Joan Cook appointed the Albert E. Kent Professor of Psychiatry

Joan Cook, who has worked clinically with a range of trauma survivors, was recently appointed the Albert E. Kent Professor of Psychiatry. The appointment is for a term of 10 years, renewable by the dean of the Yale School of Medicine (YSM).

Her research interests fall within three domains: traumatic stress, geriatric mental health, and the dissemination and implementation of effective mental health services in the community.

Cook earned her Ph.D. and master’s from Nova Southeastern University.

She has more than 150 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of traumatic stress, geriatric mental health and implementation science. Her experience with trauma survivors has included working with combat veterans and former prisoners of war, men and women who have been physically and sexually assaulted in childhood and adulthood, and survivors of the 2001 terror attack at the World Trade Center.

Cook has also served as the principal investigator on eight federal grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. She was a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) Guideline Development Panel for PTSD and the 2016 President of APA’s Division of Trauma Psychology.

Since October 2015, she has published more than 100 op-eds for CNN, TIME, Newsweek, The Hill, NBC, and other publications.

In 2020 she was honored by YSM’s Department of Psychiatry (Psychology Section) for her outstanding contributions as a teacher. In 2016, the American Psychological Association Division of Trauma Psychology recognized her for outstanding service to the field of trauma psychology