Speaker's Profile

Dr. Deb Stone is currently on detail to the CDC’s Director of the Division of Injury Prevention, serving as Senior Advisor on Suicide Prevention, co-leading the development of the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. In her usual position she is the Lead Behavioral Scientist and Team lead for CDC’s Suicide Prevention Team. The work of the team focuses on using data, science, action, and collaboration to prevent suicide, inclusive of the implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive public health approach that addresses the many factors associated with suicide and the best available evidence to prevent it.

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Dr. Stone has worked in suicide prevention for over 20 years. Prior to joining CDC, she worked as a consultant for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Suicide Prevention Program, served as the director of the National Center for Suicide Prevention Training under the direction of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center and Education Development Center, and led the development of the first suicide prevention strategy for the State of Rhode Island. She has published more than 60 articles and reports on suicide and suicide prevention.

Dr. Stone received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a joint master’s degree in social work and public health from the University of Michigan. She received her Doctor of Science degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the Harvard School of Public Health.

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