Brandon S. Ito

Brandon S. Ito, MD, MPH, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He holds affiliations with UCLA Health, UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, and UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital. His roles include Psychiatry Core Clerkship Chair, Educator for Excellence at David Geffen School of Medicine, and Co-Director of the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation Medical Student Program. He is a designated UCLA Health LGBTQ Champion and leads the UCLA LGBTQ Primary Care Fellowship and Gender Health Program.

Dr. Ito's education includes a BA in Human Development from UC San Diego, an MD from UC Irvine School of Medicine, and an MPH from Harvard University. He completed residencies in Psychiatry at UCSF and a fellowship in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU/Bellevue Hospital, serving as Chief Fellow. Board certifications include Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2016) and Psychiatry (2015).

His research focuses on LGBTQ+ mental health, healthcare disparities, and refugee mental health. He has published on transgender mental health, DACA-related mental health impacts, and Somali refugee family dynamics. Clinical expertise includes behavioral health in autism, gender dysphoria, and inpatient psychiatry.

• Awards: Gold Humanism Honor Society, Kaiser-Permanente Excellence in Teaching Award, Super Doctors® Rising Stars (2020–2024)
• Grants/Teaching: Leads DEI initiatives at Tarjan Center, supervises the Psychiatry Interest Group, and directs UCLA’s Medical Education Fellowship.

He is actively involved in advocacy, serving as past president of the Southern California Society of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Clinical roles include supervising attending physician at UCLA’s Child & Adult Neurodevelopmental Clinic and behavioral health provider for the Gender Health Program.