On the occasion of its 129th Annual Meeting, the American Psychological Association recognizes Geoffrey M. Reed, PhD, for his outstanding lifetime contributions to psychology based on his lifelong commitment and devotion to advancing science, education and practice globally to achieve mental health equity and improve human welfare.
Reed is engaged in reducing health disparities through his work as the cochair of APA’s Presidential Task Force on Psychology and Health Equity. His exceptional ability to gather professionals to work toward a common goal is exemplified in his work with the World Health Organization (WHO) as senior project officer in the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Reed is lauded for pioneering and directing research to improve the reliability, clinical utility and global applicability of the WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) for Mental, Behavioral, and Neurodevelopmental disorders and related areas. He led a truly global program of research that incorporated a range of innovative methodologies and has provided the foundation for the most international, multilingual and multidisciplinary process ever undertaken in the development of a classification of mental disorders. As a part of this effort, he founded, developed and directs the Global Clinical Practice Network (GCPN) comprising more than 16,500 mental health professionals from 163 countries to inform revisions of the ICD-11. The GCPN is the largest and most broadly international practice-based research network that has ever been established, linking clinicians on the ground and around the globe, working to improve clinical care and health systems for mental and behavioral disorders.
Reed’s scientific contribution is evidenced by the publication of more than 400 scientific articles to date related to the development of the classification of mental disorders in ICD-11. Reed continues to lead efforts related to international training, dissemination and adoption by WHO member states for ICD-11 mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders and related areas in his role as codirector of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Capacity Building and Training in Global Mental Health at Columbia University. He is also a member of the WHO Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee for ICD-11.
More so, Reed was instrumental in fostering a multi-sector collaboration between the faculty of psychology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the National Institute of Psychiatry “Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz”, Mexico and the WHO to found the first Global Mental Health Research Center located in a developing country. This further demonstrates his capacity as an innovative leader and orchestrator of strategic partnerships for collective impact on improving the identification and treatment of people requiring mental health services in low- and middle-income countries. He is a member at the highest level of the National System of Researchers, National Council of Science and Technology, Mexico.
A California native, Reed obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1984 and his doctorate in clinical psychology in 1989 from the University of California, Los Angeles. Since 2018 he has been a professor of medical psychology, department of psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. He served the American Psychological Association as assistant executive director for professional development for 11 years.
Reed has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Robert L. Spitzer Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Nosology and Diagnosis from the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry and the Outstanding International Psychologist Award from the Division of International Psychology of the American Psychological Association. Reed has over 220 publications, almost one quarter million reads and over 18,000 citations. He was recently recognized as one of the world’s top 2% of scientists by Stanford University.
Reed is an inspirational voice for many health professionals who aim to make global mental health and health equity a reality. For his exceptional career as a scientist, scholar, advocate and leader, it is my honor and pleasure to present Reed with the 2021 APA Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology and to thank him for his service to APA, psychology, and the world.