President: Shirley Yen, PhD

Dr. Yen is a founding member of NASSPD and currently the President for the 2022-2025 term. She is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the Training Director of the Clinical Psychology program at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Boston MA. Most of her research has focused on assessment of suicide risk in high-risk populations, including individuals with personality disorders, and the development of interventions to reduce suicidal behaviors.

Vice-President: Anthony C. Ruocco, PhD

Dr. Ruocco is Professor, Graduate Chair and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychological Clinical Science at the University of Toronto. He is a licensed psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. Dr. Ruocco has received numerous grants and awards for his research on the neurobiology of borderline personality disorder, including from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, and Province of Ontario. Dr. Ruocco received the NASSPD Mid-Career Investigator Award in 2019. Dr. Ruocco’s research focuses primarily on cognition and psychopathology, including symptoms and maladaptive traits, and extends to family studies and investigations that incorporate measures of brain structure and function.

Secretary: Katherine Dixon-Gordon, PhD

Dr. Dixon-Gordon is an Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychological and Brain Science at the University of Massachusetts. She is a licensed psychologist and certified in dialectical behavior therapy. Dr. Dixon-Gordon has received numerous grants  for her research on borderline personality disorder, suicide and self-injurious behaviors, and dialectical behavior therapy including from the National Institutes of Health and Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Dixon-Gordon's research focuses on multimethod investigations of the role of emotions in borderline personality disorder and suicidal behaviors and their treatment. 

Treasurer: Stephanie Stepp, PhD