Dr. Chris Searles assumed the co-directorship of the UCSD Combined Program after completing a fellowship at the National Institute for Program Director Development (NIPDD).  A San Diego native, Dr. Searles earned his undergraduate degree in Writing at UCSD and his medical degree from the University of California, Davis.  His clinical practice is in the primary care of the underserved and he teaches residents from several residency training programs. His work week finds him in the Mobile Health Clinic, at St. Vincent de Paul, at Southwest High School, and at the Scripps Family Medicine Residency program in Chula Vista. He directs the behavioral medicine curricula for both the UCSD and Scripps Family Medicine residency programs and is the current behavioral medicine editor of the upcoming new edition of Swanson's Family Medicine Board Review.  He is the recipient of the 2008 American Medical Association YPS Community Service Award and was recently highlighted in San Diego Metropolitan Magazine as one of its "40 Under 40."

Dr. Searles is very active in the community and has a special interest in finding creative ways to address preventable disease.  His passion for preventive health is fueled by his firm belief that by finding community partners with similar goals we can all "work smarter" to address the health disparities that exist for families who live and work below the poverty line. He is the co-chair of the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative and is the founder of RecreationRx.org which is a "recreation prescription" initiative to bring safe and structured activity to poor families through partnerships between physicians and regional recreation organizations.