Rate My Professor Donald Bersoff

Bersoff specialized in the intersection of law and psychology, focusing on mental health law, ethical issues in psychology, professional issues, application of social science to law, legal regulation of psychological assessment, and school psychology. He edited the landmark Ethical Conflicts in Psychology in four editions (1995, 1999, 2003, 2008) and authored over 100 publications, including articles in American Psychologist, University of Chicago Law School Roundtable, Law and Human Behavior, Ethics & Behavior, and Journal of School Psychology. His career included directing the nation's second joint law and psychology graduate program at Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland, founding director of the JD-PhD program at Villanova University School of Law and MCP Hahnemann University (later Drexel), and Professor Emeritus at Drexel University Kline School of Law. Awards include the Lifetime Contribution Award from the American Psychology-Law Society (2002), Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association (2000), Ethics Educator of the Year from the Pennsylvania Psychological Association (2000), and Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Science and Profession (1997). Bersoff served as APA President (2013), APA General Counsel (1979-1989), past president of the American Psychology-Law Society, and held editorial board positions for Psychology, Public Policy, and the Law; Professional Psychology: Research and Practice; Behavioral Sciences and the Law; and Ethics and Behavior. He chaired committees such as the Blue Ribbon Panel and Policy and Planning Board of the APA and contributed to national panels including the National Academy of Sciences.