Peterson, Alan L. PhD

School of Medicine
Psychiatry
(210) 562-6703
petersona3@uthscsa.edu

Alan L. Peterson, PhD, ABPP, is the Krus Endowed Chair in Psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He is a board certified clinical health psychologist, Professor, and Chief of the Division of Behavioral Medicine in Department of Psychiatry and the School of Medicine. He also serves as the Deputy Department of Psychiatry Chair for Military Collaborations, the Associate Director of Research for the Military Health Institute, the Director of the STRONG STAR Consortium, the Director of the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. He completed a PhD in clinical psychology at Nova Southeastern University under the tutelage of Dr. Nathan Azrin, one of the founding fathers of behavior therapy. He completed a clinical psychology residency (internship) and postdoctoral fellowship in clinical health psychology at Wilford Hall Medical Center. Dr. Peterson retired from the U.S Air Force in 2005 after 21 years of active duty including service as the Chair of the Department of Psychology and the Director of the American Psychological Association-accredited Clinical Health Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at Wilford Hall Medical Center. While on active duty he deployed in support of Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Dr. Peterson has clinical and research experience in the areas of behavioral medicine, clinical health psychology, and combat-related stress disorders. He has conducted research in the areas of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychological risk and resiliency, Tourette Syndrome, tobacco cessation, pain management, insomnia, weight management, and managing suicidal behaviors. He is also Research Health Scientist at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio and a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio where he teaches and mentors doctoral students in the PhD program in Military Health Psychology. Dr Peterson is an avid ultra endurance trail runner.