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Hi, I'm Chris, here's what I do...I'm an angel investor and advisor to startups in healthcare, technology, sciences, and medicine, often as a nonexecutive director.
I help private practices get started and scale (I actually wrote a best selling book on it as well). I consult with C-Suite leaders and their boards on growth and strategy, and I deliver tailored keynotes to their teams' needs. I donate all of my fees to the global health nonprofit I founded, and have since 2020. |
Biography
Dr. Chris Stout is a licensed clinical psychologist with a diverse background in various domains. He is the Founding Director of the Center for Global Initiatives, a top rated global health nonprofit which is Platinum Ranked by GuideStar. Through the Center, he was able to gain approval from the Tanzanian Ministry of Education to establish a kindergarten for an orphanage, amongst other global projects and collaborations serving the mission of helping in the creation of self-sustaining programs that improve access to healthcare in underserved communities throughout the world by “open-sourcing” humanitarian intervention. All services, tools, materials and consultations are free.
Before retiring from academia, Chris held an appointment at the rank of Clinical Full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and served as an Advisory Board Member in starting their Center for Global Health. He was a Fellow in the School of Public Health Leadership Institute and a Core Faculty at their International Center on Responses to Catastrophes as well. He also held an academic appointment at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’ Mental Health Services and Policy Program, and was a Visiting Professor in the Department of Health Systems Management at Rush University. He is the first psychologist to have an invited appointment to the Lake County Board of Health, where he served for a decade.
Chris was the Vice President and Founding Director of the Department of Clinical Research and Data Analytics, for ATI Holdings, LLC, the nation’s largest sports medicine and orthopedic rehabilitation organization, holding a $2.5B valuation, overseeing all clinical outcomes of patients with musculoskeletal injuries, and managed the clinical data resulting from over 24,000 patient visits a day. From these large datasets, he developed and served as Principal Investigator and creator of two national registries in the NIH National Library of Medicine’s ClinicalTrials.gov (Evidence-based Guide Investigating Clinical Services, NCT02285868 and Evidence-based Guide Investigating Medical and Preventative Services NCT04050319) which were listed in AHRQ’s Registry of Patient Registries.
He also has experience as being the PI on National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research grants, NIMH/SAMHSA grants, and with the FDA in the area of prescription digital therapeutics (PDTx), 510(k) predicated devices, and software as a medical device (SaaMD). He is a co-inventor of a patent application for an Integrated Healthcare Monitoring System.
Chris is a Fellow in three Divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA) and holds Life Member Status; he is past-President of the Illinois Psychological Association (IPA), and is a Distinguished Practitioner in the National Academies of Practice. He was appointed Federal Advocacy Coordinator for the APA and served for over a decade, going to Washington, DC each year advocating for healthcare reform and served as a Presidential Cabinet Advisor to the Department of Education on Special Education and Mental Health (for the George H. W. Bush administration). He also chaired the Legislative Affairs Committee for the IPA, formally provided testimony on healthcare needs to a government panel, and was an editorial cartoonist on healthcare advocacy and policy. In recognition of his service, the IPA named him Distinguished Psychologist of the Year (1999). In addition, he is a two-time awardee of the APA’s Jefferson Cup for his Federal Advocacy work, along with recognitions from the Association for the Advancement of Psychology (1997). Chris is a recipient of the APA’s Presidential Award for Advocacy (less than 0.5 percent of all licensed psychologists receive this recognition) and the Illinois Senate and House similarly recognized his work by proclamation of “Dr. Chris E. Stout Week” (1999).
Chris was elected to APA’s Committee on International Relations in Psychology for a three-year term, during which he served as Co-Chair with Florence Kaslow, PhD. The focus of the Committee was on thinking strategically and collaboratively to promote psychology globally. He was a coauthor of APA’s Going International: A Practical Guide for Psychologists - Academics Going Abroad and Going International: A Practical Guide for Psychologists Book 2: Engaging in International Collaborative Research.
Chris worked as a Non-Governmental Organization Special Representative to the United Nations through the APA and had the honor of formally speaking at the UN, authoring a position paper on The Copenhagen Declaration, and subsequently co-edited (with Harvey Langholtz, PhD) The Psychology of Diplomacy, following his book The Integration of Psychological Principles in Policy Development. He was appointed by the Secretary of the US Department of Commerce to the Board of Examiners for the Baldrige National Quality Award, was a trained APA-Accreditation Site Reviewer, and was invited to serve on the APA Task Force on Envisioning, Identifying, and Accessing New Professional Roles.
Chris produced the critically acclaimed four volume set The Psychology of Terrorism (with Klaus Schwab contributing the Foreword), the three volume collection The Psychology of Resolving Global Conflicts (with Mari Fitzduff, PhD), and the Ursula Gielen Global Psychology Book Silver Award–winning three volume set, The New Humanitarians. He served as the Series Editor of Contemporary Psychology (Bloomsbury) and Getting Started (Wiley) and has published a over 400 articles as well as 41 books on various topics in psychology, including the popular Evidence-Based Practice (Wiley, with R. Hayes). Various chapters and books of his have appeared in a total of 8 languages.
He was noted as being “one of the most frequently cited psychologists in the scientific literature” in a study by Hartwick College. He most recently published the edited volume, Why Global Health Matters, with Nobel Laureate, Jody Williams, authoring the Foreword, and was the #1 New Release in Psychology and Medicine when it debuted, adding to Chris’ Best-Selling author credentials. His academic productivity scores are h-Index=42, i10 Index=113, and 7949 citations based on Google Scholar.
Chris is the Executive Producer and Host of the top-ranked syndicated podcast, Living a Life in Full, featuring guests working in the humanitarian space and spills over into his LinkedIn Top Voice posts on global health, technology, and humanitarian activism, nearing a half-million followers. A 2022 piece he wrote for LinkedIn News, was Pulitzer Nominated for Editorial Writing, and 23 of his books are in the Library of Congress. He is Editor-in-Chief of the sister LinkedIn publication, Tools for Change with over 158,000 subscribers. His podcast is ranked in the Top 5% of All Podcasts by ListenNotes. He is an Executive Producer for the documentary film, Somewhere Else Together. He also serves as a Contributing Editor for Atlas Obscura.
He has served as Chief of Psychology, Director of Research, and Senior VP of an integrated behavioral hospital system during a 15-year tenure. He worked in State Government via his appointment as Illinois’ first Chief of Psychological Services for the Department of Human Services/Division of Mental Health–making him the highest-ranking psychologist in the State of Illinois where he was a committed reformer in his responsibility for psychological services in all of the State’s psychiatric hospitals. He also served as Chief Clinical Information Officer for the State’s Division of Mental Health in 2004–a Cabinet-level position. He has also served in CEO, COO and CCO positions in a number of behavioral healthcare startups.
The breadth of his work ranges from having served as a judge for Dean Kamen’s FIRST Robotics competitions to serving on the Young Leaders Forum of the Chicago Community Trust. Today he serves on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council.
Chris holds the distinction of being one of only 100 world-wide leaders appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders of Tomorrow—joining the ranks of Tony Blair, Jody Foster, Bill Gates, J. K. Rowling, following that, he was an Invited Faculty at the Annual Meeting in Davos for a number of years. He was also invited by the Club de Madrid and Safe-Democracy to serve on the Madrid-11 Countering Terrorism Task Force.
His humanitarian activities include going on international missions with the Flying Doctors of America to Vietnam, Bolivia, Rwanda, Peru, Ecuador, and the Amazon; War Child in Russia; the Kovler Center (for Refugee Survivors of Torture); Amnesty International; the RWJ Foundation; the Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust; and Psychologists for Social Responsibility. He also was a delegate at the State of the World Forum in Belfast. He is a signatory to the UN’s 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He was appointed as a Special (Citizen) Ambassador and Delegation Leader to South Africa and Eastern Europe by the Eisenhower Foundation. He is the inventor of the “52 Ways to Change the World” card deck.
He has won awards for public service announcements, as well as for his photography, and two cash prize wins for his paintings. Chris was inducted into his high school’s and his University’s Halls of Fame. He is listed in TED Conferences Founder Richard Saul Wurman’s “Who’s Really Who, 1000: The Most Creative Individuals in America” and he is a 2025 Who’s Who in America Honoree along with their Industry Leader (Nonprofit) Top Executive Honor.
In 2022, he was named One of the Top 100 Doctors by the Global Summits Institute. In his philanthropic work, Chris established a scholarship at Purdue’s School of Engineering and Technology, the IU Indianapolis School of Science Mental Health Center Fund, and the Drs. Chris E. and Karen B. Stout Clinical Psychology Student Support Fund. He also serves the School of Science via mentorship and webinars on professional and career development.
Chris was educated at Purdue University and attended The University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business and Forest Institute, gaining over twenty-four awards and four scholarships; including, the Purdue Distinguished Academic Performance Award, the Purdue Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award, and Valedictorian of his doctoral class.
He obtained post-doctoral experience at Harvard Medical School as a Fellow in Neuro-developmental Behavioral Pediatrics. He has received four additional doctorates (honoris causa) in Philosophy, Humane Letters, Humanities, and from the Purdue School of Engineering, a Doctor of Technology degree, in addition to over 30 other post-doctoral awards, including the Science Medallion of Distinction (Lifetime Achievement Award), from the Indiana University School of Science, along with another Lifetime Achievement Award granted by The World’s Top Doctor Association. Chris is a two-time Honoree of the Indiana University Spirit of Philanthropy Award, the first from the School of Engineering and Technology (2016) and recently the School of Science (2025). Chris’ humanitarian efforts were dually honored as a “Global Leader” and “Top Forward Thinker” in 2025 by the Angels of Alignment Network.
He has been interviewed on live radio, cable, local, and national television programs (e.g., CNBC, CNN, WGN, NBC, PBS, NPR, Medical Rounds, Chicago Tonight, CL-TV, Oprah, Eye On Harvard, Christina, Bertise Berry, et al), and by numerous publications (Time, Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Women’s Day, Modern Healthcare, Associated Press, Child Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times, Windy City Sports, NorthShore Magazine, APA’s Monitor on Psychology...). He’s coined the term “eMortality” and numerous registered service-marks. He was an American Delegate and presenter at the Santa Fe Institute’s 1st International Conference on Unconventional Computing. A unique and distinct honor was being named one of ten Volunteers of the Year by Pioneer Press in 1999, for his global efforts.
His entrepreneurial experience is demonstrated in multiple start-ups that include the areas of finance, media, healthcare, engineering, technology, and consulting (with a top-tier client list that includes Oracle). He is now an angel advisor, early money-in investor, and serves on a number of for- and not-for-profit boards. Chris was named one of the World's Top 30 Startup Experts in 2024. In 2025 he was recognized as Most Admired Healthcare Leader of the Year from The Influential and as Top Founding Director of the Year from International Association of Top Professionals, and as such Chris was invited to appear on the NASDAQ Billboard in Times Square.
He has held licenses or certifications as a Clinical Psychologist (Wisconsin and Illinois), in Wilderness Medicine, US Cycling Federation Division IV Racing License, Disaster Mental Health Certified, Motorcycle Road Racing Licensee, Certified SCUBA Diver, Boating Licensee, SEC 203(c) Registered Investment Advisor, accepted into the American Institute of Architects, served as a Porsche Club Concours Judge, and was even a Licensed Bar Tender when he was an undergrad. His unique collection of life experiences are catalogued in his well-known Life List.
Chris serves as a decorated Flotilla and Division Staff Officer in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary (District 9WR, Flotilla 47 – 2) with qualifications in the areas of FEMA Incident Command, National Incident Management, Homeland Security, Marine Safety, and Environmental Protection. He is a recipient of two Coast Guard Auxiliary Branch National Awards as well as Division and Flotilla Recognitions. His volunteer efforts as a Water Action Citizen Scientist working with the Department of Natural Resources at The Ridges also augment his work in Environmental Protection.
His current interests are in humanitarian intervention and the multidisciplinary integration of psychology, public health and global health, along with evidence-based practice and outcomes, complex systems and ways in which technology can augment and assist. A special honor is having his body of work become part of the Smithsonian’s collection in the “Dr. Chris E. Stout Archive” housed at The Center for the History of Psychology, University of Akron.
He’s an avid endurance- and adventure-athlete as an ultra-marathon runner, diver (Blue Hole, Great Barrier Reef, night, narco- and shark-dives), 2024 Brand Ambassador for Hammer Nutrition, 2025 Sponsored Athlete for Hammer Nutrition, and a devoted (albeit amateur) alpinist, having thus far summited three of the world’s Seven Summits as well as Mt. Whitney (tallest in 49 states), Mt. Rainier, Yosemite’s Half-Dome, Pikes Peak (with his daughter), Adam’s Peak (Sri Lanka), and founded Summits For Others. He placed 4th in the 2024 Mr. Fitness and Health Completion. His vintage BMW motorcycle and modified 911 were concours winners, and his custom built Ducati was in The Ultimate Builders’ Competition at the International Motorcycle Show. Chris raced cars at Road America (and motorcycles there, too), Sebring, Blackhawk Farms, even the infamous Nürburgring and jokes that he must be the “World’s Fasted Psychologist” as he set two Land Speed Racing records at the Arkansas Mile in 2024.
His greatest joy comes from being with his best friend and wife, Dr. Karen Beckstrand Stout and their two adult children, Grayson and Annika (who joined him on a 2024 Circumnavigation Trip of over 22,300 miles – earning them membership into the Circumnavigators Club).
Learn more here | Wikipedia | Perplexity.AI | TED | CrunchBase
Before retiring from academia, Chris held an appointment at the rank of Clinical Full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and served as an Advisory Board Member in starting their Center for Global Health. He was a Fellow in the School of Public Health Leadership Institute and a Core Faculty at their International Center on Responses to Catastrophes as well. He also held an academic appointment at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’ Mental Health Services and Policy Program, and was a Visiting Professor in the Department of Health Systems Management at Rush University. He is the first psychologist to have an invited appointment to the Lake County Board of Health, where he served for a decade.
Chris was the Vice President and Founding Director of the Department of Clinical Research and Data Analytics, for ATI Holdings, LLC, the nation’s largest sports medicine and orthopedic rehabilitation organization, holding a $2.5B valuation, overseeing all clinical outcomes of patients with musculoskeletal injuries, and managed the clinical data resulting from over 24,000 patient visits a day. From these large datasets, he developed and served as Principal Investigator and creator of two national registries in the NIH National Library of Medicine’s ClinicalTrials.gov (Evidence-based Guide Investigating Clinical Services, NCT02285868 and Evidence-based Guide Investigating Medical and Preventative Services NCT04050319) which were listed in AHRQ’s Registry of Patient Registries.
He also has experience as being the PI on National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research grants, NIMH/SAMHSA grants, and with the FDA in the area of prescription digital therapeutics (PDTx), 510(k) predicated devices, and software as a medical device (SaaMD). He is a co-inventor of a patent application for an Integrated Healthcare Monitoring System.
Chris is a Fellow in three Divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA) and holds Life Member Status; he is past-President of the Illinois Psychological Association (IPA), and is a Distinguished Practitioner in the National Academies of Practice. He was appointed Federal Advocacy Coordinator for the APA and served for over a decade, going to Washington, DC each year advocating for healthcare reform and served as a Presidential Cabinet Advisor to the Department of Education on Special Education and Mental Health (for the George H. W. Bush administration). He also chaired the Legislative Affairs Committee for the IPA, formally provided testimony on healthcare needs to a government panel, and was an editorial cartoonist on healthcare advocacy and policy. In recognition of his service, the IPA named him Distinguished Psychologist of the Year (1999). In addition, he is a two-time awardee of the APA’s Jefferson Cup for his Federal Advocacy work, along with recognitions from the Association for the Advancement of Psychology (1997). Chris is a recipient of the APA’s Presidential Award for Advocacy (less than 0.5 percent of all licensed psychologists receive this recognition) and the Illinois Senate and House similarly recognized his work by proclamation of “Dr. Chris E. Stout Week” (1999).
Chris was elected to APA’s Committee on International Relations in Psychology for a three-year term, during which he served as Co-Chair with Florence Kaslow, PhD. The focus of the Committee was on thinking strategically and collaboratively to promote psychology globally. He was a coauthor of APA’s Going International: A Practical Guide for Psychologists - Academics Going Abroad and Going International: A Practical Guide for Psychologists Book 2: Engaging in International Collaborative Research.
Chris worked as a Non-Governmental Organization Special Representative to the United Nations through the APA and had the honor of formally speaking at the UN, authoring a position paper on The Copenhagen Declaration, and subsequently co-edited (with Harvey Langholtz, PhD) The Psychology of Diplomacy, following his book The Integration of Psychological Principles in Policy Development. He was appointed by the Secretary of the US Department of Commerce to the Board of Examiners for the Baldrige National Quality Award, was a trained APA-Accreditation Site Reviewer, and was invited to serve on the APA Task Force on Envisioning, Identifying, and Accessing New Professional Roles.
Chris produced the critically acclaimed four volume set The Psychology of Terrorism (with Klaus Schwab contributing the Foreword), the three volume collection The Psychology of Resolving Global Conflicts (with Mari Fitzduff, PhD), and the Ursula Gielen Global Psychology Book Silver Award–winning three volume set, The New Humanitarians. He served as the Series Editor of Contemporary Psychology (Bloomsbury) and Getting Started (Wiley) and has published a over 400 articles as well as 41 books on various topics in psychology, including the popular Evidence-Based Practice (Wiley, with R. Hayes). Various chapters and books of his have appeared in a total of 8 languages.
He was noted as being “one of the most frequently cited psychologists in the scientific literature” in a study by Hartwick College. He most recently published the edited volume, Why Global Health Matters, with Nobel Laureate, Jody Williams, authoring the Foreword, and was the #1 New Release in Psychology and Medicine when it debuted, adding to Chris’ Best-Selling author credentials. His academic productivity scores are h-Index=42, i10 Index=113, and 7949 citations based on Google Scholar.
Chris is the Executive Producer and Host of the top-ranked syndicated podcast, Living a Life in Full, featuring guests working in the humanitarian space and spills over into his LinkedIn Top Voice posts on global health, technology, and humanitarian activism, nearing a half-million followers. A 2022 piece he wrote for LinkedIn News, was Pulitzer Nominated for Editorial Writing, and 23 of his books are in the Library of Congress. He is Editor-in-Chief of the sister LinkedIn publication, Tools for Change with over 158,000 subscribers. His podcast is ranked in the Top 5% of All Podcasts by ListenNotes. He is an Executive Producer for the documentary film, Somewhere Else Together. He also serves as a Contributing Editor for Atlas Obscura.
He has served as Chief of Psychology, Director of Research, and Senior VP of an integrated behavioral hospital system during a 15-year tenure. He worked in State Government via his appointment as Illinois’ first Chief of Psychological Services for the Department of Human Services/Division of Mental Health–making him the highest-ranking psychologist in the State of Illinois where he was a committed reformer in his responsibility for psychological services in all of the State’s psychiatric hospitals. He also served as Chief Clinical Information Officer for the State’s Division of Mental Health in 2004–a Cabinet-level position. He has also served in CEO, COO and CCO positions in a number of behavioral healthcare startups.
The breadth of his work ranges from having served as a judge for Dean Kamen’s FIRST Robotics competitions to serving on the Young Leaders Forum of the Chicago Community Trust. Today he serves on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council.
Chris holds the distinction of being one of only 100 world-wide leaders appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders of Tomorrow—joining the ranks of Tony Blair, Jody Foster, Bill Gates, J. K. Rowling, following that, he was an Invited Faculty at the Annual Meeting in Davos for a number of years. He was also invited by the Club de Madrid and Safe-Democracy to serve on the Madrid-11 Countering Terrorism Task Force.
His humanitarian activities include going on international missions with the Flying Doctors of America to Vietnam, Bolivia, Rwanda, Peru, Ecuador, and the Amazon; War Child in Russia; the Kovler Center (for Refugee Survivors of Torture); Amnesty International; the RWJ Foundation; the Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust; and Psychologists for Social Responsibility. He also was a delegate at the State of the World Forum in Belfast. He is a signatory to the UN’s 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He was appointed as a Special (Citizen) Ambassador and Delegation Leader to South Africa and Eastern Europe by the Eisenhower Foundation. He is the inventor of the “52 Ways to Change the World” card deck.
He has won awards for public service announcements, as well as for his photography, and two cash prize wins for his paintings. Chris was inducted into his high school’s and his University’s Halls of Fame. He is listed in TED Conferences Founder Richard Saul Wurman’s “Who’s Really Who, 1000: The Most Creative Individuals in America” and he is a 2025 Who’s Who in America Honoree along with their Industry Leader (Nonprofit) Top Executive Honor.
In 2022, he was named One of the Top 100 Doctors by the Global Summits Institute. In his philanthropic work, Chris established a scholarship at Purdue’s School of Engineering and Technology, the IU Indianapolis School of Science Mental Health Center Fund, and the Drs. Chris E. and Karen B. Stout Clinical Psychology Student Support Fund. He also serves the School of Science via mentorship and webinars on professional and career development.
Chris was educated at Purdue University and attended The University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business and Forest Institute, gaining over twenty-four awards and four scholarships; including, the Purdue Distinguished Academic Performance Award, the Purdue Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award, and Valedictorian of his doctoral class.
He obtained post-doctoral experience at Harvard Medical School as a Fellow in Neuro-developmental Behavioral Pediatrics. He has received four additional doctorates (honoris causa) in Philosophy, Humane Letters, Humanities, and from the Purdue School of Engineering, a Doctor of Technology degree, in addition to over 30 other post-doctoral awards, including the Science Medallion of Distinction (Lifetime Achievement Award), from the Indiana University School of Science, along with another Lifetime Achievement Award granted by The World’s Top Doctor Association. Chris is a two-time Honoree of the Indiana University Spirit of Philanthropy Award, the first from the School of Engineering and Technology (2016) and recently the School of Science (2025). Chris’ humanitarian efforts were dually honored as a “Global Leader” and “Top Forward Thinker” in 2025 by the Angels of Alignment Network.
He has been interviewed on live radio, cable, local, and national television programs (e.g., CNBC, CNN, WGN, NBC, PBS, NPR, Medical Rounds, Chicago Tonight, CL-TV, Oprah, Eye On Harvard, Christina, Bertise Berry, et al), and by numerous publications (Time, Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Women’s Day, Modern Healthcare, Associated Press, Child Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times, Windy City Sports, NorthShore Magazine, APA’s Monitor on Psychology...). He’s coined the term “eMortality” and numerous registered service-marks. He was an American Delegate and presenter at the Santa Fe Institute’s 1st International Conference on Unconventional Computing. A unique and distinct honor was being named one of ten Volunteers of the Year by Pioneer Press in 1999, for his global efforts.
His entrepreneurial experience is demonstrated in multiple start-ups that include the areas of finance, media, healthcare, engineering, technology, and consulting (with a top-tier client list that includes Oracle). He is now an angel advisor, early money-in investor, and serves on a number of for- and not-for-profit boards. Chris was named one of the World's Top 30 Startup Experts in 2024. In 2025 he was recognized as Most Admired Healthcare Leader of the Year from The Influential and as Top Founding Director of the Year from International Association of Top Professionals, and as such Chris was invited to appear on the NASDAQ Billboard in Times Square.
He has held licenses or certifications as a Clinical Psychologist (Wisconsin and Illinois), in Wilderness Medicine, US Cycling Federation Division IV Racing License, Disaster Mental Health Certified, Motorcycle Road Racing Licensee, Certified SCUBA Diver, Boating Licensee, SEC 203(c) Registered Investment Advisor, accepted into the American Institute of Architects, served as a Porsche Club Concours Judge, and was even a Licensed Bar Tender when he was an undergrad. His unique collection of life experiences are catalogued in his well-known Life List.
Chris serves as a decorated Flotilla and Division Staff Officer in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary (District 9WR, Flotilla 47 – 2) with qualifications in the areas of FEMA Incident Command, National Incident Management, Homeland Security, Marine Safety, and Environmental Protection. He is a recipient of two Coast Guard Auxiliary Branch National Awards as well as Division and Flotilla Recognitions. His volunteer efforts as a Water Action Citizen Scientist working with the Department of Natural Resources at The Ridges also augment his work in Environmental Protection.
His current interests are in humanitarian intervention and the multidisciplinary integration of psychology, public health and global health, along with evidence-based practice and outcomes, complex systems and ways in which technology can augment and assist. A special honor is having his body of work become part of the Smithsonian’s collection in the “Dr. Chris E. Stout Archive” housed at The Center for the History of Psychology, University of Akron.
He’s an avid endurance- and adventure-athlete as an ultra-marathon runner, diver (Blue Hole, Great Barrier Reef, night, narco- and shark-dives), 2024 Brand Ambassador for Hammer Nutrition, 2025 Sponsored Athlete for Hammer Nutrition, and a devoted (albeit amateur) alpinist, having thus far summited three of the world’s Seven Summits as well as Mt. Whitney (tallest in 49 states), Mt. Rainier, Yosemite’s Half-Dome, Pikes Peak (with his daughter), Adam’s Peak (Sri Lanka), and founded Summits For Others. He placed 4th in the 2024 Mr. Fitness and Health Completion. His vintage BMW motorcycle and modified 911 were concours winners, and his custom built Ducati was in The Ultimate Builders’ Competition at the International Motorcycle Show. Chris raced cars at Road America (and motorcycles there, too), Sebring, Blackhawk Farms, even the infamous Nürburgring and jokes that he must be the “World’s Fasted Psychologist” as he set two Land Speed Racing records at the Arkansas Mile in 2024.
His greatest joy comes from being with his best friend and wife, Dr. Karen Beckstrand Stout and their two adult children, Grayson and Annika (who joined him on a 2024 Circumnavigation Trip of over 22,300 miles – earning them membership into the Circumnavigators Club).
Learn more here | Wikipedia | Perplexity.AI | TED | CrunchBase
Complete Biography, with Links
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Curriculum Vitae
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The List of a Lifetime
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Print Interviews and Profiles
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International Psychology’s Rockstar
It's the rare psychologist who gets to trade intellectual bon mots with international luminaries such as Bono, Al Gore, Tony Blair, both Clintons and Steve Jobs. But, after Chris E. Stout, PsyD, was named one of the World Economic Forum's 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow in 2000--a group of world leaders under age 40 who have demonstrated socially responsible leadership—he was invited to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, for three years running.
"You never really know why you get invited," jokes Stout. "My impression was that it was a mistake."
But there's no mistaking Stout's passion for integrating psychology with public health around the world. Since the early '90s, Stout has been bringing health and psychological assistance to children and families in countries such as Vietnam, Rwanda and Peru. Building on his former work as a child psychologist, his involvement in global health projects, the time he spent at the United Nations as part of APA's nongovernmental organization and the connections he made in Davos, Stout founded the Center for Global Initiatives in 2004 to train health-care professionals and students to create sustainable programs.
"We develop projects that can be handed off to locals," says Stout. The Center's projects have included establishing a kindergarten in Tanzania for children orphaned by AIDS and providing health care to families living in Bolivian prisons.
Most recently, Stout brought a group of nurses, physicians and other health professionals to the center to design a project to train groups of Cambodian villagers in basic emergency medicine and first aid that can be used to stabilize injured people until they can get to a hospital.
Stout has further plans for the Bolivian prisons, where inmates' children live and go to school when there's no one else on the outside to care for them. The teachers there have no resources, so Stout is assembling child-friendly psychological and resiliency materials, children's books and parenting information. He plans to use center funds to send interested psychology grad students to the prisons to train the teachers to incorporate the materials.
Not as glamorous as Davos, but exactly where Stout wants to be.
American Psychological Associations's Monitor on Psychology, December 2007, Vol 38, No. 11, p. 41
"You never really know why you get invited," jokes Stout. "My impression was that it was a mistake."
But there's no mistaking Stout's passion for integrating psychology with public health around the world. Since the early '90s, Stout has been bringing health and psychological assistance to children and families in countries such as Vietnam, Rwanda and Peru. Building on his former work as a child psychologist, his involvement in global health projects, the time he spent at the United Nations as part of APA's nongovernmental organization and the connections he made in Davos, Stout founded the Center for Global Initiatives in 2004 to train health-care professionals and students to create sustainable programs.
"We develop projects that can be handed off to locals," says Stout. The Center's projects have included establishing a kindergarten in Tanzania for children orphaned by AIDS and providing health care to families living in Bolivian prisons.
Most recently, Stout brought a group of nurses, physicians and other health professionals to the center to design a project to train groups of Cambodian villagers in basic emergency medicine and first aid that can be used to stabilize injured people until they can get to a hospital.
Stout has further plans for the Bolivian prisons, where inmates' children live and go to school when there's no one else on the outside to care for them. The teachers there have no resources, so Stout is assembling child-friendly psychological and resiliency materials, children's books and parenting information. He plans to use center funds to send interested psychology grad students to the prisons to train the teachers to incorporate the materials.
Not as glamorous as Davos, but exactly where Stout wants to be.
American Psychological Associations's Monitor on Psychology, December 2007, Vol 38, No. 11, p. 41
Guest Spots and Interviews
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Here's what others have said...
Citation: For his tireless pioneering of cross-disciplinary projects world-wide, in healthcare, medical education and sciences, human rights, poverty, conflict, policy, sustainable development, diplomacy, and terrorism, all of which result in a tapestry with psychology serving as the integrating thread, we honor Dr. Chris Edward Stout. He is a rare individual who takes risks, stimulates new ideas, and enlarges possibilities in areas of great need but few resources. He is able to masterfully navigate between the domains of policy development while also rolling-up his sleeves to provide in-the-trenches care. His drive and vigor are disguised by his quick humor and ever-present kindness. He is provocative in his ideas and evocative in spirit. His creative solutions and inclusiveness cross conceptual boundaries as well physical borders. No one is more deserving of this highest recognition than our esteemed colleague, Dr. Chris Edward Stout, whose work and impact spans the globe.
APA International Humanitarian Award Winner, 2004. American Psychologist, 59(8), 842–853. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.59.8.842
All of us aspire to someday make a real difference in the world yet, caught up in our own day- to-day personal crises and seemingly pressing obligations, very few of us ever fulfill this important human dream Chris Stout is a world class humanitarian who has taken the time to vividly explore the inside world of those who have succeeded Perhaps with this new appreciation for how to succeed, more of us will eventually fulfill our own personal quest to make the world just a little bit better.
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D., M.P.H., JD, Past President of the American Psychological Association
Stout's stories of social innovators in The New Humanitarians are inspiring and instructive --helpful to anyone who wants to participate in building a better world.
David Bornstein, author, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, and The Price of a Dream
Usually we think it takes someone extraordinary to do something of great value—a Gandhi or a King In fact, the people profiled in these volumes are just like most of us—nobodies to start with, who became some bodies because they answered a call. The moral here may be that if we hear that ‘still small voice,’ act on it. It can make a difference, including just supporting any of these organizations at any level, or one like them.
John Steiner, Co-founder, The National Commons and Chair, the Transpartisan Center
Poverty takes many forms, from lack of health care and the most basic education, to vulnerability to the abuse of others. Where governments and multilateral agencies are falling short, concerned individuals have been racing forward with creative solutions like white blood cells addressing infections. This is one of the most powerful movements at work in the world today. Chris Stout is shining a bright light on their critically important work.
Welford Welch, Author, The Tactics of Hope - How Social Entrepreneurs Are Changing Our World
We learn by our own experiences and by living the experiences of others through stories. We
are human because of our connectedness with other humans. What Chris has done in The New Humanitarians is to capture and share in a compelling way the inspirational stories of people who are making a real difference to others; people who are leading beyond self-interest. Just think if we all did that…
Fields Wicker-Miurin, MBE, Leaders' Quest, CFO, London Stock Exchange, Governor of King's College London.
(We) appreciate Dr. Chris Stout's outstanding service to the Nation as a member of the Baldrige National Quality Program Evaluation Team for Healthcare.
Ronald H. Brown, United States Secretary of Commerce
We are indeed grateful to you... (for) having been in the forefront of advocacy throughout the years, and to have helped to create and shape psychology.
Richard M. Suinn, PhD, APA President 1998-9, and Jack Wiggins, PhD, APA President 1992-3
Chris is a true model for not only his peers to emulate, but for all of us to admire.
Stephen Pfeiffer, PhD, Executive Director Emeritus, AAP
Systems expert Dr. Chris Stout has performed his magic again. His insightfully crafted methods provide a clean and easy road map... (along with his) ...seasoned advice for those that want rapid solutions that work.
Douglas H. Rubin, PhD
There is optimism and vulnerability that filter through Chris' world view and suffuse his work. His energy is respectful of others and hopeful for the world and we are all better for it.
Leigh W. Jerome, PhD
More action, and less rhetoric, to improve the health and well-being of people is a fruitful approach to global peace. Chris should be commended for his systematically working toward his goals.
Dan Leviton, PhD, U. of Maryland
When I first met Chris, it was at the TED Conference in Monterey. We had a brief discussion which has impacted my life ever since. One phrase, ‘Do Important Things’ changed how I look at who I am, what I do in life, and how it affects others. From minor activities to large projects, I now view them in a different context. This adds depth and new textures to my actions which were previously unavailable to how I lived in the real world.
Ted Stout (not related), ROI
Chris Stout is a remarkable man. He has the intellect of Bernard Baruch, the fearlessness of Evel Knievel and the affability of Bill Clinton.
Ralph Musicant, JD, Harvard Law
Strong in the face of adversity, thoughtful, kind, conscientious, compassionate, intelligent and inspiring! What a world it would be if only we could say that Chris Stout's story is a norm. Debbie Carvalko, Praeger Publishing
Chris (is involved in) creating self-sustaining programs that improve access to healthcare in underserved communities throughout the world. He works relentlessly with multidisciplinary professionals for all aspects of healthcare, especially mental health. His podcast, A Life in Full, is legendary.
Leigh W. Jerome, PhD, Relational Space, Inc.
Chris’ career is made up of involvements in cross-disciplinary projects world-wide, in healthcare, medical education and sciences, human rights, poverty, conflict, policy, sustainable development, diplomacy, and counter-terrorism, resulting in a tapestry that uses psychology as the connecting thread. He is an individual who takes risks, stimulates new ideas, and enlarges possibilities in areas of great need but few resources. He is able to navigate between the domains of policy development while also rolling-up his sleeves to provide in-the-trenches care. His drive and vigor are disguised by his quick humor and ever-present kindness. He is provocative in his ideas and evocative in spirit. His creative solutions and inclusiveness cross conceptual boundaries as well physical borders. Chris’ career is made up of involvements in cross-disciplinary projects world-wide, in healthcare, medical education and sciences, human rights, poverty, conflict, policy, sustainable development, diplomacy, and counter-terrorism, resulting in a tapestry that uses psychology as the connecting thread. He is an individual who takes risks, stimulates new ideas, and enlarges possibilities in areas of great need but few resources. He is able to navigate between the domains of policy development while also rolling-up his sleeves to provide in-the-trenches care. His drive and vigor are disguised by his quick humor and ever-present kindness. He is provocative in his ideas and evocative in spirit. His creative solutions and inclusiveness cross conceptual boundaries as well physical borders.
Breeda McGrath, PhD, President, Pacific Oaks College
Dr. Stout (Chris) is a role model for aspiring international psychologists. His work spans continents and his accidental humanitarian work serves as an example to follow your passions and apply your skills to serve and improve the health of populations - globally. An influencer for good! Dr. Stout (Chris) is a role model for aspiring international psychologists. His work spans continents and his accidental humanitarian work serves as an example to follow your passions and apply your skills to serve and improve the health of populations - globally. An influencer for good!
Brian Hall, PhD, Professor of Global Public Health & Founding Director, Center for Global Health Equity at New York University Shanghai
Dr. Stout is my Chief Clinical Officer. Chris is an incredible visionary with a passion for all things health, wellness, exercise, technology, research, data, artificial intelligence, global health, strategy, clinical, and the list goes on. Chris adds tangible insight and vision to any discussion or strategic collaboration regardless of whether your org is non-profit, NGO, public, private, you name it. I am fortunate to have Chris on my team, his experience, leadership and passion motivates teams of any size. I hope to continue working with Chris, and certainly recommend him for any team at any stage.
Patrick Schultz, Product Leader, Investor, Storyteller
APA International Humanitarian Award Winner, 2004. American Psychologist, 59(8), 842–853. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.59.8.842
All of us aspire to someday make a real difference in the world yet, caught up in our own day- to-day personal crises and seemingly pressing obligations, very few of us ever fulfill this important human dream Chris Stout is a world class humanitarian who has taken the time to vividly explore the inside world of those who have succeeded Perhaps with this new appreciation for how to succeed, more of us will eventually fulfill our own personal quest to make the world just a little bit better.
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D., M.P.H., JD, Past President of the American Psychological Association
Stout's stories of social innovators in The New Humanitarians are inspiring and instructive --helpful to anyone who wants to participate in building a better world.
David Bornstein, author, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, and The Price of a Dream
Usually we think it takes someone extraordinary to do something of great value—a Gandhi or a King In fact, the people profiled in these volumes are just like most of us—nobodies to start with, who became some bodies because they answered a call. The moral here may be that if we hear that ‘still small voice,’ act on it. It can make a difference, including just supporting any of these organizations at any level, or one like them.
John Steiner, Co-founder, The National Commons and Chair, the Transpartisan Center
Poverty takes many forms, from lack of health care and the most basic education, to vulnerability to the abuse of others. Where governments and multilateral agencies are falling short, concerned individuals have been racing forward with creative solutions like white blood cells addressing infections. This is one of the most powerful movements at work in the world today. Chris Stout is shining a bright light on their critically important work.
Welford Welch, Author, The Tactics of Hope - How Social Entrepreneurs Are Changing Our World
We learn by our own experiences and by living the experiences of others through stories. We
are human because of our connectedness with other humans. What Chris has done in The New Humanitarians is to capture and share in a compelling way the inspirational stories of people who are making a real difference to others; people who are leading beyond self-interest. Just think if we all did that…
Fields Wicker-Miurin, MBE, Leaders' Quest, CFO, London Stock Exchange, Governor of King's College London.
(We) appreciate Dr. Chris Stout's outstanding service to the Nation as a member of the Baldrige National Quality Program Evaluation Team for Healthcare.
Ronald H. Brown, United States Secretary of Commerce
We are indeed grateful to you... (for) having been in the forefront of advocacy throughout the years, and to have helped to create and shape psychology.
Richard M. Suinn, PhD, APA President 1998-9, and Jack Wiggins, PhD, APA President 1992-3
Chris is a true model for not only his peers to emulate, but for all of us to admire.
Stephen Pfeiffer, PhD, Executive Director Emeritus, AAP
Systems expert Dr. Chris Stout has performed his magic again. His insightfully crafted methods provide a clean and easy road map... (along with his) ...seasoned advice for those that want rapid solutions that work.
Douglas H. Rubin, PhD
There is optimism and vulnerability that filter through Chris' world view and suffuse his work. His energy is respectful of others and hopeful for the world and we are all better for it.
Leigh W. Jerome, PhD
More action, and less rhetoric, to improve the health and well-being of people is a fruitful approach to global peace. Chris should be commended for his systematically working toward his goals.
Dan Leviton, PhD, U. of Maryland
When I first met Chris, it was at the TED Conference in Monterey. We had a brief discussion which has impacted my life ever since. One phrase, ‘Do Important Things’ changed how I look at who I am, what I do in life, and how it affects others. From minor activities to large projects, I now view them in a different context. This adds depth and new textures to my actions which were previously unavailable to how I lived in the real world.
Ted Stout (not related), ROI
Chris Stout is a remarkable man. He has the intellect of Bernard Baruch, the fearlessness of Evel Knievel and the affability of Bill Clinton.
Ralph Musicant, JD, Harvard Law
Strong in the face of adversity, thoughtful, kind, conscientious, compassionate, intelligent and inspiring! What a world it would be if only we could say that Chris Stout's story is a norm. Debbie Carvalko, Praeger Publishing
Chris (is involved in) creating self-sustaining programs that improve access to healthcare in underserved communities throughout the world. He works relentlessly with multidisciplinary professionals for all aspects of healthcare, especially mental health. His podcast, A Life in Full, is legendary.
Leigh W. Jerome, PhD, Relational Space, Inc.
Chris’ career is made up of involvements in cross-disciplinary projects world-wide, in healthcare, medical education and sciences, human rights, poverty, conflict, policy, sustainable development, diplomacy, and counter-terrorism, resulting in a tapestry that uses psychology as the connecting thread. He is an individual who takes risks, stimulates new ideas, and enlarges possibilities in areas of great need but few resources. He is able to navigate between the domains of policy development while also rolling-up his sleeves to provide in-the-trenches care. His drive and vigor are disguised by his quick humor and ever-present kindness. He is provocative in his ideas and evocative in spirit. His creative solutions and inclusiveness cross conceptual boundaries as well physical borders. Chris’ career is made up of involvements in cross-disciplinary projects world-wide, in healthcare, medical education and sciences, human rights, poverty, conflict, policy, sustainable development, diplomacy, and counter-terrorism, resulting in a tapestry that uses psychology as the connecting thread. He is an individual who takes risks, stimulates new ideas, and enlarges possibilities in areas of great need but few resources. He is able to navigate between the domains of policy development while also rolling-up his sleeves to provide in-the-trenches care. His drive and vigor are disguised by his quick humor and ever-present kindness. He is provocative in his ideas and evocative in spirit. His creative solutions and inclusiveness cross conceptual boundaries as well physical borders.
Breeda McGrath, PhD, President, Pacific Oaks College
Dr. Stout (Chris) is a role model for aspiring international psychologists. His work spans continents and his accidental humanitarian work serves as an example to follow your passions and apply your skills to serve and improve the health of populations - globally. An influencer for good! Dr. Stout (Chris) is a role model for aspiring international psychologists. His work spans continents and his accidental humanitarian work serves as an example to follow your passions and apply your skills to serve and improve the health of populations - globally. An influencer for good!
Brian Hall, PhD, Professor of Global Public Health & Founding Director, Center for Global Health Equity at New York University Shanghai
Dr. Stout is my Chief Clinical Officer. Chris is an incredible visionary with a passion for all things health, wellness, exercise, technology, research, data, artificial intelligence, global health, strategy, clinical, and the list goes on. Chris adds tangible insight and vision to any discussion or strategic collaboration regardless of whether your org is non-profit, NGO, public, private, you name it. I am fortunate to have Chris on my team, his experience, leadership and passion motivates teams of any size. I hope to continue working with Chris, and certainly recommend him for any team at any stage.
Patrick Schultz, Product Leader, Investor, Storyteller
Annual Reading Lists
