Benjamin Maxwell

Dr. Ben Maxwell is a board-certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and a recognized leader in enhancing children’s mental health. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, followed by a General Psychiatry residency at UC Irvine and a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UC San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital. Now the Chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Rady Children’s Hospital, Dr. Maxwell has spearheaded innovative care initiatives and system improvements.

His international work includes training preschool teachers in Africa to identify behavioral health challenges, developing educational programs for primary care physicians in Jordan, and mentoring psychiatrists in Saudi Arabia to integrate behavioral health in primary care. Dr. Maxwell combines insights from medicine, neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and social sciences to promote social connection, resilience, and intrinsic motivation in today’s challenging landscape. Outside of work, he enjoys outdoor activities in San Diego with his wife and daughter.