October 4, 2004:
Bernard S. Arons, M.D.
Joins NDRI
as Executive Director and CEO
 |
Bernard S. Arons, M.D. has joined NDRI as Executive Director and CEO. Dr. Arons has led a diverse career focused on the improvement of behavioral health services and exemplifies the dedication to high quality public health research, training, and prevention that NDRI has come to represent. |
As a psychiatrist and administrator at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital from 1973-1987, Dr. Arons served in a number of positions, including as Director of the Dixon Implementation Office and later as Chief Clinical Advisor. At the National Institute of Mental Health, Dr. Arons assisted in providing direction for the country on mental health financing. In 1989, he was selected as a Legislative Fellow to contribute his scientific and managerial expertise while working in the U.S. Congress. In 1993, Dr. Arons served as mental health and substance abuse advisor to Mrs. Tipper Gore in the White House and co-chaired with her the National health care reform working group on mental health and substance abuse issues. In November 1993, Dr. Arons was appointed Director of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. He worked closely with Surgeon General David Satcher to publish the first-ever Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, which enhanced national awareness of mental health issues. His commitment to making a difference included work on the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, which brings together researchers, providers, advocates and consumers in developing a prevention plan to reduce suicide in the United States. From studies on parity in mental health coverage to initiatives on school violence, CMHS became, under Dr. Arons’ leadership, a leading voice on mental health issues for the country. From September 2002 through September 2004, Dr. Arons returned to the NIMH where he served as Senior Science Advisor, working on issues including college and university student mental health, suicide prevention, trauma response, and others. In addition, Dr. Arons participates as a member of the MacArthur Network on Mental Health Policy Research.
Dr. Arons serves as a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry on the faculty of the Georgetown University School of Medicine and the George Washington University School of Medicine, and is Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the Dartmouth College Medical School.