Medical Director, South Orange County Wellness
Dr. Joseph De Santo
M.D., Board Certified in Internal Medicine
Dr. De Santo leads medical care at South Orange County Wellness, bringing more than 25 years of hospital, urgent care, and addiction medicine experience to every client's treatment plan.
- Board Certified, Internal Medicine
- Licensed Physician, California
- 25+ Years in Medicine
- 25+Years practicing medicine
- 17+Years prescribing buprenorphine (Suboxone)
- 4,000+Hours in addiction treatment
About Dr. De Santo
Dr. Joseph De Santo is a board-certified internal medicine physician who has spent more than 25 years caring for patients in hospitals, urgent care centers, and treatment programs across Southern California. That range matters in mental health care, where physical health, medications, and emotional wellbeing are closely tied together.
As Medical Director at South Orange County Wellness, he oversees the medical side of care for adults in our partial hospitalization program, intensive outpatient program, and outpatient program. He works closely with our clinical team so that each client's plan accounts for the whole person, including co-occurring substance use when it is part of the picture.
Dr. De Santo owns and serves as Medical Director of a private addiction medicine practice in Huntington Beach, CA, and has served as Medical Director for multiple treatment centers throughout Orange County. Over the past 17+ years he has prescribed buprenorphine as part of medication-assisted treatment, logging more than 4,000 hours in addiction care.
Before focusing on addiction medicine, he spent nearly a decade as a Director of Clinical Trials and as a Lead Physician and Hospitalist in the Los Angeles area, along with leadership roles in urgent care in Orange County and physician programs in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area. That background shapes a careful, medically thorough approach to treating mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and trauma.
Career timeline
- Present
Medical Director
South Orange County Wellness, San Juan Capistrano, CA
- 2014–Present
Owner and Medical Director
Private addiction medicine practice, Huntington Beach, CA
- 2014–Present
Medical Director
Multiple drug and alcohol treatment centers, Orange County, CA
- 2012–2014
Medical Director and Urgent Care Physician
West Covina and Newport Beach, CA
- 2011–2012
Director, Urgent Care Centers
Fountain Valley, CA
- 2002–2012
Director of Clinical Trials
Los Angeles region
- 2002–2011
Lead Physician and Hospitalist
Los Angeles region
- 1999–2002
Urgent Care Physician
Torrance, CA
- 1999–2001
Director of Physician Programs and Services
Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ
- 1998–1999
Physician, Private Practice
Culver City, CA
Education and certifications
Education
- M.D., State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate
- Internship and Residency, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
- B.A., Biology, Lafayette College, Easton, PA
Certifications and licensure
- Board Certified, Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine
- Licensed Physician, Medical Board of California, License #G081151
Getting started with Dr. De Santo's team
Reach out
Call or message our admissions team. It's confidential and there's no commitment.
Check your coverage
We'll talk through what's going on and verify your insurance before you decide anything.
Start care
Your care team, including Dr. De Santo, builds a plan around your needs and the right level of care.
Talk to our team today
Dr. De Santo and the South Orange County Wellness team are here to help you take the next step with care that's medically grounded and personal.