Research Psychologist
Department of Psychiatry
F.Edward Hebert School of Medicine
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Mary P. Tyler was educated at The University of Chicago (A.B., Assyriology, with General Honors), Duke University Medical Center (Internship in Clinical Psychology), and The University of Texas at Austin (Ph.D., Clinical Psychology). Academic honors include Phi Beta Kappa, junior year, Goethe Award, National Merit Scholarship, Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.

She was an Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Florida State University, from 1970-1978. Moving to Europe, she served as a Guest Lecturer in the Institute for Linguistics, University of Vienna. She also taught for Ball State University’s and The University of Maryland’s European programs, and directed inpatient and outpatient substance abuse programs for the U.S. Army in Germany. From 1985-1991 she served as a Research Psychologist at the U.S. Army Medical Research Unit, Heidelberg, a Special Foreign Activity of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Returning to the U.S. in 1991, she served from 1991-1995 as National Traumatic Incident Program Manager for the Internal Revenue Service. In 1995 she was hired by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to help the entire Federal workforce deal with trauma through policy development, management guidance, training, and consultation. She retired from the Federal Government in March, 2009, and immediately began a new career with the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress.

Her professional work has been varied, but focused primarily on the role of leadership and community in facilitating recovery from large scale traumatic events and buffering members of high-risk occupations from undue consequences of work related stress. She has published widely in U.S. and international journals, and addressed numerous scholarly conferences in several countries. She has conducted extensive on-site evaluation and management consultation after Hurricane Andrew, the Northridge Earthquake, and the Oklahoma City Bombing, and helped many civilian and military organizations deal with other severely stressful events.

She is a member of the American Psychological Association, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, International Sociological Association, RC 01, Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society, and the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. Recognition includes the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service (U.S. Army), Secretary of the Treasury Certificate of Appreciation, Federal Bureau of Investigation Certificate of Appreciation, and five OPM Director’s Awards. She is proud of letters of appreciation from customers, including two Cabinet Secretaries, the Governor of Oklahoma, The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.