John S Rozel, MD

Professor of Psychiatry and Law

Education & Training

MD

Brown University, School of Medicine

MSL

Law, University of Pittsburgh, School of Law

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC

Forensic Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC

Specialty Certifications

Board Certification

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry)

Current Appointments

Medical Director, resolve Crisis Services

Core Faculty Member, Center for Bioethics and Health Law, University of Pittsburgh

Co-Director, UPMC Systemwide Threat Assessment and Response Team

Professional Affiliations

Past President, American Association for Emergency Psychiatry

Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association

Member, Association of Threat Assessment Professionals

Affiliate Member, American Bar Association, Health Law Section

Member, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Physicians Section

Lifetime Member, Crisis Intervention Teams International

Selected Honors & Awards

Lifetime Achievement Award, Pittsburgh Psychiatric Society

Honorary Member, American College of Emergency Physicians

Ralph C. Wilde Leadership Award, Allegheny County Medical Society

Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association

Behavioral Healthcare Professional of the Year, Crisis Intervention Teams International

Exemplary Psychiatrist Award, National Alliance on Mental Illness

Research Interests

Emergency and crisis psychiatry; Violence and violence prevention; Risk management

Selected Research Publications & Products

1. Layla S, Baines-Waiz O, Rozel JS, Blankenship K, and Rachal J. A moving target: Firearm deaths, mental health, and the role of physicians. Current Psychiatry Reports 26, no. 12 (2024): 85965. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-024-01569-2.
2. Swanson J and Rozel J. Doctors and Hospitals Can Help Prevent Gun Deaths. Heres How. AAMC, March 29, 2023. https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/doctors-and-hospitals-can-help-prevent-gun-deaths-here-s-how.
3. Rozel J and Swanson J. It's Tempting to Say Gun Violence Is about Mental Illness. The Truth Is Much More Complex. AAMC, January 26, 2023. https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/it-s-tempting-say-gun-violence-about-mental-illness-truth-much-more-complex.

Clinical Interests

Emergency and crisis psychiatry; Violence and violence prevention; Risk management

Selected Clinical Publications & Products

1. Rozel JS, Thrasher T, Zeller S and Zun L. Psychiatric observation: Impactful treatment and cost-effective care in lieu of boarding. In Observation Medicine Principles and Protocols, 2d ed., edited by Sharon Mace. Cambridge University Press, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009039215.074.
2. Rozel JS, Soliman L. Lessons of the boom: A playbook for crisis centers to prevent, survive, and respond to active assailants, targeted violence, and mass violence. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2024 Sep;47(3):547-561. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2024.04.005. Epub 2024 May 19. PMID: 39122345.
3. Soliman S, Jain A, Rozel J & Rachal J. 2023. Safe spaces: Mitigating potential aggression in acute care psychiatry. FOCUS 21 (1): 4651. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20220069.
4. Rozel JS & Soliman L. 2023. Tool, Constraint, liability, context: Law and emergency psychiatry. In Emergency Psychiatry, edited by Tony Thrasher, 40119. Primer On. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.

Education Interests

Emergency and crisis psychiatry; Risk management

Selected Education Publications & Products

1. Parks J, Feldman J, Rozel JS (Eds.). 2024. Mass Violence in America: Definition, Prevalence, Causes, Impacts and Solutions. Washington, D.C.: National Council for Mental Wellbeing Medical Directors' Institute. https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/resources/mass-violence-in-america-causes-impacts-and-solutions/.
2. Walsh BM, Agboola IK, Coupet Jr. E, Rozel JS & Wong AH. 2023. Revisiting excited delirium: Does the diagnosis reflect and promote racial bias? Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health 24 (2). https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2022.10.56478.