Gretchen LeFever Watson, Ph.D., is a pediatric and licensed clinical psychologist with extensive expertise in public health and patient safety. Her work has focused on improving the mental health of children and young adults. She has held clinical, research, and leadership positions in academic medical centers, public health programs, and community based initiatives, with a consistent emphasis on translating evidence to enhance health outcomes for youth and families.
Dr. Watson has published widely on child development and psychiatric overdiagnosis in children. Her paper Shooting the Messenger: The Case of ADHD reveals efforts to suppress data on the overuse of ADHD drug treatment in the U.S. Her research and advocacy have contributed to national conversations on patient safety, informed consent, and the importance of non-pharmacologic approaches in mental health. She is deeply committed to community-based strategies that prioritize the well-being of children and young adults and strengthen the systems that serve them. She is an academic affiliate at the University of South Carolina and a member of the Southern Network on Adverse Reactions (SONAR), a national post-marketing drug surveillance program. She is the author of Your Patient Safety Survival Guide and Prescription Affliction, a forthcoming book on the use of psychiatric drugs in children.