Release date: May 14, 2007
Contact: Beverly Cox Clark,
at 404-712-8780 or beverly.clark@emory.edu

Mental Health Advocate Beverly Benson Long To Receive Honorary Degree

Renowned mental health advocate and humanitarian Beverly Benson Long will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree during Emory University’s 162nd commencement ceremony Monday, May 14. Long will be presented for her degree by Rollins School of Public Health Dean James W. Curran.

Long is an internationally recognized advocate for behavioral health issues who has worked tirelessly for the humane treatment of people suffering from mental illnesses. Long, who li ves in Atlanta, began her advocacy on the frontlines of the civil rights movement in Georgia to fight segregation in public schools, experiences that provided the benchmark for her life and her work.

Long has been instrumental in bringing together top researchers, governmental organizations, nonprofit agencies and individuals from around the world to encourage action on the latest developments in prevention and promotion through the biennial international conference series, Promotion of Mental Health and the Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders. She also helped establish the Rosalynn Carter Endowed Chair for Mental Health in Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health.

Long has served as president of the World Federation for Mental Health; president of the National Mental Health Association of Atlanta and Georgia; chaired the first Georgia Governor’s Advisory Council on Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse from 1975 to 1978; and was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the President’s Commission on Public Health from 1977 to 1978.

Long has served as a member of: the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences’ Board of Neuroscience and Behavioral Health; the board of the Society for Prevention Research; and the Dean’s Council of the Rollins School of Public Health. Long continues to be a major force for promotion and prevention in the behavioral health movement. She is recognized for her 35 years of leadership, vision and persistence in ensuring a place for mental health in public health.

Emory University is one of the nation's leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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