Alan L. "Lanny" Berman, PhD

Dr. Berman is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. From 1995 to 2014, he served as Executive Director of the American Association of Suicidology and, prior to that, for 4 years as Director of the National Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide at the Washington School of Psychiatry. Prior to that appointment, he was a tenured full professor of psychology at American University. He was twice elected President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (2009-2013) and is a founding member of the Johns Hopkins Center for Suicide Prevention. His clinical research interests are focused on better understanding acute and near-term risk of suicide, psychological autopsy studies, and in differentiating highly lethal and lethal suicide attempts from less lethal forms of self-directed violence. He has published 8 books and more than 175 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters related to suicide and suicide prevention.

Areas of expertise