The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recently recognized Dartmouth Health psychiatrist Jeffrey C. Fetter, MD, as a NAMI Exemplary Psychiatrist. Fetter was one of only four Exemplary Psychiatrists named in 2023. The award was presented at NAMI New Hampshire’s annual meeting on June 15.
Fetter serves as chief medical officer at New Hampshire Hospital, the state’s largest adult inpatient facility. The state-run facility has long contracted with Dartmouth Health to staff the hospital with Dartmouth Health psychiatrists, general medical physicians, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychologists. In his role, Fetter oversees the delivery of evidence-based, trauma-informed services for adults with complex mental health and medical needs, including those who are forensically involved and those who have co-occurring disorders.
“New Hampshire Hospital is our state’s psychiatric intensive care unit so the care has to be excellent. Our department’s world-class clinicians are honored to partner with our dedicated state colleagues to offer recovery-promoting care to people requiring hospital admission, care that always includes supporting their families,” said William C. Torrey, MD, chair of the department of psychiatry at Dartmouth Health and Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. “Trained in medicine and psychiatry, Dr. Fetter is a wonderful clinician leader and a caring and creative educator. He could not be more deserving of this recognition from NAMI.”
Because our state needs to grow our skilled mental health workforce, Fetter has spearheaded efforts to create a learning environment, including the building of an on-site learning lab for psychiatric residents, nursing students, nurse practitioners and clinical social workers. He is also leading work to expand research, utilizing case studies to teach and recruit new providers. As an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Fetter helps train the future mental health workforce in evidence-based practices and promising models of care. He is a strong believer in family involvement in recovery and family support.
“Dr. Fetter’s quiet, non-confrontational approach is one that helps engage even the most skeptical of audiences, believing that we can all work together to ensure the best outcomes for people with mental illness,” said Susan Stearns, executive director of NAMI New Hampshire. “New Hampshire is exceedingly fortunate to have a physician with Dr. Fetter’s expertise and dedication right here in our state.”
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire's only academic health system and the state's largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 56 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, the state’s only children’s hospital, and multiple clinic locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene and New London, NH, and Bennington and Windsor, VT; Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.