Petros Levounis, M.D., M.A., is Past President of the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

Petros Levounis, M.D., M.A., serves as professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and associate dean for professional development at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He is also the chief of service at University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. Dr. Levounis came to Rutgers from Columbia University where he served as director of the Addiction Institute of New York from 2002 to 2013.

Dr. Levounis is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford University where he studied chemistry and biophysics before receiving his medical education at Stanford University School of Medicine and the Medical College of Pennsylvania. During medical school, he researched the effects of social class on patient-physician relationships in Oxford, England, and received an MA degree in sociology from Stanford. In 1994, he moved to New York City to train in psychiatry at the New York State Psychiatric Institute of Columbia University. He graduated from Columbia earning the National Institute of Mental Health Outstanding Resident Award and went on to complete his fellowship in addiction psychiatry at New York University.

Dr. Levounis has written numerous articles, monographs, and book chapters; has lectured extensively throughout the United States and abroad; and has been interviewed by CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, FOX, The Martha Stewart Radio Show, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, among others, about addiction and other psychiatric matters. Dr. Levounis has served on the boards of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the American Board of Addiction Medicine, and from 2005 to 2009 chaired the national Committee on Addiction Treatment of the APA. Dr. Levounis is a fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists, and a distinguished fellow of the APA and ASAM. In 2017, he was elected as an honorary member of the World Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Levounis has published 11 books with the APA, as well the self-help paperback “Sober Siblings: How to Help Your Alcoholic Brother or Sister—and Not Lose Yourself” and the textbook of “Substance Dependence and Co-Occurring Psychiatric Disorders.” Dr. Levounis is currently working on the first book on “Nature Therapy,” which is going to be available by APA Publishing in late 2022. Several of his books have been translated into French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Dr. Levounis is married to actor Lukas Hassel and lives in New York City.

Education

• BS, Chemistry and Biological Sciences, Stanford University (1986)
• MS, Biological Sciences (Biophysics), Stanford University (1986)
• MA, Sociology (Social Psychology) Stanford University (1989)
• MD, Medical College of Pennsylvania (1994)
• Psychiatry Residency, Columbia University (1994-1998)
• Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship, New York University (1998-2000)

Awards and Honors

• Nancy Roeske Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education, APA (2002)
• Junior Faculty Development Award, Association for Academic Psychiatry (2003)
• U.S. Speaker and Specialist Award, United States Department of State (2004)
• Irma Bland Award for Excellence in Teaching Residents, APA (2006)
• Coalition Leadership Award, The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies (2008)
• Healthcare Person of the Year “Westy” Award, West Side Spirit/Manhattan Media (2011)
• Distinguished Service Award, Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists (2012)
• Health Professional Book Award, Society of Sex Therapy and Research (2014)
• William Schonfeld Award and Lecture, New York Society for Adolescent Psychiatry (2014)
• British Medical Association Medical Book Awards - Highly Commended in Psychiatry (2017)
• James Lee-Wun Jung Kim Lectureship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Toledo (2018)
• Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Rutgers University (2019, 2020)
• Educator of the Year Award, American Society of Addiction Medicine (2020)
• Briscoli Lectureship in LGBTQ+ Mental Health, University of Massachusetts (2020)
• Stokes Endowed Lectureship, Geroge Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences (2021)
• Founders’ Award, American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (2021)