Dr. James Comer, MD, MPH is the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale University Child Study Center. Dr. Comer has concentrated his career on promoting a focus on child and adolescent development as a way of improving schools. In1968 he founded the Comer School Development Program that promotes the collaboration of parents, educators, and community to improve social, emotional, and academic outcomes for children that, in turn, help them achieve greater school success. He has improved the educational environment in more than 1,000 schools throughout the U.S. He has authored numerous publications and received many awards for his work, including 49 honorary degrees. In 2014 President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Comer to his Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans, and in 2016 became a member of the Aspen Institute’s National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development. Dr. Comer received an M.D. from Howard University. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
