Dr. Eric Arzubi - A New Approach to Solving the West's Mental Health Crisis

Dr. Eric Arzubi is the co-founder of Frontier Psychiatry, a Montana-based medical practice that is accelerating and expanding access to high-quality psychiatric care for rural communities.

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By many metrics, Montana can be described as the epicenter of the United States’ mental health crisis. The large, mostly rural state is home to many vulnerable populations who are disproportionately affected by mental health concerns. And given Montana’s sprawling, lightly populated landscape, easy access to specialized and high-quality mental health care has been a significant challenge. But thanks to technological advancements and increased internet access, Eric and his team have successfully used telepsychiatry to reach underserved communities throughout Montana.

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Eric’s path to becoming an innovator in rural medicine is an amazing, unexpected, and inspiring story. After graduating from college, he spent most of his 20s working as a Wall Street bond trader for Morgan Stanley, traveling the world and earning a great living. But despite his material success, he was unfulfilled with his career and felt a deep longing to do purpose-driven work that made the world a better place. So, at age 29, he decided to walk away from Wall Street and begin the long process of becoming a doctor– prerequisite courses, medical school, residency, and a fellowship in child psychiatry. At age 44, he landed his first job as a psychiatrist in Billings, Montana, where he fell in love with the people and place, and he began his quest to find solutions to the mental health crisis that plagues the rural West.

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Mental health is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, so it was a real honor to have the opportunity to chat with Eric and learn about his innovative approach to solving such a complex societal challenge. We started out discussing his path to medicine– everything from why he decided to walk away from Wall Street to why he chose psychiatry as his specialty. We discuss the factors that have made Montana the epicenter of the mental health crisis and what makes Frontier Psychiatry so uniquely qualified to help. We discuss approaches to scaling mental health care throughout the West, how Eric’s business and entrepreneurial background has helped him to find solutions to such a complex problem, and why it’s important for all of us to be advocates for mental health in our own communities. He also describes one of Frontier Psychiatry’s newest initiatives, a partnership with the Montana Department of Agriculture that provides free, confidential counseling to men and women working in agriculture in Montana.

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Eric’s life story and his current work are incredibly inspiring, so I know you’ll enjoy this episode. Thanks to Eric for taking the time to talk, and thanks to you for listening. I hope you enjoy.

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• Frontier Psychiatry
• Dr. Eric Arzubi
• Full Episode Notes & Links: https://mountainandprairie.com/eric-arzubi/
• https://blankfoundation.org/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 4:00 – Eric describes what he was doing when he was 28
• 6:00 – Eric talks about his change of heart at age 29
• 12:00 – Eric discusses his friends’ and family’s reaction to his career shift, and how one staff member at Morgan Stanley gave him the courage and space to pursue his medical career
• 16:00 – Eric talks about how psychiatry caught his attention
• 21:45 – Eric explains how he ended up in Montana
• 32:30 – Eric talks about what makes Frontier Psychiatry special
• 37:30 – Eric discusses how his nontraditional career path may have helped him challenge established practices in the field of me