Marquis Who’s Who Honors Alan Jay Cohen, MD, for Expertise in General Adult Psychiatry
Alan Jay Cohen, MD, is recognized for his contributions through his work in Adult Psychiatry for over 44 years, in private practice, public sector service and in academia. He has been working with the Registry of Physician Specialists since 2020.
Dr. Cohen’s scholarly contributions are extensive and have been published in respected peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy.
BERKELEY, CA, June 05, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ — Alan Jay Cohen, MD, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Dr. Cohen has established a distinguished career in psychiatry, marked by decades of clinical service, research innovation and dedication to patient care. Since 2020, he has served as a psychiatrist with the Registry of Physician Specialists, where his responsibilities include conducting comprehensive assessments, seeing patients in the outpatient clinic, evaluating new cases, and consulting with primary care providers and specialist consultants. Dr. Cohen also collaborates with case managers, social workers and nurses. Among other aspects of his role as a respected psychiatrist, he prescribes medications, orders laboratory testing, and coordinates care across medical disciplines while maintaining detailed clinical documentation.
In addition to his work with the Registry of Physician Specialists, Dr. Cohen has operated as an independent contractor since 2019. He manages East West Mind Health, a corporation through which he continues to provide psychiatric services and consultation. Although he retired from Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services in 2019 after nearly two decades of service, Dr. Cohen returned to practice at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in response to a statewide call for help from medical professionals. Initially assigned to assist psychiatric patients affected by COVID-19 who were housed in hotels, he provided medication management and consultations for approximately one year from 2020 to 2021. Subsequently, Dr. Cohen resumed his prior position on a part-time basis at Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services, where he had previously worked from 2002 to 2019.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Cohen contributed to Comprehensive Psychiatric Services in Walnut Creek, California, from 1990 to 1998. He also held positions at the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (now Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center), affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco, from 1987 to 1990. Throughout these roles, Dr. Cohen developed expertise in psychopharmacology, neuropsychiatry, and the integration of physical medical illnesses with abnormal behaviors and psychiatric symptoms. He also became recognized for his proficiency in dynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
Dr. Cohen’s professional journey included significant leadership roles at East Bay Hospital during the early to mid-1990s, where he served as the director of the hospital laboratory, director of the depression and anxiety disorders program, and director of clinical research. He was also the chief of medical staff for one year during this period.
After graduating from The Haverford School in Philadelphia in 1974, Dr. Cohen earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology, with honors, from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, in 1978. and was inducted into the Sigma Psi Honor Society. He later acquired a Doctor of Medicine from Jefferson Medical College (now Sidney Kimmel Medical College) of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia in 1982, where he was awarded the Baldwin Keys Prize in Psychiatry at graduation. From there, Dr. Cohen completed an internship at the University of California, San Francisco, followed by a residency in psychiatry on campus in 1986. In 1987, he completed a fellowship in diagnostic psychiatry at the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Cohen was board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology for over 20 years.
Dr. Cohen has been affiliated with the APA, AMA, ACCMA and the Northern California Psychiatric Society. His commitment extends beyond clinical practice into civic engagement and scholarship. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Cohen participated actively in community-based care efforts for vulnerable populations. He also volunteered at local food banks and continues to donate to charitable organizations.
A hallmark achievement in Dr. Cohen’s career is his invention and U.S. patent related to the use of ginkgo biloba extract for treating antidepressant-related sexual dysfunction. This discovery originated unexpectedly when a patient reported improvement in sexual function while taking sertraline for depression alongside ginkgo biloba for increased energy. Motivated by this observation, Dr. Cohen conducted a larger trial and published his findings in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy in 2000. He presented this work at the American Psychiatric Association conference and later licensed his patent to Nu Skin Enterprises in Salt Lake City. His research was subsequently highlighted at their annual convention before an audience of nearly 10,000 attendees.
Dr. Cohen’s scholarly contributions are extensive and have been published in respected peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, as well as the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Western Journal of Medicine, The Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatry Association and Northern California Psychiatric Physician, among others, addressing treatment strategies for medical and psychiatric conditions. His research on Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and its relationship to anergic depression was particularly influential He has also been a principal investigator, running clinical research trials.
Dr. Cohen attributes much of his success to his genetics and upbringing. His father was a respected psychoanalyst who served as the medical director at a psychiatric hospital in Philadelphia and trained numerous psychiatrists within the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Society. Early exposure to clinical settings under his father’s guidance fostered Dr. Cohen’s interest in psychiatry, a field he pursued further after being inspired by research on endorphins during medical school.
Dr. Cohen remains dedicated to advancing mental health care while pursuing personal interests. Inspired by his father’s perseverance despite adversity, he continues to serve seriously ill patients with compassion and expertise while managing a balanced workload that allows him to contribute meaningfully both professionally and personally.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. The suite of Marquis® publications, including Who’s Who in America® and Who’s Who in the World®, remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the globe. Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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