Richard Christensen, MD, MA has been selected as the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for the Ripple Effect: Northeast Florida Mental Health Awards, presented by Mental Health America of Northeast Florida. Dr. Christensen was nominated by Carlton Higginbotham who articulated the incredible dedication and commitment to mental health he has demonstrated throughout this year! This is a huge honor as the Mental Health America of Northeast Florida has received many qualified applicants, but at the end of the day – their committee recognized Dr. Christensen’s hard work and the impact he has made to the community.
Dr. Christensen is a Professor in the Division of Community Psychiatry at the University of Florida College of Medicine. His long-standing clinical involvements as an academic community psychiatrist have been directed toward developing and providing psychiatric services to under-served populations through academic-public sector liaisons. His past clinical commitments have included serving as medical director for a federally-funded initiative targeting chronically homeless persons suffering the effects of co-occurring disorders and developing an integrated psychiatry-primary care initiative based at UF Health. His current clinical obligations entail serving as the Director of Behavioral Health Services at the Sulzbacher Center where he is responsible for overseeing the clinical services in two psychiatry clinics, participating in psychiatric street outreach work, and teaching medical students and resident physicians.
We would like to congratulate Dr. Christensen on his receipt of the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Ripple Effect: Northeast Florida Mental Health Awards. This award will be presented to Dr. Christensen at a Banquet on May 7th at WJCT Studios in Jacksonville.