A former clinical professor in the Yale Department of Psychiatry has been named chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association (APA).
Arthur C. Evans, Jr., PhD, an Associate Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at Yale between 1991 and 2004, will head the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. The APA’s membership comprises 117,500 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. Its annual budget is $128 million, and it has more than 500 employees.
For the past 12 years, Evans has been commissioner of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Service, a $1.2 billion health care agency that serves 1.5 million people. Before that he was Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
APA President Antonio E. Puente, PhD, described Evans as a “trailblazer” who has transformed each of the mental health systems he has led.
“We look forward to Dr. Evans’ vision and inspirational leadership skills to promote the association as the pre-eminent organization advancing psychological science, education and practice in the public interest, and supporting psychologists in the United States and beyond,” Puente said in a statement.
Evans completed his Fellowship in Clinical and Community Psychology at Yale in 1989, and two years later began working on the faculty.
He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, and a fellow and member of the board of trustees of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. He has authored or co-authored 40 peer-reviewed research articles and numerous chapters, reviews, and editorials.