Dr. Robert P. Franks is president and Chief Executive Officer of The Baker Center and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School.  Dr. Franks, a leader in the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based practices in children’s mental health, holds a master’s degree from George Washington University and a Ph.D. from Boston College. He completed his clinical training and doctoral fellowship in child psychology at the Yale University Child Study Center in New Haven, Connecticut. Dr. Franks has served on the faculties of the Yale University School of Medicine, the University of Connecticut Health Center, and the Duke University Medical Center.

Dr. Franks has worked in academic settings, non-profit institutions, medical centers, and the community to improve the quality of behavioral health care for children and families.  He has worked across multiple child-serving sectors at the local and national levels including pediatrics, behavioral health, education, juvenile justice, and child welfare.  Over the course of his career, he has led numerous statewide workforce development initiatives to implement a wide range of best and evidence-based practices and programs.  His work has helped bridge the gap between research and practice and improved access to high-quality care for thousands of families. Dr. Franks is recognized as a national expert on the dissemination, implementation, and sustainment of best practices in behavioral health.

As CEO of The Baker Center, Dr. Franks works at the policy, systems, and practice levels to create sustainable change and improve access to quality behavioral health care leading to lifelong positive outcomes for children and families in Massachusetts and beyond. Dr. Franks is further establishing The Baker Center as a national leader in children’s mental health and works collaboratively with partners locally and nationally at the policy, systems and practice levels to advance quality care that has been proven to help children and families.