Led by the physician
who cares for you.
This is an independent, physician-owned practice. The person responsible for your treatment is also the person shaping how the practice works.
SAN DIEGO · LA JOLLA
Thoughtful, science-based care from a physician who takes the time to know you. A practice built around the relationship at the heart of good medicine.
A different way to practiceTHE APPROACH
Time to listen. Space for questions. A physician who understands your story and works with you to decide what comes next.
Treatment plans at Nexus Neurotherapeutics are individualized and may include lifestyle strategies, psychotherapy, medication, neuromodulation (such as TMS and esketamine), or a combination of approaches.
This is an independent, physician-owned practice. The person responsible for your treatment is also the person shaping how the practice works.
Care is an ongoing conversation with your physician. Your experiences, preferences, and goals help guide treatment as your needs evolve.
Appointments within 48 hours and weekend availability make it easier to take the first step and keep your care moving.
WHY THIS PRACTICE EXISTS
Frustration with rushed visits, fragmented care, and systems that make a personal relationship harder to sustain inspired a different kind of practice.
I wanted to create a practice where there is time to understand the person, room to think carefully about treatment, and a lasting relationship between patient and physician. That means keeping this practice independent, accessible, and grounded in science.
Ahmed Makhlouf, MDFounder & psychiatrist
YOUR PHYSICIAN

I am a board-certified psychiatrist with 11 years of experience. I completed my psychiatry residency at Mayo Clinic and fellowship training at Harvard Medical School, where I later served on the faculty for many years. I also served as Medical Director at Harvard-affiliated Mass General Brigham.
My background includes research and clinical work at Harvard’s Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics. That experience informs how I evaluate evidence, think about treatment options, and explain what we know and what remains uncertain.
In practice, that means bringing scientific evidence together with your experience, your priorities, and clinical judgment. We make decisions together, with a clear understanding of the reasoning behind them.
SCHOLARSHIP & INNOVATION
Selected contributions to research on brain disorders and physician education.
Research examining how different patterns of brain atrophy in schizophrenia relate to a shared brain network.
A chapter on anxiety disorders for physicians in the second edition of Mayo Clinic Neurology Board Review, published by Oxford University Press.
A study of an Alzheimer’s presentation marked by difficulties with planning, organization, and other executive functions.
Nature Mental Health · 2025 · 3(1):19–30 · First author
The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders · 2022 · 24(1):21f02948 · Equal-contributing author
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology · 2021 · 41(6):689–690 · Case report
Mayo Clinic Neurology Board Review, second edition · Oxford University Press · 2021 · pp. 326–332 · Book chapter
Brain Communications · 2020 · 2(1):fcaa068
Brain Imaging and Behavior · 2019 · 13(2):472–481 · Shared first author
SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION
Co-inventor on an international patent application exploring brain imaging methods for estimating the risk of progression to schizophrenia and identifying potential intervention targets.
Ahmed T. Makhlouf · Shan H. Siddiqi · Andrew Pines
Patent pending
PCT/US2025/048288 · Filed September 26, 2025
SELECTED WORK & MEDIA
Selected educational programs and coverage of research on brain disorders.
EDUCATIONAL PODCASTS For physicians
MEDIA COVERAGE Research on brain networks in brain disorders

In-network with Anthem Blue Cross beginning December 7, 2026. Until then, Nexus Neurotherapeutics remains an out-of-network practice. Please contact us to discuss fees and payment options.
INDEPENDENT BY DESIGN. PERSONAL BY NATURE.
Time to understand you.
Care to help you move forward.