Provider Spotlight: Max Ruben, MD, Family Medicine

For Dr. Max Ruben, the path to family medicine began with AmeriCorps service in San Francisco. Working in community health—and later as an HIV navigator—he helped people connect with providers and get to appointments. That experience shaped the kind of physician he wanted to become.

Today, his work at Neighborhood Health brings together family medicine, HIV care, and collaboration with local Community Services Boards (CSBs), which provide mental health and other support services.

Dr. Ruben sees particular value in the connection between primary care and psychiatric care for patients living with serious mental illness. Working in the same building as CSB colleagues gives him opportunities to speak directly with psychiatrists and nurses, share insights, and better understand patients’ needs.

“It allows us to really focus on primary care for these folks,” he said.

That coordination helps address physical health needs alongside mental health treatment. For Dr. Ruben, the relationships among providers are an important part of making care work for patients.

His longstanding interest in HIV care also continues through Neighborhood Health’s Ryan White program. After his early work as an HIV navigator, he pursued additional training during residency. At Neighborhood Health, HIV care and treatment for hepatitis B and C complement his family medicine practice.

Asked what he wishes more people knew about Neighborhood Health, he points to its role in caring for people who face barriers to care, including those without health insurance and those living with serious mental illness.

“What we do for that population I think is really important,” he said.