Peter F. Buckley

In 2022, Peter Buckley, MD, became the 11th Chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, serving as CEO in overseeing Tennessee’s only public academic health science center encompassing six Health Science Colleges, four academic campuses, multiple hospital partnerships statewide, and approximately 900 clinical and educational training sites in more than 125 cities across Tennessee.

From 2017 to 2022, Dr. Buckley served as Dean, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University and as Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, VCU Health System. From January through September 2020, he was appointed as interim CEO, VCU Health System and interim Senior Vice President, VCU Health Sciences.

From 2010 to 2017, Dr. Buckley served as Dean of the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Augusta University (AU). He also served for two years (2014-2016) as Interim Chief Executive Officer of AU Medical Center and AU Medical Associates and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs. In 2016, he was appointed as Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and Integration.

A psychiatrist and schizophrenia expert, Dr. Buckley joined MCG in 2000 as Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior. From 2007 to 2010, he also served as Associate Dean and then as Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Development in the medical school. His previous academic appointments include serving as professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, in Cleveland. In 1994, Dr. Buckley also became Medical Director of Western Reserve Psychiatric Hospital, a role that expanded over time to include serving as Medical Director for Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare System, which included three state inpatient psychiatric facilities in Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio. Dr. Buckley also served as co-director of the statewide community service product line for the Ohio Department of Mental Health.

Dr. Buckley is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, served on the association’s workgroup on the Role of Psychiatry in Healthcare Reform and most recently served as an expert on the American Psychiatric Association’s workgroup on Treatment Guidelines for Schizophrenia, published in 2020. Dr. Buckley was also formerly a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and served as Chair of the PanAmerican Division. He is a past President of the American Association of Chairs of Departments of Psychiatry.

Dr. Buckley is a national leader in academic medicine and in higher education and presently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, Educational Commission on Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). Previously, he has served as Chair of the Administrative Board of the Council of Deans (COD) of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and on the AAMC’s Board of Directors. He has served on the Maintenance of Certification committee for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, as a reviewer for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), as a committee member for the National Board of Medical Examiners, and as a reviewer/panel participant for the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Dr. Buckley serves as an expert reviewer for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH); previously as a long-standing member of the Data Safety & Monitoring Board; as former chair of the NIMH Interventions Committee for Disorders Related to Schizophrenia, Late Life, or Personality; and regularly serves as chair for various special emphasis panels. Dr. Buckley also served as former Chair of the Board of Directors for Clinical Research Pathways and as a member of the Boards of the Schizophrenia International Research Society and International Congress on Schizophrenia Research.

Dr. Buckley has published more than 360 articles and over 80 book chapters. He is the senior author of a postgraduate textbook of psychiatry. Dr. Buckley has authored or edited 20 books on schizophrenia and related topics. He was the editor of the journal Clinical Schizophrenia & Related Psychoses and was the inaugural editor of the Journal of Dual Diagnosis. He also is associate editor of the Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, a member of the editorial boards of 10 other psychiatric journals and has served as a reviewer for over 60 journals. Dr. Buckley’s research has predominantly focused on the neurobiology and treatment of schizophrenia. He has also conducted research on Patient and Family Centered Care and on the development of academic leadership.

For his transdisciplinary work on state-university collaborations, Dr. Buckley received the American Psychiatric Association Administrative Psychiatric Award (2004). He is also the recipient of an Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for Mental Illness (1998), the Lilly Schizophrenia Reintegration Award (1999), the Georgia Psychiatrist of the Year Award (2006) and the Distinguished Service Award (2017) from the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association; the Wayne Fenton Award for Exceptional Clinical Care (2011); the Cancro Academic Leadership Award from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2012); the American Psychiatric Association Special Presidential Commendation for leadership (2013); and the Lamartine Hardman Cup for exemplary physician leadership from the Medical Association of Georgia (2013). For his research and mentorship, Dr. Buckley is the recipient of the Kempf Fund Award from the American Psychiatric Association (2014) and the Strecker Award (2016) from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2012, he and his colleagues received the prestigious Creativity in Psychiatric Education award from the American College of Psychiatrists. He has been continuously acknowledged since 2002 in “The Best Doctors in America” and, in 2020, he was named to Virginia 500, Virginia’s business listing of most influential leaders. For his interim SVP-CEO leadership, while also serving as dean during the COVID-19 crisis, Dr. Buckley was recognized by the 2021 MCV Foundation Board’s Award for Extraordinary Service.

As natives of Ireland, Dr. Buckley and his wife, Leonie, emigrated to America 30 years ago and are very proud to be American citizens for the past 25 years. They have two adult sons John and Brian, living in Los Angeles and Atlanta respectively. Their family is also home to three Great Danes, including “Harley the Harlequin,” who lives with them in Memphis. The Buckleys are delighted to live in downtown Memphis on Mud Island looking out at the beautiful Mississippi River and they are enjoying being a part of the vibrant and welcoming community of Memphis.