Biography

Dr Rutchik grew up in Norwich, Connecticut and graduated from The Norwich Free Academy in 1982.  He gave the Ivy Oration at Graduation.  He then completed Columbia College in the City of New York in 1986 and Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, PA in 1990. He then completed an Internal Medicine internship at St Luke's Hospital in New York, NY an affiliated hospital of The Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeon's in 1991.  That next year, he worked for the US Public Health Services/ Indian Health Service in Zuni New MExico and Bethel, Alaska and then with the Joint Distribution Committee in Casablanca, Morocco serving indigent populations in these areas of the world.  Between 1992 and 1995, he was with the Departments of Neurology and Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Boston University.  Under the direction of the Chairman of Neurology, Dr Robert Feldman, he completed a Neurology Fellowship in OE Neurology, a two year residency in Occupational and Environmental Medicine (chaired by Cheryl Barbanel, MD, MPH and Robert Swotinsky, MD, MPH) and a Master's Degree in Public Health. During that two year period, Dr. Rutchik was the recipient of a Clinical Fellowship Award in Environmental Medicine from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1997, he also received

training in nerve conduction velocity and electromyography testing at The Beth Israel Medical Center. 

During these years, he has worked with the Department of Labor in Washington, DC at OSHA on The Blood borne Pathogens Standard, carbon disulfide, mercury and manganese toxicity and currently advises the Health Standards Section on issues related to current permissible exposure limits for many hazardous chemicals.

He has also worked as a consultant to Clean Harbors, Inc. on medical surveillance for hazardous waste workers.

At Boston University Laboratories, he was involved in a project to improve medical surveillance for workers exposed to dioxins and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. 

Also, he has advised NIOSH on health hazard evaluations involving asthma and headaches in a submarine manufacturing company, carbon disulfide exposure in a viscose rayon plant, lead and arsenic toxicity in an elementary school and mercury exposure in a mercury waste company. 

Dr. Rutchik has focused on research to assess a low allergenic latex glove and repetitive strain injury while working within The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Environmental Medical Service, and Dr Robert McCunney.

He has served as a consultant to The Disability Management Services of Prudential Insurance in Parsippany, New Jersey.

1997, he was affiliated with The World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland on a proposal for an Occupational Toxicology Training Manual for Health Care and Industrial Professional in Underdeveloped countries; and The Evaluation of Populations with a High Prevalence Neurological Illnesses in Underdeveloped Countries.

For 1997 and 1998, Dr. Rutchik worked as the Medical Director of the Division of Occupational and Environmental Neurology for Occupational Health and Rehabilitation, Inc. of Boston, Ma. This position enabled him to develop a practice that included clinical patient duties evaluating those with occupational injury and environmental illness as well as consulting to industry, government, attorneys and academia. In this role, he worked as the Associate Medical Director on site at the General Electric Aircraft Engine Manufacturing Center in Lynn, Mass. Injury management and prevention, ergonomic issues and return to work and disability issues were common challenges.

Dr. Rutchik's focus is neurological illness, workplace injuries and environmental exposure.Throughout his career, Dr. Rutchik has focused on neurological illness and workplace and environmental exposure in many settings.

Dr. Rutchik has lectured to various audiences and presented academic papers on Neurology Data Collection, Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Ethylene oxide, Perchloroethylene, Lead Neurotoxicity, Toxicology of the Visual System, Neurological Sequellae of Chlorinated Ethylenes, Practical Occupational and Environmental Neurology, and Neurotoxicology.

He has authored numerous abstracts, book chapters on The Occupational Hazards of Anatomical Pathology, Occupational Slow Viruses and Occupational and Environmental Neurology and peer reviewed journal articles on The Effect of Temperature on Motor Responses in Organophosphate Intoxication, Neurological Sequellae from a Occupational Exposure to Lithium, Biological Monitoring of Dioxin, Revising a Medical Surveillance Plan For a Hazardous Waste Company, and An Occupational and Environmental Neurology Subspecialist. 

He is the author of chapters on Metal Neurotoxicity and Mercury Neuropathy for a prominent Neurology Internet text entitled Medlink Neurology.

He also is the section editor for Neurotoxicology and author of chapters in another Medicine Internet Website, called EMedicine/Medscape.  He has authored chapters on Organic Solvents, and Toxic Neuropathy for Emedicine/MEdscape, an Internet medical text.

In 1999, Dr. Rutchik relocated to New York, NY where he developed Neurology Environmental & Occupational Medicine Associates [NEOMA]. The URL for NEOMA's Website is www.neoma.com.

In New York, he associated himself with Industrial Medical Asssociates of White Plains, NY, The Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ and the Division of Environmental Health of the Columbia Univeristy School of Public Health.

In August 2000, Dr. Rutchik re-established his practice in the San Francisco Bay area. Soon after, he was became a Qualified Medical Evaluator, by the Industrial Medical Board of California.

Presently, with a central administrative office in Mill Valley, he sees patients in SF, Richmond, and Petaluma weekly, Sacramento monthly and in the Eureka area, quarterly. Focusing on industrial injuries, chemical exposure and disability, Dr. Rutchik evaluates and treats injured workers with specialty neurology and occupational and environmental medicine expertise. He performs electromyography and nerve conduction velocity testing, IMEs, QMEs, AOE and AMEs as well as fitness for duty evaluations. Dr. Rutchik is also available for record review and utilization review. Dr. Rutchik is listed on a number of well known MPN networks for worker’s compensation.

His academic affiliations include University of California at San Francisco where he is  Associate Clinical Professor in the Division of Occupational Medicine, in the Department of Internal Medicine.  In this capacity, he teaches medical students, residents and fellows as well as nurses and nurse practioners in his areas of expertise.  He continues to write and lecture on various subjects involving head trauma, neurological fitness for duty, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, toxic neuropathy and solvents and metals and their neurological consequences, and has submitted numerous articles and book chapters to peer reviewed journal and textbooks.

Other affiliations have included, Medical Director for CID Management Services, a Utilization review company based in Southern California; as well as Travelers Insurance where he was medical director of a Disability and Workers Compensation Division.

He is an active member of Western Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association (WOHC), American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), American Academy of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM), American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and The Movement Disorder Society.  

In 2012, he was acknowledge for his years of service and scientific contributions to his specialty  by the Americal College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine as a fellow(FACOEM)!

Dr.Rutchik, continued to keep his medical licenses active in NY, MA and frequently visits the East Coast for professional and personal reasons. In 2013, he was granted medical licenses in New Mexico and Idaho.

In 2013, Dr Rutchik was promoted to Associate Clinical Professor at UCSF in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Occupational Medicine.   

In 2016, Dr Rutchik was acknowledged for his years of service and scientific contributions to his specialty by the American Academy of Neurology as a Fellow. (FAAN).

In 2017, Dr Rutchik was recertified by the ABPN in Neurology.