Scientific Advisory Council

Stop Soldier Suicide’s Scientific Advisory Council is a group of nationally renowned experts in suicidology and suicide prevention, formed to help SSS advance its mission. Comprised of some of the foremost experts in suicidology, psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, and related fields, their expertise helps inform our strategies and initiatives.

Craig Bryan, PsyD, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

Dr. Bryan is a board-certified clinical psychologist in cognitive behavioral psychology, and is currently the Trott Gebhardt Philips Endowed Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Dr. Bryan received his PsyD in clinical psychology in 2006 from Baylor University, and completed his clinical psychology residency at the Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, TX. He was retained as faculty in the Department of Psychology at Wilford Hall Medical Center, where he was Chief of the Primary Care Psychology Service and the Suicide Prevention Program Manager for Lackland AFB. Dr. Bryan deployed to Iraq in 2009, where he served as the Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic at the Air Force Theater Hospital. Dr. Bryan separated from active duty service shortly after his deployment, and currently researches suicidal behaviors, suicide prevention, and psychological resiliency.

General Peter Chiarelli, U.S. Army (Ret.)

Peter Chiarelli earned his BS in Political Science and Government from Seattle University and his MPA from University of Washington. He previously served as Vice Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army, where he established the Network Integration Exercise, a program aimed at ending the stigma of combat-related behavioral issues.

Glen Coppersmith, Ph.D.

Dr. Coppersmith earned a Master’s degree in Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics and a PhD in Neuroscience from Northeastern University. He is a member of the Advisory Board for Johns Hopkins University Human Language Technology Center of Excellence, the former Chief Data Officer for SonderMind, a virtual and local mental health care provider.

Terresa Humphries-Wadsworth, PhD

Dr. Humphries-Wadsworth is a licensed psychologist and an expert in mental health promotion, suicide prevention and postvention, and behavioral health crisis care. She has over 25 years of clinical experience providing mental health services in remote, rural, and urban settings.She was an associate project director of EDC initiatives such as the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Dr. Humphries-Wadsworth holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Texas A&M University.

David Jobes, PhD

Dr. Jobes is a Professor of psychology and Associate Director of Clinical Training, and Director of the Suicide Prevention Lab at The Catholic University of America. As an internationally recognized suicidologist, Dr. Jobes is a past President of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) Dr. Jobes has served as a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the FBI, the NSA, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Department of Defense, and Veterans Affairs. Dr. Jobes is Fellow of the American Psychological Association in clinical psychology and he is board certified in clinical psychology (American Board of Professional Psychology).

Anthony Pisani, PhD

Dr. Pisani is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide at University of Rochester. Dr. Pisani earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Virginia. He completed internship training at the Minneapolis Children's Hospitals and Clinics, and postdoctoral fellowships in Primary Care Family Psychology and in Suicide Research at the University of Rochester. Dr. Pisani is a licensed psychologist and licensed marriage and family therapist. Dr. Pisani developed and tested Commitment to Living: Understanding and Responding to Suicide Risk (CTL). CTL addresses common dilemmas, demands, and frustrations that sometimes accompany the rewarding experience of supporting individuals at risk for suicide in their journey toward recovery.

Jerry Reed, PhD

Dr. Reed earned his MSW from University of Maryland School of Social Work and his PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the former Senior Vice President of Practice Leadership for the Education Development Center (EDC) and Former Committee Co-Leader for the U.S. National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Today he works as an independent advisor in the field of suicide prevention.

Shawn Shea, MD

Dr. Shea is the Founder and Director of the Training Institute for Suicide Assessment & Clinical Interviewing. He is the creator of the highly acclaimed interviewing strategy for uncovering suicidal ideation and intent - Chronological Assessment of Suicide Events (CASE).

Trena Anastasia, PhD

Dr. Anastasia has more than 25 years of program development, training implementation and stewardship in the field of suicide prevention. She earned a PhDin Human Resource Development and a PhD in Consumer Science from Colorado State University. She is the founder of Qualitative Data Geeks, an organization that supports human service agencies with qualitative data collection and analysis, the former Executive Vice President of Design for LivingWorks Education, and the creator of See Another Sunrise podcast.