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

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

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

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