Community Highlights: Meet Gil Hoftman of Helix Neuropsychiatric Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gil Hoftman.

Hi Gil, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in LA and grew up in the San Fernando Valley. As early as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor. In kindergarten, when it was my turn to be “king of the day,” the teacher asked me what I want to be when I grow up and without hesitation I said “a doctor.” I wasn’t sure what kind of doctor, but I knew I wanted to take care of people when they were feeling sick and vulnerable. This interest developed into a passion and continues today. Around late middle school to early high school, I became fascinated with human biology, the human brain, neuroscience, consciousness, and what happens when people perceive and think about the world in different ways. My high school freshman biology teacher saw this interest and referred me to the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine where I spent part of my summer at UCLA learning all about the medical field. I continued to pursue interests in medicine throughout high school and college, but now with a sharper focus on the brain.

In college, I wanted to spend more time with people of all ages. Since I had been the captain of my high school varsity soccer team, I volunteered to coach my former high school junior varsity soccer team, all teenage boys. I volunteered at the Motion Picture Old Age Hospital and Home in Calabasas and loved learning about the residents’ rich life stories. I also spent time volunteering at the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital in the Child Life section, where I would play games with kids who had all kinds of serious medical and surgical conditions. I was moved by the strength of the human child’s spirit, and how they wanted to play as rough as any other child the moment they were feeling better no matter how seriously ill they were. Another pivotal volunteer experience happened with the UCLA Mobile Clinic Project while I was an undergraduate neuroscience major. Once a week, we went to the West Hollywood Food Coalition Soup Kitchen to help cook and distribute food to the local homeless population. We also participated once every few weeks in the mobile medical clinic and took patient histories to present to the medical students and residents who provided a clinical assessment and treatment. On the streets of West Hollywood, I experienced first hand how diverse the homeless population was and met some people experiencing active psychosis. After going consistently, one of the individuals opened up to me briefly, and I was able to see her true self beneath the paranoid delusions of schizophrenia. I realized then that I wanted to pursue a combination of psychiatry and neuroscience in some way. This realization drove me to apply to the National Institutes of Health funded Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, where I completed my PhD studies in molecular and developmental neuroscience under the mentorship of one of the leading psychiatric neuroscientists in the world studying the underlying neural circuitry of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia in the human brain. During medical school, I became fascinated with both development and psychiatry, so I decided to pursue a psychiatry residency and child & adolescent psychiatry fellowship clinical training programs. I completed my training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and at UCLA.

During my clinical training, I continued pursuing psychiatric neuroscience research and published studies related to neuroscience, neurodevelopment, and schizophrenia. I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neurobehavioral genetics at UCLA and joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in Residence in Psychiatry at UCLA. I also had appointments at the Brain Research Institute, the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, in the Neuromodulation Division where I treated patients with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry where I started a clinic to treat individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis. I led my own research program studying neuroimaging genetics in people at clinical and genetic high risk for psychosis with generous funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, Sorensen Foundation, Friends of the Semel Institute at UCLA, and Della Martin Foundation.

After about 5 years as faculty at UCLA, I wanted to focus more on clinical care by building a neuropsychiatric treatment center in the South Bay, a place I love dearly. I learned that there aren’t enough child psychiatrists as needed, and I hoped to bring a deep understanding of developmental, neurobiological, environmental, and genetic factors that contribute to neuropsychiatric conditions and challenges. I opened Helix Neuropsychiatric Center in January 2025 in El Segundo to bring that focus to the South Bay and to provide a holistic and humanistic approach to assessment and treatment. I invested in a NeuroStar TMS device that is FDA cleared for depression treatment down to age 15 years old so that my patients have multiple tools and approaches to help them get relief from symptoms and live a high quality of life that allows them to pursue their goals and dreams. I treat individuals across the lifespan with a focus on children and adolescents. I evaluate and treat multiple conditions including neurodivergent folks with ADHD and autism, people with neurogenetic neurodevelopmental conditions, psychosis/schizophrenia, and depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and OCD. I use medications thoughtfully, just like in any other medical condition, and I ensure that my patients (and oftentimes their parents) are well informed about the risks, benefits, alternatives, adverse effects and projected course of using a treatment whether the treatment is medication or anything else. I truly enjoy connecting with patients and healthcare providers across the South Bay and beyond to build the best team for a patient and to get the right patient to the right treater.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When looking back and telling a story, from a distance the road appears to be smooth and paved. However, zooming in, the bumps and struggles appear. During high school and college, I personally struggled with episodes of depression and anxiety before I sought treatment and built resilience and stability. Growth is turbulent and change is the only constant in life! I experienced self-stigma and a sense of shame before choosing to address my depression and seeking treatment. Brain conditions and mental illness continue to be stigmatized despite the progress we have made in recent years and the greater openness in which we talk about mental health. These experiences led me to fight against stigma and ensure that stigma and shame are addressed with my patients. While I have first hand, lived experience, I did not choose to pursue psychiatry specifically to learn about or heal myself. I had pivotal experiences with people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and I have always been fascinated by the human brain, consciousness, development, personality, and how people face health challenges through their personal and cultural lenses.

Having completed my medical school and PhD training in Pittsburgh, I was influenced by Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers). One quote that stays with me is how I strive to think of every person I encounter: “You are special. You are special to me. You are the only one like you.”

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Helix Neuropsychiatric Center?
After being a full time faculty member at UCLA Psychiatry where I did research, clinical care, and teaching, I opened a clinic in the South Bay in January 2025 for individuals across the lifespan, particularly focused on child and adolescent psychiatry. It is called Helix Neuropsychiatric Center and we are located on Main Street in El Segundo.

I am known for combining a deep understanding of development, biology, neuroscience, and neurogenetics with compassionate, humanistic care and connection. This combination helps people understand what is happening to them and their brains and bodies while feeling safe, respected, and heard. I provide evidence-informed treatment recommendations and coaching to allow people to heal themselves and live a high quality meaningful life. I remain active in psychiatric neuroscience research and in multiple medical societies including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Schizophrenia International Research Society, and the Society of Biological Psychiatry, I am an Assistant Adjunct Professor in Psychiatry at UCLA, and I am sought out as a thought leader and educator in child and adolescent psychiatry and schizophrenia/psychosis.

Helix Neuropsychiatric Center is unique because of the PhD level integration of scientific knowledge and evidence informed treatments with clinical expertise and human connection. Our patients benefit from the use of multiple tools to address challenges, including interventional psychiatry with NeuroStar TMS, medications, psychotherapy with a motivational interviewing humanistic approach and attunement to psychodynamics, and a strong focus on nutrition/diet, exercise, and sleep behaviors to optimize brain and body health.

I am most proud of my ongoing efforts to establish a safe and nurturing healing environment for people of all backgrounds including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, country of origin, immigration status, sexuality, politics, gender, spirituality, and religion. My approach to encountering people is to meet them where they are and with the stance of “come as you are.” Those who grew up in the 90s know the band this phrase is associated with. When people first see a psychiatrist, it can be scary and disorienting. I want folks to feel a safe connection, have a relatable experience, and leave feeling hopeful and like this was a much better and less painful experience than they had imagined. I recognize this single encounter may be the only time they intend to see a psychiatrist or interface with the mental health system (and maybe they were coerced or forced to do so), so I want them to feel a connection and to leave a lasting positive impression in case they need to return in the future. Establishing that click makes me most proud. That trust and connection let’s everything else follow including evaluation, assessment, and treatment.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Best = The people, beaches, dolphins, tide pools and sea creatures, weather, food and culture, and laid back beach city vibes.

Least = The pollution, traffic, and crowdedness.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.helixpsych.com
• Instagram: helixtms
• Email: [email protected]