Thomas Catron, Ph.D.
Catron to head state’s child services office
Thomas F. Catron, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named director of the Governor's Office of Children's Care Coordination by Gov. Phil Bredesen. Catron will assume the post Aug. 1 upon the retirement of current director Manny Martins.
The Governor's Office of Children's Care Coordination was established just over a year ago to coordinate the wide range of services and supports available to children through state departments and the private sector. The governor initially directed that the office's focus be on the delivery of health care services to children. Some of those services include coordinating social services provided under DCS, TennCare, and the departments of Human Services, Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities.
“Tom Catron is uniquely suited for this position,” Bredesen said. “Not only is he highly respected as an expert on children's mental health issues, but he has also worked with the state over the years to help us with children in custody and at risk of custody. Tom combines a commitment to children's health with an outstanding record of public service, and I believe he will serve Tennessee well.”
Catron, director of the Division of Community Psychiatry, co-director of the Center for Psychotherapy Research and Policy, and co-director of the Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody, will take a leave of absence from his duties at VUMC.
Michael J. Cull, A.P.N., will become co-director of the Center of Excellence (COE) and executive director of the Vanderbilt Community Mental Health Center. Cull is a nurse practitioner, holds a faculty appointment in Psychiatry, and has an outpatient practice in child adolescent psychiatry. He was previously program coordinator for the Center of Excellence and is working toward his Ph.D. in public administration.
Since 1990, Catron has served in various other capacities at Vanderbilt, including child psychologist, executive director of the Vanderbilt Community Mental Health Center, director of the Division of Community Psychiatry, and co-director of the Center for Psychotherapy Research and Policy. He has received more than $9 million in federal research funding and publishing and has presented findings in top rated journals and conferences.
“I am honored to be offered a position on the Governor's cabinet with the opportunity to serve the children of this state including some of its most vulnerable population,” Catron said. “Over the last several years in my role with the state's Centers of Excellence for Children in State Custody we have had some wonderful successes in developing relationships with individuals in and out of state government to work in partnership to address some of the most complex medical and behavioral health needs of our children.”
Harry R. Jacobson, M.D., vice chancellor for Health Affairs at VUMC, praised Catron's work and said the appointment would be good for the children of Tennessee.
“We have been excited over the last several years to watch the work of the three Centers of Excellence partnering with state government to address challenges faced by some of our most vulnerable children,” Jacobson said. “Tom's appointment to this cabinet level post is a reflection of his ability to create the partnerships needed to get things done. I am really excited about his appointment and what it will mean to the children of this state.”
Gerald B. Hickson, M.D., associate dean for Clinical Affairs and director of the Center for Patient and Professional Affairs at VUMC, has worked with Catron as the co-director of the Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody. Hickson praised the Governor's appointment and said Catron would bring with him great leadership skills.
“Tom is incredibly bright, a hard worker who gets things done,” Hickson said. “There are a lot of individuals who can identify a problem; there are not so many who can both identify a problem and effect a solution. Tom represents one of those problem solvers. Consequently, I just think it is outstanding that he is going to assume this leadership role in the state. We will all be better off for his role in promoting the health and well-being of some of our most vulnerable children.”
Catron, 49, is a native of Indiana and lives in Davidson County. He holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Virginia and a doctorate in clinical child psychology from the Vanderbilt University George Peabody College.