Dr. Peter S. Jensen is a distinguished child and adolescent psychiatrist and visionary leader in pediatric mental health care. He currently serves as President and CEO of The REACH Institute (Resource for Advancing Children's Health), a nonprofit organization he founded in 2006 to bridge the critical gap between scientific advances in mental health care and the children and families who need them most. Prior to establishing The REACH Institute, Dr. Jensen held the position of Associate Director of Child and Adolescent Research at the National Institute of Mental Health, where he initiated and led numerous multi-site studies including the landmark research on child mental health interventions. His earlier career included significant contributions at Columbia University, where he developed the core strategies that would later form the foundation of The REACH Institute's transformative approach to pediatric mental health care.
Dr. Jensen is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work on the landmark Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (MTA), which fundamentally changed clinical approaches to ADHD treatment through rigorous scientific methodology. He pioneered the Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care (PPP) program, an evidence-based training initiative that equips primary care providers with the latest therapeutic approaches to diagnose and treat mental health disorders in children. This innovative program has successfully trained over 8,000 healthcare providers as of 2025, dramatically expanding access to quality mental health care for children in primary care settings where most families first seek help. Dr. Jensen's model of integrating mental health services into pediatric primary care has become a gold standard practice, addressing the critical shortage of child mental health specialists across the United States and reducing the 15 to 18 year lag between scientific discovery and clinical implementation.
His visionary leadership has earned Dr. Jensen national recognition, most notably the prestigious AARP's 2024 Purpose Prize, which honors founders over 50 who are building a better future through innovative solutions to societal challenges. As Chair of the Board of Directors and PPP Steering Committee Chair, he continues to guide The REACH Institute's expansion to meet growing pediatric mental health needs, particularly in the wake of the pandemic which has exacerbated an already critical mental health crisis affecting millions of children. Dr. Jensen remains actively involved as teaching faculty, personally mentoring the next generation of healthcare providers in evidence-based mental health practices while advocating for collaborative efforts among pediatricians, educators, and policymakers to establish clear recommendations for children's well-being. His current work focuses on scaling The REACH Institute's training programs to address the urgent need for mental health services, with the ambitious goal of creating a sustainable system that delivers effective, scientifically proven mental health care to all children regardless of geographic or socioeconomic barriers.
