Donna M. Norris, M.D.

Dr. Norris obtained her M.D. from the Ohio State University School of Medicine in 1969 and completed a one-year rotating internship in 1970. After her medical studies at Ohio State University, she pursued adult psychiatric training at Boston University Medical Center and child psychiatric training at the Children's Hospital and Judge Baker Guidance Center.

As a child, adolescent, and forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Norris has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to advocating for children and families. She currently serves as an assistant professor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. Previously, she held positions as a senior supervising psychiatrist at the Boston Juvenile Court and an attending psychiatrist at the Children's Hospital Medical Center. Within the Massachusetts APA District Branch, she chaired the Legislative Committee and the Massachusetts Ethics Committee.

Dr. Norris has made history as the first woman and first Black woman to serve as Speaker of the Assembly from 1998 to 1999, and she has assumed various leadership roles within the association. Acknowledged for her remarkable contributions, she holds the title of Distinguished Life Fellow and received the APA's Special Presidential Commendation in 2002, 2008, and 2019. Recently, she co-authored Mental Health, Racism, and Contemporary Challenges of Being Black in America. She is a Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists and is listed in both Who's Who Among Black Americans and Who's Who Among Women in America. In 2010, Dr. Norris was honored with the prestigious Solomon Carter Fuller Award.