Ellen Gerrity, Ph.D.

Dr. Gerrity is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center, and the Associate Director and Senior Policy Advisor of the Duke University-UCLA National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS), the coordinating center for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Dr. Gerrity has been involved in traumatic stress research and practice for more than thirty-five years, working as a researcher, senior NIMH research administrator, clinician, and policy staffer. In her role at NIMH, she served as Associate Director of Aggression and Trauma Research overseeing the NIMH portfolio of aggression and trauma research, before accepting a detail to the U.S. Senate to serve for 5 years as Senior Mental Health Policy Advisor for U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, working on the development of mental health parity legislation and many other mental health and substance use issues. Dr. Gerrity also worked closely with Sen. Wellstone’s son, David Wellstone, as part of the successful effort to pass the parity law in 2008. In her current position, Dr. Gerrity oversees the policy activities for the NCCTS/NCTSN as the NCCTS Associate Director and Senior Policy Advisor, and as a member of the Executive Committee. In these roles, she serves as the primary liaison with federal stakeholders and coordinates the collaborative activities of NCCTS/NCTSN colleagues to translate clinical and scientific information to address policy issues relevant to the NCTSN mission. Among her awards and honors are the Public Advocacy Award, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies; the Caron Treatment Foundation Community Service “Unsung Hero” Award; and the NIH Director’s Award. Dr. Gerrity has authored multiple scientific publications, book chapters, and books related to traumatic stress, torture, and refugee mental health, including Mental Health Consequences of Torture (2001, Kluwer Academics/Plenum).