Work Experience
Chief Medical Officer, Sharp Healthcare Behavioral Health Services (includes 244 inpatient psychiatric beds, full continuum of outpatient services) (1998 — present)
Roles and responsibilities include
Oversight of admissions, utilization management, payor relationships, consultation/ liaison in medical settings
Principal investigator of Clinical Research, over 300 clinical trials of investigational psychotropic medications
Medical staff liaison; recruitment and supervision of medical directors
Responsibility for civil commitment procedures; adherence to CMS, JC, FDA, HIPAA, EMTALA regulatory requirements
Quality measure reporting, sentinel event review and process improvement
Inpatient and outpatient therapeutic program development
Community health partnership development Patient experience enhancement
Development recovery-oriented patient care
Medical Director, Mesa Vista Hospital (1994-1998)
Vice President, Direct Care Division, Vista Hill Foundation (1995 — 1998)
Medical Director, Senior Programs, Mesa Vista Hospital (1992 — 2000)
Medical Director, Older Adult Program, Sharp Cabrillo Hospital (1990 — 1994)
Chief of Staff, Mesa Vista Hospital (1990 – 1991)
Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, USC School of Medicine (1983 — 1989)
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, USC School of Medicine (1979 — 1982)
Co-Chief and Training Director, USC/ Rancho Los Amigos Hospital Research and Training Center on Aging (1980 — 1982)
Clinical practice of inpatient and outpatient general adult psychiatric care; gero-psychiatric speciality focus (1983 — 2007)
Expert Witness Activity
Dr. Plopper provides expert witness evaluations and testimony regarding capacity, undue influence and standard of care issues
Education
University: Northwestern University, B.S., Biological Sciences (1970)
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine M.S., Physiology (1972) M.D. (1975)
Residency: Los Angeles County/ University of Southern California Medical Center, Dept. of Psychiatry (1975 — 1978)
Psychiatric: Consultation/ Liaison Psychiatry (1978 — 1979)
Fellowships: Geropsychiatry (1979 — 1980) LAC/USC Medical Center
Board Certifications: Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology ( 1981), Added qualifications in Geriatric Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (1994)
Professional Activities
Sharp Institutional Review Board; Sharp Wellbeing Committee; Sharp CME Committee (1998 — Present)
California Psychiatric Association Council; San Diego Psychiatric Society (1996 – 2002)
President, San Diego Psychiatric Society (2000 — 2001)
Board of Directors, Integrated Mental Health Professionals (IPA) (1993-1997)
Awards Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association (2003)
Clinician of the Year, San Diego County Mental Health Association (2003)
San Diego Magazine, Top Doctors 2004, 2005, 2006
Publications
Plopper, M.G., Commonly Encountered Psychiatric Problems, in Ambulatory Geriatric Care, Moby-year Book Inc., 1993
Plopper, M.G., Evaluation and Treatment of Depression, in Geriatric Rehabilitation Little, Brown & Co., 1990
Lopez-Aqueres, W., Kemp, B, Plopper, M.G., Staples, F R., BrummelSmith, K, Health Needs of the Hispanic Elderly, Journal American Geriatrics Society, Volume 32, pp 191-198, 1984
Plopper, MG. and Chui, Helena, Evaluation and Treatment of Dementia USC Press, 1983
Plopper, M.G., Mental Health in the Elderly, Aging Prospects and Issues, R. David (ed.), University of Southern California Press, 1980
