Hina Fullar, MD
Dr. Hina Fullar is a board-certified psychiatrist in Walnut Creek who specializes in treating individuals with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, attention deficit, victims of trauma, phase-of-life emotional turmoil, immigrant identity issues, and impact of social and environmental adversity. She has a special interest in working with individuals from diverse cultural, social, sexual, and ethnic backgrounds, while cultivating cultural humility.
More about Hina Fullar
Dr. Hina Fullar has always been interested in psychiatry, long before medical school in fact. The interface of mind and body always fascinated her. For her, it is also one of those medical fields where concepts and ideas of health can’t be separated from the contribution and role of socio-politico-cultural factors. As a result, by default, psychiatric treatment sees patients as a complete person, acknowledging and respecting how it holds a complex universe within.
She is a compassionate and respectful physician. She likes to collaborate with her patients to identify and set goals of treatment, which go beyond the amelioration of distressing symptoms and focus on achieving optimal emotional wellness, where patients can lead a meaningful life that is true to their values and vision. Having worked as a psychiatrist for about fourteen years, she understands that emotions, perceptions, and thoughts reflect deeply personal events and circumstances, many of which may not be in our control. Working with patients to help them develop a sense of being that is not defined by their symptoms or circumstances is a highly rewarding experience.
Dr. Hina Fullar has seen numbers of patients where trials of medication after medication are ineffective, and it can be more frustrating when side effects from the medication are more bothersome than any appreciable benefits. She is intrigued by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy in Walnut Creek, as it doesn’t involve ingesting yet another pill and has minimal burden of side effects. Esketamine nasal spray is a relatively new treatment for treatment-resistant depression. She believes in exploring new methods and interventions for psychiatric treatment once the safety of these treatments is established. Exploring those frontiers is the key to overcoming the morbidity from depression, which takes a toll on both our patients, their families, and the community as a whole.
Personal Interests
Dr. Fullar moved to the Bay Area with her family, drawn by its beautiful scenery, access to wilderness, the scrumptious bounty of flavorful produce, and its progressive and diverse population. She strives for self-care and optimal work-life balance, so she can be mentally and emotionally available to her family and act as a good role model for her children. She loves to travel, exploring different cultures and appreciating the differences, enjoying different foods, engaging in various activities to foster social activism and civic engagement, while working on keeping minds and hearts open. She enjoys cooking and trying different flavors.
Education & Experience
Dr. Fullar received her medical degree from Allama Iqbal Medical College, University of Health Sciences, in Lahore, Pakistan.
After completing her medical education in Pakistan, she immigrated to the United States. She completed her residency in psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. She served as Chief Resident and received the award of “Distinguished Scholastic Academic Achievements by a Resident” from SUNY Downstate Medical Center. She also received “Resident Of The Year award 2010 for Excellence in Community Psychiatry”. Additionally, she completed an elective in Forensic Psychiatry at Brooklyn Supreme Court Forensic Psychiatry Clinic at Kings Country Hospital Center.
Psychotherapy training included Graduate Training in Theory & Practice of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy of Adults at Institute for Psychoanalytic Education, affiliated with the New York University School of Medicine. She also completed a Fellowship in Psychoanalysis at this institute.
She completed a Public Psychiatry Fellowship at the New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University Medical Center.
Following her training, she worked for five years in New York City with a non-for-profit organization, Janian Medical Care P.C., that encompassed advocacy and mental health care for chronically homeless individuals. In addition to providing psychiatric treatment at permanent supportive housing, she also performed psychiatric evaluations for supportive housing and disability benefits at transitional residences and shelters. She also performed psychiatric evaluations for individuals involved with legal system for mental health diversion at Brooklyn mental health court. Additionally, she performed home visits for psychiatric treatment while working with Assertive Community Treatment Team. She cherished that job as an enlightening experience of a lifetime.
Dr. Fullar briefly provided outpatient psychiatric evaluations and treatments at in the Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Outpatient Clinic at Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek.
Most recently, she worked at LifeStance Health for over 4 years, where she provided adult psychiatric evaluations and ongoing treatments with medication management and supportive psychotherapy. She enjoyed the privilege of treating individuals from all walks of life, which enriched her experience as a psychiatrist in California.
Throughout her career, service to her community and volunteerism has been important to Dr. Fullar. She performed psychiatric evaluations for Immigration Unit of Legal Aid Society for individuals facing deportation. She volunteered at the Brooklyn Free Clinic during Residency, a medical run clinic for uninsured and destitute population of Brooklyn, as well as Relief clinic for Haitian-American population following a devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010. She currently volunteers to perform psychiatric evaluations for refugees seeking asylum with Physicians for Human Rights.
Certifications & Memberships
- Member, Physicians for Patient Protection
Publications
Moxifloxacin-Induced Delirium with Hallucinations. A Case Report. Psychosomatics, Volume 52, Issue 5, Pages 472-474, September 2011. H Tasleem (Fullar), R Viswanathan