Newspaper Names Psychiatrist ‘Health Care Hero’

Robert Hales, M.D., chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Davis, and editor in chief of books for American Psychiatric Publishing, has been named a Health Care Hero by the Sacramento Business Journal.

In addition to his academic and publishing responsibilities, Hales has been active in the mental health care system in the Sacramento area and serves as medical director for mental health services in Sacramento County.

He was nominated for the honor by Mary Ann Carrasco, deputy director of Sacramento County’s Division of Behavioral Services, who said she nominated Hales for his extensive efforts to ensure that the county’s residents have access to county-run mental health care and for his work in integrating mental health and general health care services. “He is extremely knowledgeable and is always willing to assist with any programming issues,” Carassco said. “He is also a very compassionate doctor and is very client centered in his thoughtful advice and guidance.”

After the award was announced, Hales told Psychiatric News that “The [psychiatry] department has been fortunate to have the County of Sacramento as a strong partner, which has allowed the training program to flourish, and in return, the quality of care provided to county patients with mental illness has improved through this collaboration.”

His clinical work is not the only arena in which Hales has come in for praise. In 2006 his academic and educational efforts were honored when he was named Educator of the Year by the Association for Academic Psychiatry.

Educating psychiatrists and others in the mental health field is of course part of his mission at American Psychiatric Publishing (APP) as well. John McDuffie, editorial director for books at APP, cited Hales’s leadership as APP’s editor in chief for books, noting that “he is both strategic and tactical in his approach to content development, and he provides wise and practical counsel on a wide variety of publishing issues.”

“Not only is Bob Hales an extraordinary editor of the largest psychiatry book publisher in the world,” said APA Medical Director James H. Scully Jr., M.D., “it turns out he is also a great clinical leader in improving care. A true hero.” ■