David M Benedek, MD, DFAPA

Uniformed Services University

Dr. David M. Benedek is Professor & Chair of Psychiatry, and Associate Director/Senior Scientist at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University. He is a past president of the Society of Uniformed Service Psychiatrists — the Military District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association, and a past representative to the APA Assembly. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2021 after nearly 34 years of active duty service. In addition to operational experience in Bosnia and Croatia, Dr. Benedek deployed to Cuba, Iraq, and Kuwait in conjunction with the Military Operations in those countries. Dr. Benedek served as Consultant to the U.S. Army Surgeon General for Forensic Psychiatry from 2004–2008.

Dr. Benedek received his B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1986 and his M.D. from the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine in 1991. After Internship and Residency in Psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, was Division Psychiatrist, First Armor Division, Germany. From there, he deployed to the former Yugoslavia and delivered mental health support to U.S. and NATO Troops for Operation Joint Endeavor (1996). He returned to Walter Reed to complete forensic psychiatry fellowship training in 1998 and then served as the Assistant Chief of Inpatient Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In 1999 he became Chief, Forensic Psychiatry Service, and Director, National Capital Consortium Military Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program at Walter Reed, and he remained in those positions until joining the USUHS/CSTS faculty in 2004. Dr. Benedek’s military awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service (3OLC) and Army Commendation (3OLC) Medal. Other honors include the LTG Claire Chennault Award for Outstanding Military Psychiatry Faculty Member, and the American Psychiatric Association’s Nancy C.A. Roeske Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education, and the Thomas Salmon Award for distinguished contributions to military psychiatry. He is also recipient of the U.S. Army Surgeon General’s “A” Proficiency Designator, and a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit.

Dr. Benedek has authored or co-authored nearly 200 scientific publications, and has presented on numerous aspects of military, disaster, and forensic psychiatry at regional, national, and international professional conferences. He has served on the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Confidentiality, was a consultant to the Association’s Practice Guideline for the treatment of Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder work-group in the development of its practice guideline, and lead author on the 2009 guideline update. In addition to leading ongoing clinical and epidemiological studies at USUHS, he co-directs the diagnostic assessment core for the VA National PTSD Brain Bank. He is the USUHS site lead investigator for the Soldier Health Outcomes Study-B (SHOS-B) arm of the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (ARMY STARRS).