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Fred C. Osher, M.D. is a community psychiatrist with clinical and research interests focusing on the co-occurrence of mental and substance use disorders.  Over the last two decades, Dr. Osher has led clinical and research efforts for persons with these disorders within the criminal justice system, and among homeless populations.  Dr. Osher is currently the Director of the Center for Behavioral Health, Justice, and Public Policy and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.  He has a long history of public sector service at local, State, and Federal levels.

Previous positions include: Director of Community Psychiatry at the University of Maryland; Acting Director of the Division of Demonstration Programs at the Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA; and Deputy Director of the Office of Programs for the Homeless Mentally Ill at the National Institute of Mental Health.  Dr. Osher served as a member of President Clinton’s Task Force on Health Reform, and has received awards for both his clinical and administrative contributions to behavioral health fields.  Dr. Osher has published extensively and provided comprehensive training in the areas of homelessness, community psychiatry, co-occurring mental and addictive disorders, and effective approaches to persons with behavioral disorders within justice settings.  He received his Bachelors of Arts degree from Harvard University in 1974 and his Doctor of Medicine from Wayne State University in 1978.