Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Adjunct Instructor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine
Adjunct Instructor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine
Education
Dr. Ruffalo graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and received his MSW with a specialization in mental health from the same institution. He completed additional training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and holds a doctoral degree in psychoanalysis.
Internship
He completed his internship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, one of the largest university-based psychiatric hospitals in the country. Following his internship, he was hired to serve on staff.
Experience and Professional Involvement
Dr. Ruffalo has published over one hundred articles in the peer-reviewed and popular literature on topics ranging from the history of psychiatry to the psychodynamic treatment of schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Psychoanalytic Association and the Tampa Bay Psychoanalytic Society. Currently, he serves as Co-Director of the Psychotherapy Track at the UCF/HCA Healthcare Orlando Psychiatry Residency Program and is on the editorial board of The Carlat Psychotherapy Report, where he is Founding Editor. He has been in the private practice of psychotherapy since 2012 and has worked previously in a psychiatric emergency room.
Practice and Philosophy
Dr. Ruffalo treats adult and adolescent patients in psychotherapy with interest in mood and personality disorders; conversion disorder and psychosomatic illness; and schizophrenia. He frequently treats patients who have not previously, or only partially, responded to treatment. He is a proponent of a pluralistic approach to mental illness.
Hobbies
Dr. Ruffalo is part-owner of several thoroughbred racehorses, a hobby he has held for years. His family owned and operated Ruff Acres Farm in Colts Neck, New Jersey, producer of multiple graded stakes winners from the 1950s to 1970s, and he continues the family tradition in Florida.
