Juvenile Health Care Expert Robert Morris Is New Chair of NCCHC Board

Robert (Robby) Morris, MD, CCHP-P, has been elected chair of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care board of directors. Dr. Morris previously served as chair of the organization in 2007-2008.

Dr. Morris is professor emeritus at the UCLA Department of Pediatrics. He is recognized as a national expert on health care for juveniles in the correctional system. After developing UCLA’s program on adolescent medicine, he became involved in juvenile justice, serving as the medical director for the Louisiana juvenile justice system and health care director for the California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation’s Juvenile Justice Division.

In 2001, Dr. Morris joined the NCCHC board as the liaison from the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. He has served on the juvenile health committee continuously since 1992 and chaired it from 2003 to 2006 and from 2014 to 2016. He twice chaired the Juvenile Standards revision task force and served on or led a number of other committees.

Dr. Morris notes, “NCCHC can make a real difference in people’s lives. Our mission of education is directly tied to better health outcomes for those incarcerated. The best facilities commit to resources for supporting staff and providing continuing education. In turn, those facilities will have the best results for children and adults.”

Other board positions include:

Joseph Penn, MD, CCHP-MH, clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Texas Medical Branch and director of mental health services at UTMB Correctional Managed Care, was elected chair-elect. He is the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law liaison to the board. He served as board chair in 2008-2009 and has chaired the accreditation and juvenile health committees. He is a physician surveyor and served on multiple task forces to revise NCCHC standards. Dr. Penn is triple board certified in general, child and adolescent, and forensic psychiatry.

Carolyn Sufrin, MD, PhD, was selected as secretary. Dr. Sufrin is an assistant professor in the department of gynecology & obstetrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and serves as the liaison to the NCCHC board from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Nancy White, MA, LPC, continues her tenure as treasurer. She is the American Counseling Association liaison to the board, and a team leader with Truman Medical Center Behavioral Health, Kansas City, MO.