Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010, noon

Mental Health Impact - Soldiers Deployed to Iraq

Commissioner Terry Cline kicks off the Fall 2010 lecture series by providing insight on the impact of mental health issues faced by many of the soldiers who were deployed to Iraq. In addition to Cline’s experience working as the Health Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Cline will draw comparisons of the U.S. and Baghdad health care systems.

Terry Cline, Ph.D.

Sponsor: 
OKDHS Human Resources Management Division

About the Speaker:
Dr. Cline began his tenure as Oklahoma Commissioner of Health effective June 2009. He was appointed to this position by the Oklahoma State Board of Health. Cline earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University.

Cline recently completed a post as Health Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, where he advised the U.S. Ambassador, Iraqi Minister of Health, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on health-related challenges in Iraq. Prior to that position, he served as Administrator for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration from 2006 to 2008. As SAMHSA Administrator, he directed the $3.3 billion agency that is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity, and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health service delivery systems.

In 2004, he was appointed by Gov. Brad Henry as Oklahoma’s Secretary of Health, while serving as Oklahoma Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. During this time, Cline built strong collaborative relationships among multiple constituency groups and government agencies that touch the lives of individuals with substance abuse and mental health issues.

Cline’s professional history also includes a six-year appointment as a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Chairman of the governing board for a Harvard teaching hospital in Cambridge, Mass.

Video, Audio and Transcript (Opens in new window)