Terry L. Cline, Ph.D.
Oklahoma Commissioner of Health

Terry L. Cline, Ph.D., began his tenure as Oklahoma’s Commissioner of Health effective June 30, 2009. Dr. Cline was appointed to this position by the Oklahoma State Board of Health and he is the 20th State Health Commissioner to serve since the position was first created in 1907. In February 2011, Gov. Mary Fallin appointed him to serve concurrently as Oklahoma’s Cabinet Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Cline previously completed a post as Health Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, where he advised the U.S. Ambassador, the Iraqi Minister of Health, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on health-related challenges in Iraq. Dr. Cline served in this capacity under the Administrations of both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.

Prior to that position, Dr. Cline served as Administrator for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) from 2006-2008, a position for which he was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. As SAMHSA Administrator, Dr. Cline directed the $3.3 billion agency that is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health service delivery systems.

Dr. Cline has extensive experience in overseeing health and human services at the state level as well. In 2004, he was appointed by Gov. Brad Henry as Oklahoma’s Secretary of Health. At the same time, he served as Oklahoma’s Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, a position he held since January 2001.

Dr. Cline has also served as a local provider through an earlier post as the Clinical Director of the Cambridge Youth Guidance Center in Cambridge, Mass., and as a Staff Psychologist at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. In addition, his professional history includes a six-year appointment as a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Chairman of the governing board for a Harvard teaching hospital in Cambridge, Mass.

A native of Ardmore, OK, Dr. Cline attended the University of Oklahoma where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1980. He then received both a master’s degree and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Cline has involved himself in community service, including membership on a number of local, state and national committees and boards with a focus on improving the overall health of the community and the nation.

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