Roy Cohen, Ph.D., a distinguished Abnormal Psychology expert in the areas of assessment tools and therapeutic solutions, spearheaded many academic initiatives during his 38-year career at Mesa Community College and Gateway Community College. Faculty emeritus at MCC, Dr. Cohen infused his professional resources and expertise as a clinical psychologist into being an outstanding educational leader, innovator, teacher, and mentor.

A State of Arizona Licensed Psychologist, he has served as an honored member and executive of influential associations across the nation, including the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, the American Psychological Association, the Arizona Psychological Association, the Scottsdale Psychological Society, the Maricopa Psychological Society, the Phoenix Society of Clinical Psychologists, and the Phoenix Society of Clinical Hypnosis. These affiliations brought students valuable networking connections, cutting edge clinical techniques, and opportunities to meet experts in the field.

His foresight and creativity inspired students, such as when he used the MCC Psychology Instructional Resource Center to create an interactive assessment kit so students could apply standard diagnostic tools to assess famous historical figures, providing an interesting approach to understanding common clinical assessments.

Roy was a leader in outreach efforts to establish relationships with European colleges so MCC students could learn internationally, which evolved into MCCs Study Abroad Program.

One of his notable legacies is the Evening Lecture Series in Psychology, which offers students, staff, faculty, and the community exciting seminars on salient topics in psychology, facilitated by local experts in the field. With the support of psychology colleagues and students in the Psi Beta National Psychology Honor Society, the series often draws hundreds of attendees to each presentation.