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Ralph Sperry

Ralph Sperry, PhD, ABPP has accomplishments in global health care, human services management, professional psychology and sailing. Currently he is the Chief Operating Officer of the May Institute and of the National Autism Center in Randolph Massachusetts. He has been appointed by US State Department as a "Distinguished Speaker"and global consultant on Autism. He has consulted to the governments of Qatar, Abu Dhabi and this year Oman. His focus is on assisting countries in their development of evidence based systems of care for children with Autism.

Dr. Sperry is a licensed psychologist and has the distinction of being one of only 40 Board Certified Psychologists in Organizational and Business psychology, 3% of psychologists are board certified. He is a corporate executive with extensive experience in senior management of health care and human service organizations. He is a doctoral level organizational business psychologist and clinical/neuro psychologist with notable contributions to global healthcare for autism, Jungian Psychology, and health care management research. In his youth he was a nationally ranked sailboat racer.

Education and Professional Contributions

He received his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the Saybrook University in San Francisco where his dissertation chairman was Rollo May, Ph.D., the internationally renown existentialist psychologist. Sperry's doctoral research regarding schizophrenia (Sperry 1983) has been referenced in numerous professional publications. He also completed a post doctoral fellowship in organizational and business psychology and is board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Sperry’s professional interests have been very diverse including Business and Organizational Psychology, Behavioral Psychology, and Autism. Currently he is a leader in the advocacy of applied behavioral techniques in the treatment of autism and the use of performance management and organizational business psychology. He is active in the international development of schools and other services for autism in Abu Dhabi, China, Qatar, Baharin

He is a licensed psychologist in Connecticut, Massachusetts and California and a licensed family and marriage therapist in Connecticut. He has been on the Medical Staff of the Newport RI Naval Station.

Healthcare and Human Services Executive

He has been the Chief Executive Officer of Elmcrest Psychiatric Institute, Portland Connecticut, Sisters of Providence Behavioral Health System and Providence Hospital in West Springfield, Massachusetts, Pinion Hills Hospital in Santa Fe New Mexico and Charter Behavioral Health Hospital in Alberquerque New Mexico. He has also served as the Corporate Vice President and Director of Behavioral, Alzheimer and Neurorehabilitation Services for Health Bridge Management, Concord Massachusetts, where he provided oversight for 80 ALzheimer facilities. He currently is the Chief Operating Officer of the May Institute.

As a Chief Executive he has specialized in turnaround activities in Connecticut (Elmcrest) and in Massachusetts (Sisters of Providence Hospital various Long Term Care Facilities). As a consultant he specialized in closing under performing facilities in Lynn Massachusetts (North Shore Health Care Center), East Boston Massachusetts (East Boston Health Care Center), Santa Fe New Mexico (Pinion Hills Hospital) and in Darien Connecticut (Darien Health Care Center). In West Springfield Massachusetts he closed Providence Hospital Acute Care Services and converted the hospital to an psychiatric facility.

He has been a frequent contributor on WFSB and FOX 61 television in Hartford where he provides psychological insight on news events and advice on how to handle stressful situations. He also testifies regularly in the Connecticut legislature on mental health and geriatric issues.

Sailing Accomplishments

As a youth, Dr Sperry was an accomplished sailboat racer. He won the Junior championships of Long Island Sound as well as the Instructor's Championship of Long Island Sound. He was a finalist in the Sears Cup, the Junior National Sailing Championship. He placed second in the Governor's Cup National Championship for Lightning class boats. He won many sailing regattas on Long Island Sound. He was featured in "faces in the crowd" in Sports Illustrated and the subject of articles in the New York Times.

References

• Saybrook Graduate School
• Albuquerque Journal article on the closing of Pinion Hills Hospital
• Closing of Darien Health Care Center described in McKnight's Long Term Care News
• Rollo May's collected papers including Dr. Sperry's correspondence and dissertation.
• Reference to Dr Sperry's dissertation research in schizophrenia (2008)
• Junior Sailing Association Racing Results; Pequot Cup Junior Champion, Associate Champion
• NY Times article regarding Dr. Sperry's Junior Championship
• NY Times article regarding Dr Sperry's Associates championship