Our Doctor

Dr. Sotheara Chhim graduated as a medical doctor (MD) from the University of Health Sciences (UHS) of Cambodia in 1992. In 1998, he became one of the first group of 10 psychiatrists to graduate from a joint postgraduate training program in psychiatry between the University of Health Sciences (UHS) of Cambodia and the University of Oslo of Norway. He pursued further studies and received a Master’s degree in Psychological Medicine (MPM) from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, in 2000. Later in 2014, he received a PhD degree in Transcultural Psychiatry from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

Dr. Chhim is a highly experienced psychiatrist with nearly three decades of clinical, academic, and leadership expertise in mental health. His competencies encompass comprehensive psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment of a wide range of mental disorders.

He demonstrates advanced clinical skills in managing complex mental conditions, particularly in treatment resistant depression (TRD), trauma-related disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and culturally specific syndromes called “baksbat” (broken courage), a Cambodian trauma condition that he developed in his PhD study. His work reflects a deep understanding of cross-cultural psychiatry and the psychological impact of war, violence, and intergenerational trauma. 

Dr. Chhim’s recent endeavor in neuromodulation represents a strategic evolution of his work—from medication management-based psychiatry toward integrating advanced brain-based therapies by applying neuromodulation to treat complex and treatment-resistant mental disorders while ensuring these innovations remain accessible and culturally appropriate within the Cambodian context.

He is a member of the Clinical TMS Society (CCTMS) based in the US and also a fellow of Sozo Brain Center based in Cyprus.

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