Dr. Harvey Skinner is Professor Emeritus of Psychology & Global Health and was Founding Dean (2006-2016) of the Faculty of Health, York University. Previously, he spent 30 years at the University of Toronto – most recently as Chair of Public Health Sciences (now the Dalla Lana School of Public Health). He completed an Honors BA in Psychology at McMaster University and a MA and PhD in Psychology at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Skinner is a Registered Psychologist in Ontario and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
His passion is ‘healing ourselves, healing others, healing our world’. The main focus of his work is on Integrative Health – in particular, models for promoting global mental health that draw on diverse worldviews and practices. Currently, he is teaching a 4th year undergraduate course on Comparative Global Mental Health: Eastern, Indigenous and Western Perspectives. Also, he is leading online Zoom sessions on ‘Stress Busting: 30 Minutes of Magical Practices’ open to students, staff/faculty and the community.
Dr. Skinner is an internationally recognized scholar (7 books, over 150 articles) on what motivates individuals, organizations and communities to change. Three of his instruments are widely used internationally for the assessment of drug problems (Drug Abuse Screening Test), alcohol dependence (Alcohol Dependence Scale), and family functioning (Family Assessment Measure). He was one of the first to focus on linking behavior change, organizational improvement and information technology (e-health), summarized in his 2002 book Promoting Health Through Organizational Change). Dr. Skinner has been a pioneer in the use of digital technology for health assessment and behaviour change and was one of the first to initiate a major program of research using the Internet for engaging youth in health promotion.
From a personal perspective, Harvey is married to Susan Harris, has 5 children (Mark, Ana, Russ, Jeff, Lily) and 9 grandkids (Lena, Nate, Sean, Matty, Maya, Hailey, Amelia, Lenny. Jackson). His daily wellness routine includes: Qi Gong energy and movement practices, mindfulness meditation and body work exercises. And he is an avid Raptors basketball fan!
email: harvey.skinner@yorku.ca
