Rita Dudley-Grant, MD, MPH '84

Dr. Dudley-Grant is Clinical Director of Virgin Islands Behavioral Services, a system of care which she helped to create over the past fourteen years providing residential and community based medical and mental health services for emotionally disturbed and behaviorally disordered youth in the US Virgin Islands.  She is a former Assistant Commissioner of Health for the Virgin Islands serving from 1987 to 1995 where she focused on capacity expansion for community health, mental health, and substance abuse programs.  Dr. Dudley-Grant has developed practicum, internship and postdoctoral training programs for counseling and psychology fellows from the Caribbean as well as the United States at VIBS.  She has presented throughout the Caribbean and the United States on adolescent and women’s mental health and health promotion and protection.  She has authored numerous articles and chapters on Women’s mental health, Diversity and Spirituality in Mental Health.  Dr. Dudley-Grant has served on the Council and several boards and committees of the American Psychological Association where she is an annual presenter, as well as participating in and presiding over several boards and committees focusing on community collaboration in the VI.  Dr. Dudley-Grant has been recognized for her contributions to the VI Department of Health.  In 2005 she received an honorary doctorate for her lifetime work from her alma mater, Simmons College.  She has been a presenter at the American Public Health Association national meetings and continues to collaborate on the expansion of primary prevention with programs such as the VI perinatal partnership.