Dr. David Rudd

M. David Rudd, Ph.D., ABPP is Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and President Emeritus at the University of Memphis. He also serves as Director of the Rudd Institute for Veteran and Military Suicide Prevention. As an Army Veteran who served during the Gulf War, he conducted his first clinical trial targeting suicide risk shortly after the war and his work continues to revolve around issues of suicide risk assessment, clinical management, and treatment. As one of the creators of Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention (BCBT-SP) he has conducted numerous clinical trials both with both active-duty servicemembers and Veterans struggling with suicidality. BCBT-SP has been demonstrated to be one of the single most effective treatments for reducing risk for suicide attempts, including a recent inpatient adaptation randomized clinical trial being the first inpatient trial to show effectiveness at reducing post-discharge risk for suicide attempts. His current efforts are focused on inpatient and residential applications of BCBT-SP, along with new and non-traditional approaches to recognizing and responding to elevated suicide risk. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, both national and international, and is among the highly-cited globally in the area of suicide risk assessment and treatment.