Loren Olson, M.D., a 1968 graduate of UNMC, will read from a new edition of his book, “Finally Out — Letting Go of Living Straight,” at 5 p.m. Sept. 21 in the South Rare Book Room of the McGoogan Library of Medicine.
A board-certified psychiatrist in practice for more than 40 years, Dr. Olson is a nationally recognized expert on mature gay men. He conducted independent research on mature gay men and presented the initial results of this research, “The Opportunities of Aging,” at the World Congress in Psychiatry in Prague in 2008.
He has spoken to groups across the country, including at UNMC, and appeared on ABC-TV’s Good Morning America, in addition to giving numerous national, local, and regional television, radio and print interviews.
Read an in-depth interview of Dr. Olson when he was at UNMC in 2013.
Dr. Olson has been recognized for his achievements by his peers as a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and by patients and their families as a recipient of the “Exemplary Psychiatrist Award” from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
While serving as medical director of psychiatry, Dr. Olson was responsible for developing and improving the psychiatric treatment programs at two of the largest hospitals in Iowa.
He has been active in teaching psychiatry to residents in psychiatry and to medical and allied health students. He also has been an advocate for the needs of the mentally ill on a national, state and local level and he has held several offices in the Iowa Psychiatric Society, including president.
Dr. Olson is a military veteran, having served four years as a United States Navy Flight Surgeon before making the decision to go into psychiatry.
Dr. Olson lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with his partner of 30 years, Doug, who became his husband in 2009 after the Iowa Supreme Court sanctioned same-sex marriage. He was previously married to his wife, Lynn, and is the father of two daughters and a grandfather of six.
His book will be available for sale and signing at the reading.