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Biography of Jim Gagné, MD, QME

Education. I grew up in upstate New York. After graduating from high school, I moved to New York City to attend Columbia University, where I was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and received other academic awards. I attended medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. I completed the first two years of postgraduate training in Internal Medicine at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, wrapping up my final residency year at Kaiser in Santa Clara, California. I've lived in Los Angeles since 1977.

Certification. I am certified by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pain Medicine. In addition, I'm certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. I'm a Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) for the State of California workers compensation system.

Experience. After residency I joined the UCLA Pain Control Unit as Clinic Medical Director. In 1982, I began practicing internal medicine in Glendale at HCMG, Inc., a medical group. In 1988 I opened a private practice with my wife, Dr. Mary Hardy. In addition to practicing internal medicine, I was Medical Director of Glendale Adventist Drug and Alcohol Services. I left private practice in 1998 to become Physician In Charge of the Department of Addiction Medicine at Kaiser, followed by a position as Medical Director of the Care Center Rehabilitation & Pain Management program in Encino. For several years I practiced pain medicine one day a week in the Department of Rehabilitation at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

Current practice. In June 2002, I returned to my roots in internal medicine and joined the Verdugo Internal Medicine group. I enjoy the diversity of a general internal medicine practice and getting to know many different kinds of people. I am particularly interested in the relationship between illness and emotion, and how spirituality can aid healing. I enjoy coaching people to manage their own health and wellbeing.

On Thursday mornings, I teach medical students at USC/Keck Medical School. In addition, I see patients in addiction medicine settings such as the Canyon at Peace Park, a deluxe private recovery program in Malibu.

In 2005 and 2006 I was Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Verdugo Hills Hospital.

How do you pronounce my name? I have a French name, because my great-great-grandfather came from Canada. Say "Gone-YAY!" (rhymes with "Monet"). I kid people that the easiest way to remember my name is you're happy when I leave ("Yay! he's gone.").

Contact information. The best way to reach me is to phone Verdugo Internal Medicine during business hours at (818) 790-4300, fax (818) 790-2816. The address is 1809 Verdugo Boulevard, Suite 200, Glendale CA 91208.

Last updated Tue, Jan 23, 2007

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