Walter E B Sipe, MD

Dr. Sipe, Board Certified in Psychiatry and Pediatrics, has active outpatient psychotherapy and medication management practice serving adults and adolescents. He is on the clinical faculty at UCSF School of Medicine in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, where he teaches and supervises medical students and residents in both fields.

He provides consulting and expert witness testimony to attorneys, both plaintiff and defense, focusing on the integration of medical and psychiatric issues regarding damages in personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability, and criminal cases, including PTSD, repressed or recovered memory, the neurobiology of early childhood stressors and sentencing mitigation.

Services

Dr. Sipe offers consulting and expert witness testimony, focusing on the integration of medical and psychiatric issues in regard to damages in personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability; and criminal cases, including PTSD, repressed or recovered memory, the neurobiology of early childhood stressors and sentencing mitigation.
Psychiatric evaluations.
Treatment plans.
Speaking to attorney groups on the complex issues of mind-body interactions as they related to litigation.

Areas of Expertise

Additional Expertise:

Traumatic Stress Disorders, PTSD, Memory, Child Development, Somatic Symptom Disorders, Functional Pain, Psychological Impact of Medical Illness, Capacity, Mitigation, Sentencing, Sex Abuse, Medical Complications, Child Sexual Abuse, Emotional Trauma.

Areas Served

All States

Walter E B Sipe, MD in the Social Networks

LinkedIn

Affiliations

American Academy of Pediatrics 2000 - 2008
North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition 2004 - 2008
American Gastroenterological Association 2004 - 2008
American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society 2006 - present
Association for Contextual Behavioral Science 2010 - present
American Psychiatric Association, Northern California Psychiatric Society 2011 - present

Seminars & Training

Presentations

"Unseen Scars: The Neurobiology of Trauma & Presenting Your CSA Case as a TBI." (co-presenter) National Center for Victims of Crime Training Institute, October 7, 2022. Virtual meeting.

"Understanding Paradoxical Reactions in Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse." Litigating Under the Child Victims ACT: Sexual Abuse Cases, a CLE panel presented by the New York State Bar Association. June 28, 2021. Virtual Presentation.

"Don't Call It Hypochondria: Illness Anxiety and Somatic Symptom Disorder." UCSF Office of Continuing Medical Education, 54th Annual Advances and Controversies in Clinical Pediatrics, May 14, 2021. Virtual Meeting.

"PTSD: 2021 Treatment Update." & "PTSD: Treating Patients who are Childhood Abuse Survivors." Oasis Psychiatry Conference of the American Physician Institute for Advanced Professional Studies. April 9, 2021. Virtual meeting.

"Bringing Willingness and Values to Challenging Times: Pandemic Resilience Through the Lens of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy." UCSF Osher Center Mini-Med School Series. March 18, 2021. Virtual presentation.

"When & Why to Depose Your Own Client" (Discussant). National Crime Victims Bar Association National Conference, November 12, 2020. Virtual meeting.

"Breaking the Vicious Circles of Chronic Pain: Avoidance, Willingness, and Values." UCSF Dept of Pediatrics Grand Rounds. February 6, 2020, San Francisco, CA

"Lifetime Damages from Childhood Sexual Abuse." Presentation to the Justice for Victims of Childhood Sex Abuse Governor's Task Force, State of Arizona. October 24, 2019

"Avoidance, Acceptance, and Skillful Action: Effectively Managing Functional Abdominal Pain," UCSF Office of Continuing Medical Education, 52nd Advances and Controversies in Clinical Pediatrics, May 30, 2019, San Francisco, CA

"Encopresis: Top to Bottom." UCSF Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Grand Round, March 20, 2019, San Francisco, CA

"Severe Abdominal Complaints: Principles and Stance." UCSF Integrated Pediatric Pain & Palliative Care Case Series, March 14, 2019, San Francisco, CA

"On the Borderlines of Bipolar Disorder." UCSF Department of Psychiatry Integrated Case Conference discussant, March 12, 2019, San Francisco, CA

"Psychosis and Medical Illness: A Dilemma of Medical Ethics." San Francisco General Hospital Psychiatry CME Series, February 1, 2019, San Francisco, CA

"Restrictive/Avoidant Eating Disorders: Unique Dynamics, and Distinctions from Anorexia/Bulimia." UCSF Department of Psychiatry Intensive Services Grand Rounds, September 24, 2018

"Innovative Approaches for Managing Pain," Palliative Care Quality Network Spring Conference, May 4, 2018, San Francisco, CA

"What You Resist Persists: Effectively Managing Functional Abdominal Pain." UCSF Division of Gastroenterology Grand Rounds, March 28, 2018, San Francisco, CA

“Childhood Sexual Abuse: Understanding Lifetime Damages,” University of California Irvine Law School, March 20, 2018

“Adversity, Trauma, and Medical Damages,” National Crime Victim Bar Association National Conference, December 3, 2017, Portland, OR

“PTSD and Trauma-Related Disorders, I & II.” MasterPsych Conference of the American Physician Institute, La Jolla, CA, October 7, 2017

“What You Resist, Persists: Approaches to Patient Suffering.” UCSF Division of Hospital Medicine Grand Rounds, September 15, 2017, San Francisco, CA

“Pain, Suffering and Psychological Flexibility: Perspectives on Managing Somatic Issues in the Context of Psychiatric Disorders.” San Francisco General Hospital Psychiatry CME Series, January 27, 2017

“Care of the Child with Functional Abdominal Pain: What Every Inpatient Provider Needs to Know,” UCSF Office of Continuing Medical Education, Care of the Hospitalized Child, September 30, 2016, San Francisco, CA

"Acceptance and Valued Living in the Face of Pain," Baywell Psychiatry Group, June 29, 2016, San Francisco, CA

"Developmental Behavioral Perspectives on Hospitalized Patients," San Francisco General Hospital Psychiatry CME Series, April 1, 2016, San Francisco, CA

“Care of the Child with Functional Abdominal Pain: What Every Inpatient Provider Needs to Know,” UCSF Office of Continuing Medical Education, Care of the Hospitalized Child, October 9, 2015, San Francisco, CA

“Mindfulness: Healing the Suffering of Trauma,” National Center for Victims of Crime, April 29, 2015, webinar series

“Unseen Scars: The Neurobiology of Trauma,” Wyoming Office of the Attorney General, Division of Victim Services, Sexual Assault Summit, April 30, 2014, Riverton, WY

“The Neurobiology of Trauma: Practical Implications,” National Center for Victims of Crime, April 16, 2014, webinar series

“Unseen Scars: The Neurobiology of Trauma,” Californians for Safety and Justice, October 2013, Oakland, CA

Please see website for more.

Publications

Sipe, W. Illness Anxiety and Somatic Symptom Disorder in Pediatric Patients. Audio Digest Pediatrics 67:38 (October 14) 2021

Owusu JT, Sibelli A, Sipe W, Oser M. Outcomes of an Unguided, Web-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program for Irritable Bowel Syndrome Delivered During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Poster of Distinction, Digestive Disease Week, May 2021.

Sipe WEB. Invited commentary on "Depression screening in pediatric IBD clinics: Recommendations and a toolkit for implementation." Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition. 70 (1): 1-2, January 2020

Sipe, W.: Managing Functional Abdominal Pain in Children. Audio Digest Pediatrics 65:38 (October 14) 2019

Deen S, Sipe W and Eisendrath SJ. "Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression." In Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. Springer International Publishing, 2016

Eisendrath SJ, Gillung E, Hartzler A, James-Myers M, Wolkowitz O, Sipe W, Ramanatham K, Delucchi K. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Associated with Decreases in C-Reactive Protein in Major Depressive Disorder: A Pilot Study. Journal of Alternative, Complementary & Integrative Medicine, 2:010, June 2016

Eisendrath SJ, Gillung E, Delucchi K, Mathalon DH, Yang TT, Satre DD, Rosser RR, Sipe WE, Wolkowitz OM. A Preliminary Study: Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy versus Sertraline as First-line Treatments for Major Depressive Disorder. Mindfulness, 6 (3): 475-482, June 2015

Sipe WEB and Eisendrath SJ. "Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression" in Mindfulness-Based Treatment Approaches: Clinician's Guide to Evidence Base and Applications, 2nd edition. (Ruth Baer, ed.) Academic Press, 2014

Sipe WEB. Invited Commentary on "Psychotropic Medications for Pediatric Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.” J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 59(3): 297, September 2014

Sipe WEB, Neurobiology of Trauma. Conference paper given at National Crime Victim Bar Association meeting, September 2013

Sipe WEB and Eisendrath SJ. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Theory and Practice. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 57(2):63-69, February 2012

Miranda-Morales M, Sipe WE, Spreadbury I, Bunnett NW, Vanner SJ. Attenuation of Colonic Afferent Nerve Recordings But Not Visceromotor Response in Acute Citrobacter rodentium Colitis. Gastroenterology, Volume 136, Issue 5, Supplement 1, Pages A-726, May 2009

Cattaruzza F, Sipe WE, Grady EF, Bunnett NW. Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin-1 (TRPA1) Has a Major Role in Visceral Pain. Gastroenterology, Volume 136, Issue 5, Supplement 1, Pages A-110-A-111, May 2009

Sipe WEB, Snyder JD. "Chronic Hepatitis" in Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 3rd ed. (Long, SS, Pickering, LK, Prober CG, eds.) Churchill Livingstone, April 2009

Sipe WEB, Brierley SM, Martin CM, Phillis BD, Cruz FB, Grady EF, Liedtke W, Cohen DM, Vanner S, Blackshaw LA, Bunnett NW. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 mediates protease activated receptor 2-induced sensitization of colonic afferent nerves and visceral hyperalgesia. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, 294(5):G1288-98. May 2008

Sipe WEB and Rosenthal P. Autoimmune Hepatitis in Children: Diagnosis, Pathology and Treatment. Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 3(2): 159-169, March 2007

Sipe WEB, Su M, Posselt A, Kim G, Quiros JA, Rosenthal P. Propylthiouracil-Associated Liver Failure Presenting as Probable Autoimmune Hepatitis in a Child with Graves' Disease. Pediatric Transplantation, 10: 525-528, 2006

Sipe WEB, Gugig R, Ferrell L, Elkayam O, Heyman M, Haas-Beckert B, Snyder JD. The Frequency of Diffuse Inflammation in Children with Primary and Secondary Ulcers. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 41: 518, October 2005

Sipe WEB, Davis C, Low S, Skinner B, Heyman MB. Essential Fatty Acid Supplementation in Congenital Intestinal Lymphangiectasia. Presented at NASPGHAN Conference, October 2005

Snyder JD, Sipe WEB, Gugig R, Elkayam O, Heyman MB, Haas-Beckert B, Ferrell L. The Nature and Location of Ulcers in Children in the Era of H. pylori. Gastroenterology, 128 (4): A-302, April 2005

Sipe WEB and Kipps TJ. Direct Effects of HIV-1 on B Cells: The Role of Surface Immunoglobulins and Variable-Region Genes. HHMI Meeting of Medical Student Fellows, May 1999

Burger JA, Burger M, Sipe WEB, Kato K and Kipps TJ. Characterization of CXCR4 (Fusin) expression and SDF-1 alpha response in CLL cells. Blood, 92(10): 432A, November 1998

Bessudo A, Hua T, Chen A, Sipe WEB, and Kipps TJ. Molecular characterization of AIDS-Associated Lymphoproliferative Disease. Blood, 90(10): 132A, November 1997

Education

A.B., cum laude Harvard University - Psychology
M.D. University of California, San Diego - Medicine
Residency Children's Hospital Boston & Boston Medical Center (Combined Program) - Pediatrics
Fellowship University of California, San Francisco -Pediatric Gastroenterology
Residency University of California, San Francisco - Psychiatry