Katie Wootten is a Senior Prevention Specialist at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, a federally funded organization that provides technical assistance, training, and informational resources to Garrett Lee Smith youth suicide prevention grantees; state, territorial, and tribal planning groups; and other organizations and individuals engaged in suicide prevention. Prior to joining SPRC in 2006, Katie worked in the Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, supporting the National Birth Defects Prevention Network in the areas of surveillance and health education. She has also worked at The Carter Center Mental Health Program and at United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida, a child development center for children with disabilities.
Katie studied psychology and special education at Florida State University and has a Master of Public Health from Emory University. While at Emory, she strengthened her passion for public mental health by studying behavioral science and mental health policy; conducting thesis work in mental health and suicide prevention; and volunteering in mental health and human rights. She is a member of the American Association of Suicidology and the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
Stemming from Katie’s experience with mental illness in her own life and the lives of others is a desire to give voice to and serve the needs of people with mental disorders. Katie is especially dedicated to working on behalf of vulnerable and at-risk populations, including people with disabilities, youth and adults in corrections, and refugees.