UF names new clinical and health psychology department chairman

July 19, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Leading drug dependence and infectious disease epidemiologist William W. Latimer has been named chairman of the department of clinical and health psychology at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions.

Latimer comes to UF from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he served as director of the Drug Dependence Epidemiology Training Program, which is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the U.S. State Department Humphrey Fellowship Program.

“Dr. Latimer is in a position to expand core strengths of the department of clinical and health psychology in its subspecialties of neuropsychology, health psychology and pediatric psychology while also developing new and innovative connections between the disciplines of psychology and public health,” said Michael G. Perri, dean of the College of Public Health and Health Professions.

Latimer studies neuropsychological factors that may put people at risk for drug dependence and infectious disease transmission and has received more than $25 million in federal funding to support his research. He developed Integrated Family and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, which has been used as a drug-use prevention program for middle school students and a drug treatment for adolescents and adults. The therapy will be evaluated as an HIV prevention tool in a new study in South Africa.

“With his background in psychology and epidemiology, Dr. Latimer is an ideal person to lead the UF department of clinical and health psychology. In his work he has combined individual patient care with a broader population perspective, an approach that is inherent to the College of Public Health and Health Professions’ unique mission,” said Dr. David S. Guzick, UF senior vice president for health affairs and president of the UF&Shands Health System.

Latimer received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Rhode Island, a master’s degree in public health epidemiology from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree in developmental psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.