Dr. Patrick Corrigan is a distinguished scholar and leader in clinical psychology with a focus on mental health stigma and health equity. He currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology where he also directs the Center for Health Equity, Education, and Research. Previously, he was Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago and Executive Director of its Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. His academic journey has been marked by a consistent commitment to addressing systemic barriers in mental health care through rigorous scientific inquiry and community engagement. With over three decades of professional experience, Dr. Corrigan has established himself as a preeminent figure in the field of mental health research and advocacy.
Dr. Corrigan's groundbreaking research has significantly advanced understanding of the prejudice and discrimination associated with mental illness, with particular emphasis on social determinants of health including ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and age. He has authored or co-authored more than 500 peer-reviewed publications with an impressive h-index of 143, demonstrating substantial scholarly impact across multiple disciplines. His influential book The Stigma Effect published by Columbia University Press has become a seminal work in the field, while his development of the Honest, Open, Proud series of anti-stigma programs has been implemented widely to reduce self-stigma among individuals with mental illness. His methodological approach emphasizes community-based participatory research, ensuring that interventions are culturally responsive and grounded in the lived experiences of those they aim to serve.
Beyond his individual research contributions, Dr. Corrigan has established the Chicago Health Disparities Center and serves as principal investigator of the National Consortium on Stigma and Empowerment, fostering collaborative research across more than a dozen institutions nationwide. He currently serves as editor of the journal Stigma and Health published by the American Psychological Association and is editor emeritus of the American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation. His exceptional contributions to the field were recognized in 2022 with the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Contribution to Psychology in the Public Interest, as well as the Alexander Gralnick award for research on serious mental illness and the Presidential Medal from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Currently, Dr. Corrigan continues to lead innovative projects examining integrated primary and behavioral health care through a health disparities lens, while training the next generation of researchers through the recovery support specialist certificate program at Illinois Tech.
