03/20/12
Randolph, Mass. – May Institute, a leading national provider of educational, behavioral, and rehabilitative services for individuals with special needs, has announced the appointment of Deidre L. Donaldson, Ph.D., as Chief Clinical Officer.
Prior to her recent promotion, Dr. Donaldson served as May Institute’s Director of Pediatric Psychology Services. In that role, she was responsible for the development of pediatric psychology programs and training at the Institute. She also served as the Director of the Fernandes Center for Children and Families at Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, Mass., a joint partnership between Saint Anne's and May Institute.
As Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Donaldson will provide clinical oversight for all of May Institute’s programs and centers. Her responsibilities include setting standards for clinical practice, credentialing and privileging staff, supervision of clinical procedures and interventions, and oversight of professional training and research. She will also ensure the quality of clinical services through supervision of the Quality Improvement team and the development of performance improvement projects.
“I am very pleased to announce Dr. Donaldson’s promotion to the Institute’s executive leadership team,” said Lauren C. Solotar, Ph.D., ABPP, Chief Executive Officer of May Institute. “She is a highly respected colleague, a skilled clinician, and a very effective manager. I am confident that, in her new position, she will continue to have a positive impact on the individuals we serve.”
Dr. Donaldson received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Bowling Green State University. She completed an internship in psychology at Children's Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School and was a postdoctoral psychology Fellow at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University where she remains as adjunct faculty.
A licensed psychologist in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, she is a past board member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Psychological Association. Dr. Donaldson is also a member of the American Psychological Association, Division 54 (Pediatric Psychology), a member of the Association for the Advancement of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and has been trained through the American Red Cross in Disaster Mental Health. In addition, she completed a certificate program in business management through Brown University in 2001, and is an alumnus of Leadership Southcoast.
Dr. Donaldson’s research and clinical interests include child behavioral medicine, family coping with illness, neurodevelopment, sleep, feeding, and adolescent suicide. Her work has been published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, and Child Psychiatry and Human Development as well as in magazines and book chapters.
About May Institute
May Institute is an award-winning nonprofit organization with more than 55 years of experience in serving children and adults with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities, brain injury, mental illness, and behavioral health needs. The organization provides educational, rehabilitative, and behavioral healthcare services to individuals, as well as training and consultation services to professionals, organizations, and public school systems. At our nearly 200 service locations across the country, we work to create new and more effective ways to meet the special needs of individuals and families across the lifespan. For more information, call 800.778.7601 or visit www.mayinstitute.org.