Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen
In 2019, Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, was selected as Executive Director of The President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) task force, which is dedicated to building a national strategy focused on improving overall mental health and preventing suicide. Named to TIME Magazine’s 2012 list of the 100 most influential people in the world, Dr. Van Dahlen is the founder of Give an Hour, a national nonprofit that provides free mental health care to those in need. A licensed clinical psychologist who practiced in the Washington, D.C. area for over 20 years, she received her Ph.D in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland. Dr. Van Dahlen also founded the Campaign to Change Direction in 2015, a global initiative focused on changing the culture of mental health, which has since gained momentum in the United States and internationally. Dr. Van Dahlen is also a thought leader in mobilizing constituencies to create large system change.
