Jeffrey Tirengel, PsyD, MPH
Clinical Consultant
Responsibilities
My primary role in the Simms/Mann-UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology is to facilitate support groups for husbands and partners who live with women diagnosed with any kind of cancer. I joined the Center as a Clinical Consultant in 2006.
Training
I am one of the fortunate individuals who discovered my calling at an early age. I was in my early teens when I decided I wanted to be a psychologist. Largely because my father had heart problems and, later, a slow-growing brain tumor, I became especially interested in psychological aspects of health and illness. This led first to a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and then a Master’s degree in Public Health from the same institution. My interests then took me to Washington, DC where I began my career at the National Institute of Mental Health. My wife’s career later brought us West, and I earned my doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), a nationally prominent practitioner-oriented program which I had admired from afar for many years. My doctoral research at CSPP focused on how pregnancy loss affects both partners, reflecting my broader interest in the impacts of health issues on couples and families. After graduating, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, working both in the Thalians Mental Health Center and in the Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center.
Professional Work
While living in Washington, I was involved in numerous health programs on the national level. I was especially committed to building prevention-oriented programs in traditionally underserved urban and rural communities throughout the United States. I later became the founding Executive Director of a national coalition of agencies dedicated to improving access to maternal and child health care for low income families. When I moved to California, I helped develop family health initiatives on the state and local level before returning to school to pursue my doctorate in clinical psychology.
After graduating, I was invited to become part of the CSPP faculty, and I now hold the rank of Professor. I was also invited to become part of the staff at Cedars-Sinai, where I currently direct psychological services for the Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center and provide related assistance to the Pulmonary Rehabilitation program. I have also worked with the Cedars-Sinai Fibromyalgia program. Developing and conducting support groups and educational programs around health issues has been a significant focus of my career as a psychologist. Another significant focus has been closing the gap between what researchers have discovered and what clinicians do in practice. I have worked toward this goal through developing a variety of educational materials for practitioners and through serving as editor-in-chief of such publications as The California Psychologist and The Los Angeles Psychologist. I was also founding editor of The International Journal of Choice Theory, serving practicing professionals in counseling, education, and management throughout the world.
Personal Interests and Perspectives
I believe that our connections to others are crucial, especially during extraordinary times. I hope that my professional work can help foster those connections. I know that I am personally a happier husband, father, son, brother, and friend as a result of building better quality relationships with the significant people in my life.
I continue to grow as a human being and as a professional by seeking out and spending time with colleagues from around the globe who are world class at what they do. I think that the team at the Simms/Mann-UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology reflects caring at its best, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute.