Richard McKeon, Ph.D.

Richard McKeon, Ph.D., MPH received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona and masters of public health degree in health administration from Columbia University. He has spent most of his career working in community mental health, including 11 years as director of a psychiatric emergency service and 4 years as associate administration and clinical director of a hospital-based community mental health center in Newton, New Jersey. In 2001, Dr. McKeon was awarded an American Psychological Association Congressional Fellowship and worked in the United States Senate, covering health and mental health policy issues. He spent 5 years on the Board of the American Association of Suicidology as clinical division director and served on the Board of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association.

Dr. McKeon is the Chief for the Suicide Prevention Branch in the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAHMSA), where he oversees all branch suicide prevention activities, including the Garrett Lee Smith State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention and Campus Suicide Prevention grant programs, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and the Native Connections program. In 2008, he was appointed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the Secretary’s Blue Ribbon Work Group on Suicide Prevention. In 2009, he was appointed by the Secretary of Defense to the Department of Defense Task Force on Suicide Prevention in the Military. He served on the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Task Force that revised the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and participated in the development of the World Health Organization's World Suicide Prevention Report. He is also co-chair of the Federal Working Group on Suicide Prevention.