Charles W. Mathias, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry in the Long School of Medicine, has been named a RWJF Health Policy Fellow by the National Academy of Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Along with five other fellows chosen in a national competition, Dr. Mathias beginning in September will spend a year in Washington, D.C., working on health-related legislative and regulatory issues with members of Congress and the executive branch.
“We have been developing innovative programming for the mentally ill who encounter the criminal justice system locally,” said Dr. Mathias, who joined the UT Health San Antonio faculty in 2008. “It is exciting to take these experiences to inform health policy at the federal level.”
Gregg Margolis, director of the RWJF Health Policy Fellows Program at the National Academy of Medicine, said, “This is a very important time in federal health policy, and the decisions made over the next year will impact the health of people in this country for years to come. We are proud to bring these exceptional and accomplished professionals to Washington, D.C., to participate in the policy process. Their deep, practical experience in health care, public health and research brings ‘real life’ perspectives to improve the health of the nation.”
Dr. Mathias’ research focuses on the discovery of the biological, behavioral and personality mechanism involved in the initiation and maintenance of harmful behaviors such as aggression, addiction and suicide. He has extensive community engagement experience with Bexar County, particularly with alcohol-related offenses and alcoholism and mental illness.