John S Rozel, MD

Professor of Psychiatry and Law

Current Appointments

  • Medical Director, resolve Crisis Services
  • Clinical Chief of Crisis Services, UPMC Western Behavioral Health
  • Co-Director, UPMC Systemwide Threat Assessment and Response Team
  • Core Faculty Member, Institute for Bioethics and Health Law, University of Pittsburgh

Areas of Expertise

  • Emergency & Crisis
John S Rozel, MD
Expertise & Interests Selected Publications Education & Credentials Related News

Expertise & Interests

Research Interests

Emergency and crisis psychiatry; Violence and violence prevention; Risk management

Clinical Interests

Emergency and crisis psychiatry; Violence and violence prevention; Risk management

Education Interests

Emergency and crisis psychiatry; Risk management

Selected Publications

  1. Layla S, Baines-Waiz O, Rozel JS, Blankenship K, and Rachal J. A moving target: Firearm deaths, mental health, and the role of physicians. Current Psychiatry Reports 26, no. 12 (2024): 85965. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-024-01569-2.
  2. Swanson J and Rozel J. Doctors and Hospitals Can Help Prevent Gun Deaths. Heres How. AAMC, March 29, 2023. https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/doctors-and-hospitals-can-help-prevent-gun-deaths-here-s-how.
  3. Rozel J and Swanson J. It's Tempting to Say Gun Violence Is about Mental Illness. The Truth Is Much More Complex. AAMC, January 26, 2023. https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/it-s-tempting-say-gun-violence-about-mental-illness-truth-much-more-complex.
  4. Hoops K, Fahimi J, Khoeur L, Studenmund C, Barber C, Barnhorst A, Betz ME, Crifasi CK, Davis JA, Dewispelaere W, Fisher L, Howard PK, Ketterer A, Marcolini E, Nestadt PS, Rozel J, Simonetti JA, Spitzer S, Victoroff M, Williams BH, Howley L, Ranney ML. Consensus-driven priorities for firearm injury education among medical professionals. Acad Med. 2022 Jan 1;97(1):93-104. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000004226. PMID: 34232149.
  5. Rozel, J. S. (2019). Complexity, computational modeling, and forecasting the future of threat management. Journal of Threat Assessment and Management, 6(3-4), 193197. https://doi.org/10.1037/tam0000131
  6. Rozel JS, Thrasher T, Zeller S and Zun L. Psychiatric observation: Impactful treatment and cost-effective care in lieu of boarding. In Observation Medicine Principles and Protocols, 2d ed., edited by Sharon Mace. Cambridge University Press, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009039215.074.
  7. Rozel JS, Soliman L. Lessons of the boom: A playbook for crisis centers to prevent, survive, and respond to active assailants, targeted violence, and mass violence. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2024 Sep;47(3):547-561. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2024.04.005. Epub 2024 May 19. PMID: 39122345.
  8. Soliman S, Jain A, Rozel J & Rachal J. 2023. Safe spaces: Mitigating potential aggression in acute care psychiatry. FOCUS 21 (1): 4651. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20220069.
  9. Rozel JS & Soliman L. 2023. Tool, Constraint, liability, context: Law and emergency psychiatry. In Emergency Psychiatry, edited by Tony Thrasher, 40119. Primer On. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
  10. Barnhorst A, Rozel JS. Evaluating threats of mass shootings in the psychiatric setting. International Review of Psychiatry. 2021 Jul 16; Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09540261.2021.1947784
  11. Parks J, Feldman J, Rozel JS (Eds.). 2024. Mass Violence in America: Definition, Prevalence, Causes, Impacts and Solutions. Washington, D.C.: National Council for Mental Wellbeing Medical Directors' Institute. https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/resources/mass-violence-in-america-causes-impacts-and-solutions/.
  12. Walsh BM, Agboola IK, Coupet Jr. E, Rozel JS & Wong AH. 2023. Revisiting excited delirium: Does the diagnosis reflect and promote racial bias? Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health 24 (2). https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2022.10.56478.
  13. Rozel JS. 2020. Identifying and Understanding Legal Aspects of Emergency Psychiatry Unique to Different Jurisdictions. In Models of Emergency Psychiatric Services That Work, edited by Mary Jo Fitz-Gerald and Junji Takeshita, 16575. Integrating Psychiatry and Primary Care. Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50808-1_16.
  14. Rozel J. 2020. Surge in firearm sales tied to COVID-19 fears, uncertainty presents risks. The Hospitalist. April 2, 2020. https://www.the-hospitalist.org/psychiatry/article/220142/anxiety-disorders/surge-firearm-sales-tied-covid-19-fears-uncertainty.
  15. Clinical Homicide and Aggression Management Practices for Inpatient, Outpatient and Non-traditional Settings (CHAMPIONS). Ongoing day-long training in advanced violence evaluation and management.

Education & Credentials

Education & Training

Education
MD, Brown University, School of Medicine
Education
MSL, Law, University of Pittsburgh, School of Law
Residency
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Fellowship
Forensic Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC

Professional Affiliations

  • Past President, American Association for Emergency Psychiatry
  • Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
  • Member, Association of Threat Assessment Professionals
  • Affiliate Member, American Bar Association, Health Law Section
  • Member, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Physicians Section
  • Lifetime Member, Crisis Intervention Teams International

Selected Honors & Awards

  • Lifetime Achievement Award, Pittsburgh Psychiatric Society
  • Honorary Member, American College of Emergency Physicians
  • Ralph C. Wilde Leadership Award, Allegheny County Medical Society
  • Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
  • Behavioral Healthcare Professional of the Year, Crisis Intervention Teams International
  • Exemplary Psychiatrist Award, National Alliance on Mental Illness

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