Biography

Donald Bersoff was the founding director of the school's law and psychology program.  He is a nationally known leader in mental health law who has published dozens of books, chapters and articles on legal and ethical issues in mental health, developmental disabilities and education.   

In November 2011, Professor Bersoff was elected president of the American Psychological Association.

Before coming to Drexel, Professor Bersoff directed the JD-PhD Program in Law and Psychology offered jointly by the Villanova University School of Law and the Department of Clinical & Health Psychology at MCP Hahnemann University (which has since merged with Drexel University).

His other academic positions include developing the nation’s second joint law and psychology program, offered by Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Law, as well as holding faculty posts at the University of Georgia College of Education and the Ohio State University.

Professor Bersoff edited the landmark "Ethical Conflicts in Psychology," now in its fourth edition, and has written more than 100 publications and papers on the interaction of law, psychology and public policy. His articles have appeared in publications including American Psychologist, University of Chicago Law School Roundtable, Law and Human Behavior, Ethics & Behavior and the Journal of School Psychology.

Professor Bersoff has extensive professional experience in both law and psychology, having been general counsel to the American Psychological Association, and a partner in the Washington-based firms of Jenner & Block and Ennis Friedman & Bersoff. Elected to three terms on the APA Council of Representatives, he served as president of the American Psychology-Law Society and chairman of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Mental Disability Law. His experience as a clinical psychologist includes work with the U.S. Air Force in Southeast Asia and elsewhere.

His media interviews and commentary include appearances on CNN, CBS Morning News and NPR.

Professor Bersoff received his JD from Yale University Law School, where he served on the editorial board of the Yale Law Journal.