Terry L. Cline, Ph.D.
Oklahoma Commissioner of Health

Terry L. Cline, Ph.D., began his tenure as Oklahoma’s Commissioner of Health effective June 30, 2009. Dr. Cline was appointed to this position by the Oklahoma State Board of Health and he is the 20th State Health Commissioner to serve since the position was first created in 1907.

Dr. Cline recently completed a post as Health Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, where he advised the U.S. Ambassador, the Iraqi Minister of Health, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on health-related challenges in Iraq. First appointed by President George W. Bush, his appointment was reconfirmed by President Barack Obama.

Prior to that position, Dr. Cline served as Administrator for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) from 2006-2008. As SAMHSA Administrator, Dr. Cline directed the $3.3 billion agency that is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health service delivery systems.

Dr. Cline has extensive experience in overseeing health and human services at the state level as well. In 2004, he was appointed by Gov. Brad Henry as Oklahoma’s Secretary of Health. At the same time, he served as Oklahoma’s Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, a position he held since January 2001. He actively participated in and supported the creation of grassroots coalitions to improve the health status of local communities. During this time, Dr. Cline built strong collaborative relationships among the multiple constituency groups and government agencies that touch the lives of people with substance abuse and mental health problems.

As a result of these partnerships, significant advances were made in transforming the state’s service delivery systems, including the creation of Oklahoma’s Integrated Services Initiative, which created a holistic approach to treatment needs, a wide expansion of drug courts throughout the state and the introduction of mental health courts into Oklahoma along with a statewide focus on recovery and recovery support services.

Dr. Cline has also served as a local provider through an earlier post as the Clinical Director of the Cambridge Youth Guidance Center in Cambridge, Mass., and as a Staff Psychologist at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. In addition, his professional history includes a six-year appointment as a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Chairman of the governing board for a Harvard teaching hospital in Cambridge, Mass.

A native of Ardmore, OK, Dr. Cline attended the University of Oklahoma where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1980. He then received both a master’s degree and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Cline has involved himself in community service, including membership on a number of local, state and national committees and boards with a focus on improving the overall health of the community and the nation.

The Daily Oklahoman, July 19, 2009, The Sunday Conversation, Video: 
http://feeds.newsok.tv/services/player/bcpid4659235001?bctid=29887048001

The Tulsa World, July 19, 2009: "Health Chief to Focus on Obesity" (pdf)

Norman Transcript, July 20, 2009: http://www.normantranscript.com/localnews/local_story_201011528

Oklahoma Commissioners of Health