Dr. Qualls grew up in a military family and has lived all across the United States. He completed two undergraduate degrees in both Biology and History at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He then attended the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, completing a combined program for his Doctor of Medicine (MD) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees. Dr. Qualls completed his psychiatry specialty training at Harvard Beth Israel Deaconess Psychiatry Residency, serving as consultation-liaison chief resident for his final year of residency. Dr. Qualls has treated a variety of populations from diverse backgrounds, including caring for patients at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, McLean Hospital, Boston Veterans Healthcare System, and the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. He has managed patients’ psychiatric conditions such anxiety and depressive disorders, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorders, psychosis, PTSD, neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders, and substance use disorders.
Dr. Qualls was awarded the Harvard Medical School / Boston VA Healthcare System 2020
Commendation for Excellence in Psychotherapy Skills, and is experienced with multiple modalities of psychotherapy, including among others psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, dialectical behavior, exposure, cognitive processing, couples, and group therapies. Dr. Qualls uses his therapy skills within his medication management sessions to truly listen to his patients and provide comprehensive care.
His lifelong focus on learning has involved researching how to include therapy in rural clinics, best prescription drug safety practices, and the inclusion of post-traumatic stress disorder into the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) for Mental Disorders. He was also an instructor for the “Mind, Brain, and Behavior” course, teaching Harvard Medical School students. He is an advocate for mental health, serving three years as Resident Chair of the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society’s Committee on Addictions where he authored the organization’s endorsement on legislation for parity efforts in substance use treatment.
Dr. Qualls is interested in offering the best evidence-based practices and the newest emerging
psychiatric treatment options for his patients. His goal is to provide compassionate, nonjudgmental, individualized care to each of his patients.