voltage Dynamics.” Proceedings of the 1992 Conference on Computational and Neural Systems, Chapter 17.
In the early 1990’s, I relocated from Harvard to Caltech on an NSF fellowship in the doctoral program in Computational and Neural Systems. I love Science, I loved our lab, but I also loved the California outside our lab – exploring it all on the used motorcycle I suddenly could afford. Graduate school became a time of tremendous personal growth, but graduate school also became a time wherein I “gradually” learned that I did not want to be a graduate student… I took the MCATs and left with an M.S. from Caltech to enter medical school at Stanford University. (Though, technically I remain on indefinite personal leave from my Ph.D. program for the last 25 years...). (Note that I have hidden all my motorcycle photos for release only after my children are in their 30’s)
I have been writing since college, and developed in craft through workshops at Harvard, Los Angeles, Brown, and Stanford. The mythopoetic essay is a form I have fiddled with for many years, particularly during my time as a student at Stanford Medical School. The story is told in linear time, with imagery rich in consistent mythological references, and with a first-person protagonist who invites the reader to share in an inner journey of transformation synched to an outer conflict.
Strassberg, A. 1995. “A Body of Knowledge.” Stanford Magazine,(March): 52-57.
· Awarded the Circle of Excellence Silver Medal for Best Article of the Year, July 10, 1995, by the National Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Strassberg, A. 1995. “Soul Survivor.” In Becoming Doctors, Parminder Bolina, ed. Chicago: Student Doctors Press. 143-147.
Strassberg, A. 1996. “Heart of the Matter.” Stanford Magazine,(May/June): 80-84.
· Awarded the Circle of Excellence Bronze Medal for Best Article of the Year, July 1, 1996, by the National Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Strassberg, A., B. Koenig, and A. Shafer. 1996. “When Death is Not Goodbye” Stanford Medical Student Clinical Journal. Spring 1996. 2:1.
Strassberg, A. 1997. “First Stitch.” Stanford Magazine, (November/December):84-86.
Strassberg, A., B. Koenig, and A. Shafer. 1997. “Medicine and the Arts: The River Styx Runs Upstream.” Academic Medicine. (December), 72: 12, 1082-1083.
Strassberg, A. 1998. “Strangers to the Tribe.” Dovetail, (October/November): 13-15.
Strassberg, A. 1998. "Sewing Lessens." Journal of General Internal Medicine, (October), 13:10, 724-726.
Strassberg, A. 1999. “Lower the Gurney.” Stanford Magazine, (May/June): 76-80.
Near the end of medical school, I fell in love and married. I no longer expressed my generativity “literarily”, but rather “literally” through generating directly… Two wonderful children followed and much of the last decade and a half has been a careful balance of partnering, parenting, and professional life. I continued to write – but mostly journaling, not for publication – and mostly incomplete and inchoate – as the priorities of my wife, children and profession took precedence.
As I completed medical school, I was drawn to the practice of Psychiatry as a rich blend of both the Sciences and the Humanities. I completed my Psychiatry residency at Stanford in 2004 and I have been a local outpatient private practice psychiatrist ever since.
In 2015, my children now teens, more time emerged for a return to the self. As the maxim says, “You can have it all, you just can’t have it all at once.” I returned to writing for publication, and also now public speaking.
"Keep Calm and Parent On" - Guest Opinion: Adam Strassberg, M.D. - Palo Alto Weekly - March 16, 2015
Related press to "Keep Calm and Parent On":
"How early should school start?" - Daily Post - March 19, 2015
"Additional resources on teen well-being" - Palo Alto Weekly - March 20, 2015
"Doc: Pets can relieve kids' stress" - Daily Post - March 20, 2105
"Best, Brightest - and Saddest?" - New York Times - April 11, 2015
"Pourquoi autant d’adolescents de Palo Alto se suicident" - Le Monde - June 18, 2015
"Keep Calm and Parent On" - The Richfield Reaper - September 8, 2015
"What Everyone Gets Wrong About Grit" - Quartz - Aimee Groth - May 14, 2016
As of December 2017, I am a contributing author to the Carlat Report: Psychiatry, Carlat Addiction Treatment Report, and The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report.
Strassberg, A. 2021. “Soul Survivor.” In Becoming Doctors: 25 Years Later A Follow-Up Visit, Parminder Bolina, ed. Franklin: Clovercroft Publishing. 134-139.
Strassberg, A. 2021. “Fish Gone, Gone Fishing.” In Becoming Doctors: 25 Years Later A Follow-Up Visit, Parminder Bolina, ed. Franklin: Clovercroft Publishing. 134-139.
Public Speaking:
My rate as a speaker and consultant in Northern California Bay Area is $250/hour with an additional $250/hour of prorated travel time accordingly.
My rate as a speaker and consultant outside the Northern California Bay Area is $3000/day plus associated travel expenses (airfare, car rental, hotel, meals).
Sample recent talks include:
Palo Alto High School Career Week - March 4, 2015 - "On Being a Psychiatrist"
A 35 minute general introductory talk on the profession of psychiatry and the various associated career options.
(Over 150 students attended - but they were serving free pizza...)
AP Psychology - Palo Alto High School - March 26, 2015 - "How a Psychiatrist uses the DSM"
A 90 minute advanced talk to AP Psychology students on the history of the DSM (Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and how the DSM is used by psychiatrists in daily practice, also a more detailed talk on the specific practice of outpatient private practice psychiatry.
A 45 minute advanced talk to AP Psychology students on the ABC's of mental illness and Careers in Mental Health, with
a focus on the current practice of outpatient private practice psychiatry.
A 45 minute advanced talk to AP Psychology students on the ABC's of mental illness and Careers in Mental Health, with
a focus on the current practice of outpatient private practice psychiatry.
A 45 minute introductory talk to Living Skills class students on the ABC's of Mental Illness, When and How to access care now and as an adult, Careers in Mental Health.
An hour talk to the general public on: (1) What is mental illness? (2) How common is mental illness (3) Stigma and destigmatization and (4) Suicide and suicide prevention. "We don't talk often enough or loud enough about mental health - and we do our teens a tremendous harm by our whispers. Mental health is the big invisible elephant in the room. With 1/2 of all mental illnesses beginning by age 14, and 3/4 by age 24, our teens need to know more about mental illness so they can recognize the signs and symptoms in themselves or their friends, so they can know what might be going on and thus be able to access effective treatments. Too many teens and adults suffer needlessly (and often dangerously, given the association between untreated mental illness and suicide risk)."
Blogging:
I was honored to be invited by Psychology Today to be an expert blogger. I began the blog on June 1st, 2015 and it can be accessed via this link - Silicon Valley Psychiatry.
Podcasting:
I am a contributing author to the national Carlat Journals - The Carlat Report Psychiatry, Carlat Addiction Treatment Report and The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report. An article of mine was privileged to be the focus of the inaugural Carlat podcast - The Carlat Psychiatry Podcast - Podcast Episode #1: Sexual Side Effects of Psychiatric Medications.