About MDVT Rehab
Our Story
Eighteen years ago, a group of addiction medicine researchers at a San Diego-area hospital faced a stark reality: overdose admissions were climbing faster than existing programs could absorb them. Standard referral pipelines sent patients to facilities that treated symptoms without addressing the neurological mechanisms driving compulsive use. The researchers proposed something different — a dedicated treatment center built from the ground up on clinical evidence, operating in direct partnership with the hospital that had identified the gap.
That partnership became MDVT Rehab. The founding team designed every protocol around peer-reviewed neuroscience, from medication-assisted stabilization during detox to cognitive-behavioral interventions calibrated by measurable brain-function benchmarks. The hospital provided the initial patient pipeline and shared diagnostic infrastructure; the researchers provided the translational science that turned laboratory findings into daily clinical practice.
Today, MDVT Rehab operates a 52-bed facility staffed by 110 professionals and has treated more than 11,200 patients. The hospital partnership that launched the center continues to inform its research-to-practice model, ensuring that advances in addiction neuroscience reach patients within months — not decades — of publication.
Our Mission
MDVT Rehab exists to dismantle the cycle of addiction through rigorous, science-based treatment and equally rigorous relapse prevention. We believe that effective care does not end at discharge — it begins there. Every clinical decision we make is evaluated against two criteria: does it resolve the acute crisis, and does it build the neurological and behavioral resilience required to prevent recurrence?
Our prevention framework is embedded into every stage of treatment. From the first day of medical detox through aftercare planning, our team identifies the specific biological, psychological, and environmental triggers unique to each patient. We then construct individualized prevention protocols — grounded in motivational science and cognitive restructuring — that patients carry with them long after they leave our facility at 6190 University Ave in San Diego.
Treatment Philosophy
Our treatment philosophy rests on three clinical pillars, each validated by decades of peer-reviewed research and refined through 18 years of direct patient outcomes at MDVT Rehab. These pillars are not abstract principles — they are operational standards that shape every protocol, staffing decision, and therapeutic interaction in our facility.
- Neuroscience-Based Care: Addiction restructures the brain. Our clinical team uses neuroimaging-informed assessments and pharmacological interventions to address the specific reward-pathway disruptions driving each patient's substance use. Treatment plans are calibrated to measurable neurological benchmarks, not generalized timelines.
- Motivational Enhancement: Lasting recovery requires internal motivation, not external compliance. Our therapists employ motivational interviewing and self-determination techniques to help patients identify their own reasons for change — then build structured action plans around those reasons. This approach produces higher engagement rates and stronger post-discharge follow-through.
- Trauma-Informed Approach: The majority of patients presenting with substance use disorders carry co-occurring trauma histories. Every member of our 110-person staff is trained in trauma-informed care, ensuring that clinical environments, communication styles, and therapeutic modalities account for the neurological and emotional impact of unresolved trauma.
Our Team
Dr. Nathan Cordero, MD, FASAM
Medical Director
Dr. Cordero is a board-certified addiction medicine physician with 22 years of clinical experience. He completed his residency in psychiatry at UC San Diego and holds a fellowship from the American Society of Addiction Medicine. At MDVT Rehab, he oversees all medical protocols, from pharmacological detox management to medication-assisted treatment planning. His published research on opioid receptor modulation has been cited in over 40 peer-reviewed journals.
Rachel Oduya, LCSW, CADC
Director of Clinical Services
Rachel brings 15 years of direct clinical practice in substance use disorder treatment to her leadership role. She earned her MSW from San Diego State University and holds dual licensure in clinical social work and addiction counseling. Rachel designed the motivational enhancement curriculum that anchors individual therapy sessions at MDVT Rehab, and she supervises a team of 28 licensed therapists to ensure protocol fidelity across all treatment tracks.
Daniel Iverson, PhD, BCBA
Behavioral Health Research Lead
Dr. Iverson holds a doctorate in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Southern California. Before joining MDVT Rehab, he spent eight years conducting translational research on reward-pathway disruption in chronic substance users. He now leads the center's outcomes measurement program, tracking patient neurological and behavioral markers from intake through 12-month post-discharge follow-up to continuously refine clinical protocols.
Carmen Delgado, RN, CARN
Nursing Director
Carmen is a Certified Addictions Registered Nurse with 17 years of experience in acute detoxification and residential treatment settings. She manages the nursing staff responsible for 24/7 patient monitoring across all 52 beds at MDVT Rehab. Her trauma-informed nursing protocols have reduced adverse withdrawal events by 34 percent since their implementation, and she leads quarterly staff training on evidence-based crisis intervention techniques.
Testimonials
"I was 68 years old when I finally admitted I had a problem. For decades, I told myself a retired man was entitled to his evening drinks. The clinical team at MDVT Rehab never once made me feel like I had waited too long. They explained the neuroscience behind what alcohol had been doing to my brain for forty years — and then they showed me, step by step, how to reverse the damage. I am 14 months sober and sharper than I have been in a decade."
— Gerald P., Age 70, Retired Educator
"My wife signed me up. I showed up angry and convinced I was wasting everyone's time. Within three days, the individual counseling sessions broke through something I had been guarding for years. The therapists here do not lecture — they ask questions that make you confront your own logic. By week two, I stopped counting the days until discharge and started counting the reasons to stay."
— Andre K., Alumni
"My addiction cost me custody of my two children. I entered MDVT Rehab with nothing left to lose and a court order in my hand. The family therapy program did not just address my substance use — it taught me how to rebuild trust with people I had hurt. Eighteen months later, my kids are home. The work did not end at discharge, but the foundation was built here."
— Marisol V., Mother of Two