Eliot Sorel

Eliot Sorel, MD, is an innovative global health leader, health systems performance expert, practicing physician, and Clinical Professor of Global Health, Health Policy & Management and of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the George Washington University. Dr. Sorel is:

• A subject matter expert on World Health Organization (WHO), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH Fogarty International Center), National Institute of Mental Health, (NIMH), World Bank Group (WBG), the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) projects.
• Founding editor in chief, Global Mental Health and Psychiatry Review.
• Co-founder, Africa Global Mental Health Institute.
• Lead physician teaching Global Mental Health,the Milken Institute School of Public Health (The George Washington University).
• Originator, the innovative TOTAL Health model, a primary care, mental health, and public health integrated/collaborative template, presented (by invitation) at the WBG/WHO joint Health and Development meeting and Mental Health Innovators Fair (Washington, D.C.: April 2016).
• President, 1^st International Perinatal TOTAL Health Congress (June 2018).
• Co-chair, Scientific Committee, Social Determinants of Health/Mental Health & Access to Care World Congress (October 2019).  www.wasp2019bucharest.org.
• Principal investigator, clinical public health research project on Depression & Comorbidity in Primary Care in China, India, Iran, Romania published in the International Medical Journal and presented at the Health and Development WBG/WHO joint meeting and Mental Health Innovators’ Fair (Washington, DC: April 2016).
• Lead author of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Position Statement, “Healthcare, Inclusive of Mental Healthcare, Is a Human Right,” APA policy since December, 2017.
• Lead author, APA position statement on Integrated Care (2016).
• Published scholar, including, among others,
  • 21^st Century Global Mental Health;
  • COVID-19 Vaccines, Accelerated Innovations, and 21^st Century Social Contract Challenges accessible at https://www.worldsocpsychiatry.org.; and
  • OECD’s Making Mental Health Count project (subject matter expert), www.oecd.org.
• Initiator, APA Chester Pierce Human Rights Award endowment completed, Autumn 2021 and launched at the APA Annual Scientific Meeting (New Orleans, Louisiana, May 2022).  
• Initiator and Co-author, WPA Bucharest Statement on Integrated Care & Collaborative Care (2015).
• Co-signatory, Amici Curiae Brief of Public Health Experts, American Public Health Association, and American Academy of Nursing, in California, et al., v Texas, No. 19-840 and 19-1019, U.S. Supreme Court, in support of the Affordable Care Act (May 2020).
• Recipient of honors and awards, including
  • Rehabilitation International Centennial Award for global mental health leadership (Beijing, China: May 2023);
  • APA Assembly Ronald A. Shellow Award (Spring 2021);
  • Pioneer and Leader in Public Health honoree, GWU Milken Institute School of Public Health (December 2019);
  • Mental Health Champion Award, Universal Health and Mental Health for All Conference (Malta, European Union: December, 2018);
  • Excellence Prize presented by the Government of Romania (Washington, D.C.: October, 2018);
  • Doctor Honoris Causa Carol Davila Medical University (Bucharest, Romania: October 2009) and by the Politehnica University of Bucharest, Romania (Bucharest, Romania: June 2014);
  • Star of Romania Order of Commander, decorated by the President of Romania (January 2004);  
  • Commendation by the United States Congress (Congressional Record Autumn 2002) for Resilience in the Face of Terror: Healing the Trauma of 9/11 scientific program chairmanship.