Bernard S. Arons, M.D.
Director, Centers for Mental Health Services

Bernard S. Arons, M.D., Director, Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), has led a diverse career focused on the improvement of mental health services. As a psychiatrist and administrator at St. Elizabeth's Hospital from 1973-87, Dr. Arons served in a number of positions, including as Director of the Dixon Implementation Office, with responsibility for the major clinical care and deinstitutionalization plan, and, later, as Chief Clinical Advisor.

At the National Institute of Mental Health, Dr. Arons assisted in providing direction for the country on mental health financing. In 1989, he was selected as a Legislative Fellow to contribute his scientific and managerial expertise while working in the U.S. Congress.

In 1993, Dr. Arons was selected as an advisor on mental health issues to Mrs. Tipper Gore in the Office of the Vice President and as chair of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Working Group Cluster of the President's Task Force on National Health Care Reform.

In November 1993, Dr. Arons was appointed Director of CMHS, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. CMHS is charged with providing national leadership in improving mental health services for all Americans. He worked closely with Surgeon General David Satcher to publish the first-ever Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health, which is enhancing national awareness of mental health issues. Dr. Arons has led CMHS in addressing issues, from stigma to cultural concerns, that traditionally impede access to quality services. His commitment to making a difference has fueled work on a National Suicide Prevention Strategy, which brings together researchers, providers, advocates and consumers in developing a prevention plan to reduce suicide in the United States.

Dr. Arons has guided CMHS in providing a national response, based in science and practice, to emerging issues. From studies on parity in mental health coverage to initiatives on school violence, CMHS has become a leading voice on mental health issues for the country.

Dr. Arons continues to practice psychiatry at the Center for Mental Health, Inc., a private, nonprofit clinic in the District of Columbia. He also currently serves as a clinical professor of psychiatry on the faculty of the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Dr. Arons is a graduate of Oberlin College and the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He regularly delivers presentations and publishes articles on serious mental illness and health care reform, and he has received major awards and other recognition for his work. Dr. Arons' membership on numerous boards, societies and committees reflects his ceaseless commitment to consumers of mental health services and their families.

Last revised: January 23, 2007