Vasilis K. Pozios, M.D., DFAPA, is a physician who is board-certified in forensic and general psychiatry, receiving his undergraduate and medical degrees from Tufts University and completing his residency training in general psychiatry at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Pozios is a strong advocate for reducing the stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorders and has consulted with governmental agencies, media outlets, and non-profit organizations on the relationship between mental illness, violence, and popular culture and its impact on stigma. His work on violence risk assessment; mental health and the media; mental illness stigma; and ethical issues related to public safety is reflected in published academic articles and in popular press such as The New York Times, Wired, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Daily Beast.

As an American Psychiatric Association Spurlock Congressional Fellow, Dr. Pozios was honored to work with the Chair of the United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary on the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2008, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, and "Medicare for All" legislation.

Additionally, Dr. Pozios was trained in forensic psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University, and he has treated children, adolescents, and adults in various settings, including the psychiatric emergency department and correctional and forensic facilities. He is also a past president of the Michigan Psychiatric Society and is currently Speaker-Elect of the Assembly of the American Psychiatric Association, where he also serves on the Board of Trustees.

Awards and Honors:

• Graduate, FBI Detroit Citizens’ Academy (2005)
• Recipient, Jonas R. Rappeport M.D. Fellowship (AAPL) (2008)
• Recipient, Jeanne M. Spurlock, M.D. Congressional Fellowship (APA) (2008)
• Recipient, Jeanne Spurlock Fellowship Award (APA) (2009)
• Recipient, Entertainment Industries Council, Inc./FX Network PRISM Award for the accurate depiction of mental health issues in a comic book or graphic novel storyline (2015)
• Member, Michigan Jail Reform Advisory Council (appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer) (2021)
• Member, Oakland County Prosecutor’s Commission to Address Gun Violence in Oakland County and Chair of the Threat Assessment Model/Aftercare Workgroup (appointed by Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald) (2022)
• Nominee in the category of Physician/Psychiatrist of the Year, NAMI Michigan Honors (2023)

Education

• Bachelor of Arts, Economics, Tufts University (2000)
• Doctor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine (2005)
• Psychiatry Residency, University of Michigan Health System (2005-2010)
• Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship, University Hospitals Case Medical Center (2010-2011)