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Dr. David Farmer is the Founding Director of the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Institutional Department of Interprofessional Education and Practice (IPEP). He has helped develop a culture of interprofessional collaboration across UNTHSC’s programs in medicine, pharmacy, health professions, public health, and biomedical sciences.

An Assistant Professor of Medical Education, Dr. Farmer works with medical students in clinical interviewing skills development and in identification of psychosocial factors impacting patient wellness and care. 

A Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Dr. Farmer came to UNTHSC with twenty-three years’ experience in the clinical practice of counseling psychology with adolescents and adults. Dr. Farmer is a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow in the National Academies of Practice, Psychology Academy.

Dr. Claassen is a clinical psychologist who has provided clinical care and administrative oversight for services to low income mentally challenged patients across the age span in the DFW area for over 20 years.  She has an extensive background in suicide research and currently serves as Co-Lead on the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Data and Surveillance Task force (DSTF).

The DSTF works to optimize national and regional datasets in order to better inform public health suicide prevention efforts across the nation.  Data collected through TX-YDSRN will fill a major gap previously identified by the DSTF, in that naturalistic, longitudinal data on outcomes for depressed and suicidal children and adolescents in the United States is extremely limited. 

These data have potential to help national and state policy makers design and implement more targeted, effective interventions designed to prevent mood dysregulation in children and adolescents from leading to chronic disability and repeated suicidal acts.