Outside of work, Dr. McInnes enjoys hiking and biking in the beautiful Bay Area. A passionate advocate for creativity and community, she loves dancing hip hop and salsa, creating street theater, and engaging with the vibrant Oakland community. Fitness is also a personal passion, and she regularly participates in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes.
Learn more about
How We Can Help You
Watch our FAQ videos with answers to many of the questions we receive about our treatments and services including TMS, Spravato (Esketamine), and IV Ketamine.
Check FAQs
Consultation with one of our Treatment Access Specialists
Schedule a visit with a clinician at one of our convenient locations. Contact us and our Patient Access Team will contact you within one business day to review your options and schedule an appointment.
Find a psychiatrist nearest to you
Our state-of-the-art mental health clinics are open during hours that accommodate your schedule and are conveniently located throughout Southern and Northern California, Texas, Georgia, and Washington.
Alison McInnes, MD, MS
Dr. Alison McInnes specializes in treating difficult-to-treat mood disorders, anxiety, and PTSD through a collaborative approach that combines psychotherapy, medication management, and interventional treatments like Esketamine and TMS. With a focus on innovative care, she helps patients find relief and improve their quality of life using evidence-based, cutting-edge therapies.
Locations
Available for Virtual Appointment
We have appointments available now.
More about Alison McInnes, MD, MS
Dr. Alison McInnes is a Board-Certified Psychiatrist with a passion for uncovering the biological basis of psychiatric disorders and providing compassionate, evidence-based care to her patients. With over a decade of experience in psychotherapy and medication management, Dr. McInnes takes a collaborative approach, working closely with her patients to develop personalized treatment plans tailored to their needs and goals.
Dr. McInnes specializes in difficult-to-treat mood disorders and has extensive expertise in interventional psychiatry. She founded and directed the ketamine therapy program at Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2014, a pioneering achievement she continues to build upon. Dr. McInnes is actively involved in research on ketamine and esketamine for depression and PTSD, focusing on real-world outcomes and clinical predictors of response to these innovative treatments. She is also excited about the future integration of psilocybin-assisted therapies, which aligns with her deep interest in psychedelics and psychotherapy.
Her working style is collaborative and patient-focused, emphasizing a partnership in care that prioritizes understanding her patients’ unique needs and goals. Dr. McInnes is committed to providing treatments that not only relieve symptoms but also enhance her patients’ overall quality of life.
Dr. McInnes joined Mindful Health Solutions to bring her expertise in interventional psychiatry to a practice that values cutting-edge treatments like TMS, Esketamine, and emerging psychedelics. She values the supportive environment and collaboration with colleagues who share her dedication to advancing mental health care.
Personal Interests
Education & Experience
Dr. McInnes earned her medical degree and Master of Science and began her career in academia, serving as an Associate Professor at Mount Sinai, where she studied the genetics of behavioral disorders. She later spent nine years at Kaiser Permanente, where she founded and directed the ketamine therapy program, before serving as Vice President of Scientific Affairs at Osmind, where she advanced real-world evidence on novel treatments like ketamine, esketamine, and psilocybin. Dr. McInnes brings her deep expertise and dedication to innovation to her work at Mindful Health Solutions.
Certifications & Memberships
- Clinical Advisory Board Member, Clexio Biosciences
- American Society for Ketamine Physicians, Psychotherapists Expert Faculty
- American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Member
- Medical Board of California License
- Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Publications
1. McInnes, L. A., Marton, T. F., & Qian, J. J. (2024). Embracing pragmatism for ketamine insurance coverage: Leveraging real-world evidence. Journal of Affective Disorders, 352, 199–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.02.033
2. Hietamies, T. M., McInnes, L. A., Klise, A. J., Worley, M. J., Qian, J. J., Williams, L. M., Heifets, B. D., & Levine, S. P. (2023). The effects of ketamine on symptoms of depression and anxiety in real-world care settings: A retrospective controlled analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 335, 484–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.141
3. McInnes, LA, Qian, JJ, Gargeya, RS, DeBattista, C, Heifets, BD. (2022). A retrospective analysis of ketamine intravenous therapy for depression in real-world care settings. Journal of Affective Disorders, Volume 301, Pages 486-495, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.12.097.
4. McInnes LA, James-Myers M, Turner MS. (2015). Possible Affective Switch Associated with IV Ketamine Therapy in a Patient with Bipolar I. Biological Psychiatry Medical Letter, epub July 2015.
5. Sakurai T, Dorr NP, Takahashi N, McInnes LA, Elder GA, Buxbaum JD. (2011). Haploinsufficiency of Gtf2i, a gene deleted in Williams Syndrome, leads to increases in social interactions. Autism Res, Feb; 4(1):28-39. doi: 10.1002/aur.169.
6. Lauriat TL, Shiue L, Haroutunian V, Verbitsky M, Ares M Jr, Ospina L, McInnes LA. (2008). Developmental expression profile of quaking, a candidate gene for schizophrenia, and its target genes in human prefrontal cortex and hippocampus shows regional specificity. J Neurosci Res, Mar; 86(4):785-96.
7. Nakamine A, Ouchanov L, Jiménez P, Manghi ER, Esquivel M, Monge S, Fallas M, Burton BK, Szomju B, Elsea SH, Marshall CR, Scherer SW, McInnes LA. (2008). Duplication of 17(p11.2p11.2) in a male child with autism and severe language delay. Am J Med Genet A, Mar 1;146A(5):636-43.
8. McInnes LA, Ouchanov L, Nakamine A, Jimenez P, Esquivel M, Fallas M, Monge S, Bondy P, Manghi ER. (2007). The NRG1 exon 11 missense variant is not associated with autism in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. BMC Psychiatry, May 22;7:21.
9. Lauriat TL, McInnes LA. (2007). EAAT2 regulation and splicing: relevance to psychiatric and neurological disorders. Mol Psychiatry, Dec;12(12):1065-78. Epub 2007 Aug 7. Review.
10. Bartz JA, McInnes LA. (2007). CD38 regulates oxytocin secretion and complex social behavior. Bioessays, Sep;29(9):837-41.
11. Lauriat TL, Schmeidler J, McInnes LA. (2007). Early rapid rise in EAAT2 expression follows the period of maximal seizure susceptibility in human brain. Neurosci Lett, Jan 22;412(1):89-94. Epub 2006 Nov 28.
12. Lauriat TL, Richler E, McInnes LA. (2007). A quantitative regional expression profile of EAAT2 known and novel splice variants reopens the question of aberrant EAAT2 splicing in disease. Neurochem Int, Jan;50(1):271-80. Epub 2006 Oct 16.
13. Edelmann L, Prosnitz A, Pardo S, Bhatt J, Cohen N, Lauriat T, Ouchanov L, Jimenez Gonzalez P, Manghi ER, Bondy P, Esquivel M, Monge S, Fallas M, Splendore A, Francke U, Burton BK, McInnes LA. (2006). An atypical deletion of the Williams-Beuren Syndrome interval implicates genes associated with defective visuospatial processing and autism. J Med Genet, Sep 13; [Epub ahead of print].
14. Manghi ER, Gonzalez PJ, Esquivel M, Monge S, Delgado MF, Fournier E, Bondy P, McInnes A. (2006). A genetic study of Autism in Costa Rica: A Model for Latin America. Psicología Iberoamericana de la Universidad, Iberoamericana de México, June;14(1):146-58.
15. McInnes LA & Lauriat TL. (2006). RNA metabolism and dysmyelination in schizophrenia. Neuroscience and Biobehav Rev, 30(4):551-61.
16. Richler E, Reichert J, Buxbaum JD, McInnes LA. (2006). Autism and ultraconserved noncoding sequence on chromosome 7q. Psychiatric Genetics, Feb;16 (1):19-23.
17. Lauriat TL, Dracheva S, Chin B, Schmeidler J, McInnes LA, Haroutunian V. (2005). Quantitative analysis of glutamate transporter mRNA expression in prefrontal and primary visual cortex in normal and schizophrenic brain. Neuroscience, Nov;137(3):843-851.
18. McInnes LA, Gonzalez PJ, Manghi ER, Esquivel M, Monge SM, Delgado MF, Fournier E, Bondy P, Castelle K. (2005). A genetic study of autism in Costa Rica: clinical characteristics of a preliminary sample using Spanish versions of the ADI-R and ADOS. BMC Psychiatry, Mar 21;5(1):15.
19. Mathews CA, Reus VI, Bejarano J, Escamilla MA, Fournier E, Herrera LD, Lowe TL, McInnes LA, Molina J, Ophoff RA, Raventos H, Sandkuijl LA, Service SK, Spesny M, Leon PE, Freimer NB. (2004). Genetic studies of neuropsychiatric disorders in Costa Rica: a model for the use of isolated populations. Psychiatr Genet, Mar;14(1):13-23.
20. Hong KS, McInnes LA, Service SK, Song T, Lucas J, Silva S, Fournier E, Leon P, Molina J, Reus VI, Sandkuijl LA, Freimer NB. (2004). Genetic mapping using haplotype and model-free linkage analysis supports previous evidence for a locus predisposing to severe bipolar disorder at 5q31-33. Am J Med Genet, Feb 15;125B(1):83-6.
21. Segurado R, Detera-Wadleigh SD, Levinson DF, Lewis CM, Gill M, Nurnberger JI, Craddock N, DePaulo JR, Baron M, Gerson ES, Ekholm J, Cichon S, Turecki G, Clase ST, Kelsoe JR, Schofield PR, Badenhop RF, Morissette J, Coon H, Blackwood D, Curtis D, McInnes LA, et al. (2003). Genome Scan Meta-Analysis of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Part III: Bipolar Disorder. Am J Hum Genet, Jul;73(1):49-62.
22. McInnes LA, Service SK, Reus VI, Barnes G, Charlat O, Jawahar S, Lewitzky S, Yang Q, Duong Q, Spesny M, Araya C, Araya X, Gallegos A, Meza L, Molina J, Ramirez R, Mendez R, Silva S, Fournier E, Batki SL, Mathews CA, Neylan T, Glatt CE, Escamilla MA, Luo D, Gajiwala P, Song T, Crook S, Nguyen JB, Roche E, Meyer JM, Leon P, Sandkuijl LA, Freimer NB, Chen H. (2001). Fine-scale mapping of a locus for severe bipolar mood disorder on chromosome 18p11.3 in the Costa Rican population. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 98(20):11485-90.
23. Garner C, McInnes LA, Service S, Freimer NB. (2001). Linkage analysis of a complex pedigree with severe bipolar disorder using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method. Am J Hum Genet, 68:1061-1064.
24. Escamilla ME*, McInnes LA*, Service SK, Spesny M, Reus VI, Molina J, Gallegos A, Fournier E, Batki S, Vinogradov S, Meza L, Freimer NB. (*co-first authors) (2001). Use of linkage disequilibrium approaches to map genes for bipolar disorder in the Costa Rican population. Am J Med Genet Neuropsychiatr Genet, 105(2):207-213.
25. Escamilla ME*, McInnes LA*, Spesny M, Reus VI, Service SK, Shimayoshi N, Tyler DJ, Silva S, Molina J, Gallegos A, Meza L, Cruz ML, Batki S, Vinogradov S, Neylan T, Nguyen JB, Fournier E, Araya C, Barondes SH, Leon PE, Sandkuijl LA, Freimer NB. (*co-first authors) (1999). Assessing the feasibility of linkage disequilibrium methods for mapping complex traits: An initial screen for bipolar disorder loci on chromosome 18. Am J Hum Genet, 64:1670-1678.
26. McInnes LA, Escamilla M, Service S, Reus V, Leon P, Silva S, Rojas E, Spesny M, Baharloo S, Blankenship K, Peterson A, Tyler D, Shimayoshi N, Tobey C, Batki S, Vinogradov S, Meza L, Gallegos A, Fournier E, Smith L, Barondes S, Sandkuijl L, Freimer N. (1996). A complete genome screen for genes predisposing to severe bipolar disorder in two Costa Rican pedigrees. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 93(23):13060-65.
27. Freimer NB, Reus VI, Escamilla MA, McInnes LA, Spesny M, Leon P, Service SK, Smith LB, Silva S, Rojas E, Gallegos A, Meza L, Fournier E, Baharloo S, Blankenship K, Tyler DJ, Batki S, Vinogradov S, Weissenbach J, Barondes SH, Sandkuijl LA. (1996). Genetic mapping using haplotype, association and linkage methods suggests a locus for severe bipolar disorder (BP-I) at 18q22-q23. Nature Genetics, 12(4):436-442.
28. McInnes A & Rennick D. (1988). Interleukin-4 stimulates the production of giant-multinucleated cells from monocyte-macro-phages. JEM, Vol 167(2):598-612.
