Chair, Department of Psychiatry University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, College of Medicine | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma We are pleased to announce that Rasim Somer Diler, MD, MBA, DFAACAP has been named Paul and Ruth Jonas Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and Clinical Service Chief of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at OU Health. Dr. Diler will assume the role in July 2026.Dr. Diler is currently a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a physician leader at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, where he founded and serves as medical director of the nation’s first inpatient pediatric bipolar disorder unit.An internationally recognized expert in pediatric bipolar disorder, Dr. Diler specializes in novel care models, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention for youth and young adults. He edited the first international book on pediatric bipolar disorder and has held numerous leadership roles on national and international advisory and scientific committees. His scholarship includes more than 160 peer reviewed publications, 120 national and international presentations, and sustained external funding. He currently serves as principal investigator on two NIH-funded longitudinal studies focused on neural and behavioral markers for early detection and treatment of bipolar disorder and mixed depression in youth.Dr. Diler has received multiple national honors, including the Ryan Licht Sang/AACAP Quest for the Test for Bipolar Disorder Award, the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Samuel Gershon Investigator Award, and the National Council’s Excellence in Health Information & Technology Award.He earned his medical degree from Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, completed residency training in psychiatry and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at UPMC, and received his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business, where he was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma.You may read the full press release about Dr. Diler’s appointment here.
