- Terry Cline
Terry Cline is an American psychologist and public health policy specialist. Since December 2006 he has served in the administration of President George W. Bush as the administrator of the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration , within the Department of Health and Human Services. He previously occupied a variety of health policy positions in the state government ofOklahoma .Biographical sketch
Cline grew up in
Ardmore, Oklahoma and attended theUniversity of Oklahoma , where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1980. He then received both a master’s degree and a Ph. D. in clinical psychology fromOklahoma State University , following which he held a six year appointment as a clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry atHarvard Medical School in Boston. Cline also served as the Chairman of the Governing Board for a Harvard Community Teaching Hospital in Cambridge for several years.Cline served as a Health Care Policy Fellow at the federal Center for Mental Health Services in the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration inWashington D.C. While there, his primary focus was on the organization and financing of mental health services. During the 1990’s, he served as the Clinical Director of the Cambridge Youth Guidance Center inCambridge, Massachusetts and was employed as a Staff Psychologist atMcLean Hospital inBelmont, Massachusetts .Cline returned to Oklahoma to accept the position of Commissioner of the
Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in January 2001.Governor of Oklahoma Brad Henry appointed Cline as Secretary of Health in 2004. From 2004 onward, Secretary Cline also concurrently served as Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.President
George W. Bush nominated Cline to head SAMSHA in November 2006, and his nomination was confirmed by theU.S. Senate in December.Secretary Names Next Health Attaché To IraqU.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Mike Leavitt announced July 22, 2008 that Terry Cline, Ph.D., will become the Department’s next Health Attaché and representative at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, effective August 31st.
“Terry’s experiences as a caregiver, manager of State-level health systems and builder of strong collaborative relationships make him an excellent choice to help the U.S. government advise Iraq as it rebuilds its health care system,” Secretary Leavitt said. “I appreciate Terry’s commitment to improving health care globally, and welcome him to this important new role.”
As Health Attaché, Dr. Cline will coordinate HHS programs in Iraq and provide advice to the U.S. ambassador, HHS Secretary and others. He will also be a liaison to Iraq’s Ministries of Health, Higher Education and Social Affairs, and will work closely with international organizations, private partners and other U.S. government agencies engaged in health-related activities.
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