Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD

Psychiatrist | Founder | Mental Health Equity

Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD, stands alone in American medicine.

He is the only Black male psychiatrist in the United States with both an MD and a PhD who has founded and led a national institute dedicated to confronting racial trauma and reducing mental health disparities—particularly as they affect Black men and marginalized communities.

As the Founder and Director of the Institute for Reducing Disparities, Dr. Lawson has spent more than five decades translating science into justice—bridging psychiatry, policy, culture, and lived experience to transform how mental health is understood, diagnosed, and delivered in America.

His work sits at the intersection of race, trauma, masculinity, and mental health—with a particular focus on the invisible psychological toll carried by Black men across generations.

Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD, is a nationally and internationally recognized psychiatrist, scholar, and public intellectual whose influence spans academic medicine, federal health systems, correctional settings, community care, and global psychiatry.

• 200+ peer-reviewed publications shaping modern understanding of schizophrenia, psychopharmacology, addiction, and culturally responsive care
• Former Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the National Medical Association
• Former Chair of Psychiatry, Howard University College of Medicine
• Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, George Washington University
• Advisor and investigator on NIH-, NIMH-, NIDA-, and SBIR-funded research initiatives
• Past President of the Washington Psychiatric Society, Black Psychiatrists of America, and Mental Health America (DC)

Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD, is the author of the seminal book, African American Health: Peeling Back the Layers for a Vision of the Future, a landmark work that examines how history, structural racism, culture, and policy shape health outcomes—and what it will take to build a more equitable future.

The book is widely cited for its clarity, moral authority, and practical vision for reform.

Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD, is a sought-after keynote speaker known for combining scientific rigor with moral clarity, cultural fluency, and deep compassion. His talks resonate with health systems, universities, government agencies, foundations, corporations, and community leaders.

Signature Speaking Topics Include:

• The Hidden Mental Health Crisis Facing Black Men
  Trauma, masculinity, silence, and survival—why traditional systems fail and what must change now.
• Racial Trauma Is a Public Health Emergency
  Understanding cumulative stress, structural violence, and their psychiatric consequences.
• From Disparities to Dignity: Reimagining Mental Health Equity
  How institutions can move beyond performative DEI toward measurable outcomes.
• Cultural Competence Is Not Optional
  What clinicians, leaders, and organizations must understand to deliver ethical care.
• Psychiatry, Power, and Policy
  How diagnostic systems, research funding, and practice patterns reinforce inequity—and how to disrupt them.
• Healing Across Generations
  Intergenerational trauma, resilience, and the future of mental health in communities of color.

Each presentation is grounded in decades of clinical experience, peer-reviewed science, and real-world leadership—and tailored to the audience’s mission and moment.

Organizations invite Dr. Lawson not just to speak—but to shift perspective, elevate accountability, and catalyze action.

He brings:

• Credibility earned over a lifetime of leadership
• Rare insight into both systems and souls
• The authority of a physician-scientist and the humanity of a healer
• A voice that speaks truth without alienation—and urgency without despair

Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD, is available for:

• Keynote addresses & featured lectures
• Executive briefings & leadership retreats
• Health system and institutional consulting
• Advisory roles and funded collaborations