Charles R. Figley

Charles R. Figley serves as the Kurzweg Distinguished Chair in Disaster Mental Health and Distinguished Professor at Tulane University's School of Social Work. With over 40 years of academic leadership, he founded the Traumatology Institute (recognized by the University Continuing Education Association in 2000) and established seminal journals including the Journal of Traumatic Stress and Traumatology. His career spans appointments at Purdue University (where he became full professor in 1983 and founded the Family Research Institute) and Florida State University (where he directed the PhD Program in Marriage and Family).

Dr. Figley's research centers on traumatic stress and resilience across military, disaster, and community contexts. His work examines compassion fatigue mechanisms, historical oppression impacts on Indigenous populations, and military mental healthcare systems. He pioneered the concept of 'compassion fatigue' and developed frameworks for understanding secondary trauma in caregivers. His expertise spans disaster mental health, military social work, family resilience, and health equity—with particular focus on veterans, first responders, and marginalized communities.

His scholarly impact includes over 200 publications (26 books, 130+ journal articles), editing the oldest trauma book series (Psychosocial Stress), and founding multiple book series. Recent publications analyze pandemic-related trauma, moral injury in veterans, and Indigenous health equity. Key awards include a Fulbright Fellowship (Kuwait, 2004), Penn State's Lifetime Alumni Fellow honor, and an honorary degree from John Jay College (2014).

• Senior Fulbright Research Fellowship (Kuwait, 2004)
• Lifetime Alumni Fellow, Pennsylvania State University (2004)
• Honorary Degree, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (2014)
• University Continuing Education Association Recognition (2000)
• Elected Fellow of Five National Professional Associations

Dr. Figley secures major federal funding including NIH grants for Indigenous health initiatives ($6.8M Katrina+10 Project) and DoD-funded veteran mental health research ($873,700). He chairs Tulane's Research Committee and provides pro bono consultation to military organizations globally. His Traumatology Institute trains professionals in disaster response, with community involvement spanning Hurricane Sandy recovery, Bosnia humanitarian projects, and ongoing crisis response team service since 1991.