Dr. Gerald P. Koocher earned his doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri. He previously served as Chief of Psychology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and as health sciences dean at Simmons and DePaul Universities. In August, 2022, he joined Capella University as director of their clinical and school psychology programs. He retains appointments as a Senior Attending Psychologist at Children’s Hospital, Lecturer at Harvard Medical School in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and faculty member at the Harvard Bioethics Center.

Dr. Koocher is the founding Editor of the journal Ethics & Behavior, and previously served as Editor of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and The Clinical Psychologist. He is currently Associate Editor of Practice Innovations. He has published more than 350 articles and book chapters and authored or edited 17 books including Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions, the Psychologists’ Desk Reference, and The Parent’s Guide to Psychological First Aid.

He earned five specialty diplomas from the American Board of Professional Psychology (Clinical, Clinical Child /Adolescent, Family, Forensic, and Health Psychology) and holds active psychology licenses in Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Hampshire. Dr. Koocher has served in many state and national professional leadership roles including as APA President in 2006.