Instructor of Psychiatry, University of Central Florida College 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 attended graduate school for social work at the same institution. He completed additional training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and received his doctoral degree in psychoanalysis from the Parkmore Institute.
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 at the hospital.
Experience and Professional Involvement
Dr. Ruffalo has published over one hundred articles in the professional and popular literature on topics ranging from the history of psychiatry to the conceptualization of mental illness and the practice of psychotherapy. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work 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. He has been in the private practice of psychotherapy since 2012 and has worked previously in a psychiatric emergency department.
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 the biopsychosocial model of mental disorders.
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
