Mark Weist

Mark Weist is a tenured Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina's College of Arts and Sciences. He has held leadership roles including Director of the Clinical-Community Psychology Doctoral Program and Interim Director of the School Psychology Doctoral Program. Previously, he spent 19 years at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, rising from Assistant to Professor with tenure and leading initiatives like the Center for School Mental Health (CSMH), which he co-founded in 1995.

• B.A. in Psychology from West Chester University (1981)
• M.A. in Clinical Psychology from West Virginia University (1985)
• M.S. in Psychology from Virginia Tech (1988)
• Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (child specialization) from Virginia Tech (1991)

Dr. Weist's research focuses on advancing school behavioral health (SBH) through mental health-education partnerships, evidence-based practices, trauma-informed care, and policy innovation. He leads federally funded studies on SBH scalability and co-chairs the global School Mental Health International Leadership Exchange (SMHILE). His work integrates telemental health, multi-tiered systems of support, and neuroscience education to enhance mental health literacy.

Current projects include the Southeastern School Behavioral Health Community and the South Carolina School Behavioral Health Academy, which provide coaching systems for SBH implementation. He has also developed partnerships with the National Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and contributed to frameworks like the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF).

Dr. Weist has edited 17 books and published extensively on topics including:

• Implementation science in school mental health
• Effectiveness of telemental health services
• Mental health literacy in education systems
• Family-school collaboration mechanisms
• Policy strategies for SBH expansion