Biography
David DeMatteo is a leader in mental health law and a prolific scholar whose research interests include psychopathic personality, forensic mental health assessment, and offender diversion. The Director of the JD/PhD Program in Law and Psychology, he is a Professor of Law at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law and a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology.
Professor DeMatteo's research has been funded by numerous federal and state agencies, as well as private foundations, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Pennsylvania Department of Welfare, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and the American Psychology-Law Society.
Professor DeMatteo has received several teaching awards, including the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award (2021) from Drexel University, the Dean Roger J. Dennis Distinction in Teaching Award from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law (2020), and the Teaching Excellence Award from the Drexel University College of Arts and Sciences (2011).
Based on his research and professional interests, Professor DeMatteo has written or edited 10 books, published more than 120 articles and book chapters, and given more than 200 conference presentations. He is an Associate Editor for Law and Human Behavior, serves on the editorial boards of more than one dozen journals, and serves a reviewer for more than 60 scientific journals.
Professor DeMatteo has extensive involvement with professional organizations. He was Chair of the APA’s Committee on Legal Issues in 2011, and President of the American Psychology-Law Society (APA Division 41) in 2016-17. He is a Fellow of APA, a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, and board certified in forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.
He received his BA (high honors) in psychology from Rutgers University, his MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from MCP Hahnemann University, and his JD, magna cum laude, from the Villanova University School of Law. He was also the executive editor of the Villanova Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif.
Dr. DeMatteo is licensed as a psychologist in Pennsylvania, where he conducts forensic mental health assessments of juveniles and adults on a variety of legal issues.