Dr. Raffle is a board-certified psychiatrist (1977). In 1994, he became one of the first psychiatrists to be independently board certified in Forensic Psychiatry. In practice for 50 years, he has provided his expert opinion in more than 800 trials and depositions, and rendered his forensic opinion in 5,000+ matters.
In addition to his clinical psychiatric practice, approximately 50% of Dr. Raffle’s practice is dedicated to rendering forensic psychiatric medical-legal opinions, including by report and testimony.
Dr. Raffle consults with attorneys, insurers, employers, and judges in multiple venues nationwide: civil, criminal, administrative, employment, EEOC, ADA, Title VII, Social Security, and the military. He has evaluated and/or testified about virtually all of the issues arising in his profession; e.g., PTSD associated personal injury, undue influence, testamentary capacity, employment litigation, wrongful termination, fitness for duty, threat of violence, emotional distress, and long- and short-term disability.
Dr. Raffle was clinical faculty at UCSF School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry for 27 years and Department of Orthopedic Surgery (as a psychiatrist) for 18 years. He taught attorneys about direct and cross-examination of expert witnesses in the UC Hastings College of the Law postgraduate course, “Trial and Appellate Advocacy,” with focus on questioning mental health expert witnesses.
Medical Licenses
1969 – Present
State of California
1989 – 2008
State of Alaska
Education ▪ Qualifications ▪ Board Certifications
1977 – Present
Diplomate in Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
1994 – Present
Diplomate in Forensic Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
1962
B.A. in Physiology, University of California Berkeley, California
1966
Doctor of Medicine, Chicago Medical School, Chicago, Illinois
1966 – 1972
Internship and Residency
1966
Medical Internship, Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago, Illinois
1967
1st year psychiatric residency, University Hospitals, Case Western
Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
1968
2nd year residency, Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, CA
1970 – 1972
3rd and 4th year residency, Herrick Hospital, Berkeley, CA
1971 – 1972
Auditor, University of California Berkeley School of Law (formerly Boalt Hall) independent program re medical-legal applications of psychiatry
1979 – 1993
Independent Medical Examiner, State of California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board
2006 and
2008 – 2016
Qualified Medical Examiner (QME), State of California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers’ Compensation Medical Unit
Academic Positions
1980 – 2001
Assistant Clinical Professor, Psychiatry, University of California San
Francisco School of Medicine
1983 – 2001
Assistant Clinical Professor, Orthopedic Surgery (as a psychiatrist)
University of California San Francisco School of Medicine
1985 – 2000
Instructor, UC Hastings Center for Trial and Appellate Advocacy
1972 – 1983
Instructor, Herrick Hospital Psychiatric Residency Training Program
1974 – 1980
Instructor, Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco School of
Medicine
Professional Affiliations
1972 – Present
President, Stephen M. Raffle, M.D. & Associates
2009 – 2016
PQME, AME, Warbritton & Associates Impairment Rating Systems (WAIRS), workers’ compensation assessments/evaluations
Consulting Positions
2009 – 2016
Psychiatric Consultant, Hospice by the Bay, Larkspur, California
1994 – 1998
Consultant, U.S. Postal Service Threat Assessment Team, Oakland, CA
1993 – Present
Senior Consultant, Work Trauma Services, San Francisco, California
1979 – Present
Independent Medical Examiner, U.S. Department of Labor, Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA)
1979 – 1993
Independent Medical Examiner, State of California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB)
1978 – 1987
Administrative Law Judges of Social Security Administration
1976 – 1980
Alameda County Personnel Department, rendering opinions and second opinions for county Sheriff’s Department and law enforcement
1972 – Present
Consultant to counsel for defense, plaintiffs, and applicants; employers; insurance companies; and myriad jurisdictions
1971 – 1974
Psychiatric Consultant, Neurological Rehabilitation Unit, Herrick Hospital,
Berkeley, California
1969 – 1970
Psychiatric Consultant to the Surgeon General of the 5th United States Army, Headquarters, 5th United States Army
Psychiatric Liaison to Judge Advocate General, 5th United States Army
Acting Chief, Office of Physical Standards, Examiner of prospective West Point cadets
Professional Committees and Board Memberships
2007 – 2008
Member, Board of Directors, Hospice by the Bay Foundation
1994 – 1995
Medical Board of California, Board of Podiatric Medicine, Podiatry Diversion
Evaluation Committee (for psychiatric impairment to medical practices)
1991 – 1995
Medical Staff Assistance Committee, Impaired Physician Committee, Samuel
Merritt Hospital
1983 – 1986
Education Committee, Northern California Psychiatric Society
1976 – 1987
Northern California Psychiatric Society Task Force: The Role of the Psychiatrist in the Criminal Law Process
1973 – 1990
Chairman, Committee on Informed Consent
Hospital Affiliations
2002 – 2008
Staff Privileges, Kentfield Rehabilitation Hospital, Kentfield, California
1977 – 2002
Summit Medical Center, Oakland, California, (aka Merritt and Providence)
1972 – 1977
Herrick Hospital and Alta Bates Hospital, Berkeley, California
Professional Organizations
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- California Medical Association (CMA)
- American Psychiatric Association (APA), Life Member
- Northern California Psychiatric Society (NCPS)
- American Academy of Psychiatry and Law (AAPL)
- California Academy of Medicine
- Fellow, Royal College of Medicine (UK), inactive
Consultant (partial list; references provided upon request)
- U.S. Department of Justice
- California Attorney General
- United States Postal Service
- County District Attorneys and Public Defenders
California counties: San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Mendocino, Calaveras, Merced, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Solano; and Alaska counties: Anchorage, Palmer - Private Employers
Oil and gas refineries and distributors; maritime industry; trucking; public and private utilities; government entities; manufacturers; municipalities; law enforcement; and insurance companies - Workers’ Compensation
Applicants’ attorneys, applicants, defense attorneys, and insurers - Private Law Firms
Domestic and international Fortune 500 law firms and sole practitioners
Presentations
2015
Malingering
Presentation to Law Offices of John E. Hill for attorneys in civil litigation, personal injury, and workers’ compensation practices
2014
Diminished Capacity in the Elderly for Trusts and Wills
Hult International Business School, sponsored by the Herald Tribune World Youth Forum Alumni Association, Shanghai, China
2011
The Prosecutor’s Best Use of a Psychiatrist or Psychologist Expert Witness in Cases of Alleged Stalking; Examination, and CrossExamination of a Mental Health Expert Witness
Collaborative Stalking Summit, San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Stalking Task Force, conference for District Attorneys, law enforcement, and private sector attorneys
2011
A Few Thoughts About the Direct Examination and CrossExamination of a Mental Health Expert Witness in Workers’ Compensation Proceedings
Featured speaker, Sacramento County Bar Association
2010
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Other Stress Response Syndromes
Featured speaker, Industrial Claims Association of San Francisco
2009
Fitness for Duty and Employment Law Seminar
Featured speaker, Kaiser Permanente
2009
Suicide Prevention & Assistance: Preparation of Suicide Prevention Materials
Employee Assistance Program, Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) (California’s largest utility)
2009
Threat Assessment in the Workplace
United States Postal Service (for regional medical unit personnel)
1996
Chronic Pain Syndrome: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Management Circle, The Public Pension Fund Forum for New Trustees Conference
1995
Permanent and Stationary is Not Forever: Controlling Disability Payments in the Public Pension Plan
Institute for International Research
1992 – 1994
Sexual Harassment
American Bar Association Annual Meeting
1992
Sexual Discrimination in the Workplace
American Bar Association, National Meeting
1992
Trial of a Sexual Harassment Case: From Voir Dire to Jury Decision
American Bar Association, Division for Professional Education
1991
Treatment of Chronic Pain
Merritt-Peralta Medical Center, Oakland, California
1990
Psychiatric Malpractice: A Review of Treatment Risks, Opportunities and the Law
Alaska Psychiatric Institute, Anchorage, Alaska
1990
Assessment of Chronic Pain
Merritt-Peralta Medical Center, Oakland, California
1989 – 1990
Crisis Management for Psychiatric Emergencies
United States Postal Service
1985
Stress and Cardiovascular Disease
Intensive Residency for Occupational Medicine, University of California San Francisco Medical School
1985
Psychiatry and Workers’ Compensation Law
California Applicants’ Attorneys Association (CAAA)
(12-hour course presented over four days)
1984
Psychopathology and Physiology of Pain
Northern California Psychiatric Society
1976
The Role of the Psychiatrist in the Courtroom
American Society of Criminology, Tucson, Arizona
1973
Psychiatry and Criminal Law
Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), California
