Dr. Doris Gundersen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas in
1981. She studied medicine at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, Texas. Upon
graduation in 1989, she pursued residency training in psychiatry at the University of Colorado (UC) which was
completed in 1993. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with added
qualifications in Forensic Psychiatry.
In 1993, Dr. Gundersen joined the UC Department of Psychiatry faculty where she enjoyed teaching medical students
and residents in training. She received the Eleanor Steele Teaching Award in 2000. She provided clinical care in both
inpatient and outpatient settings and conducted Phase Three trials of novel psychotropic medications. She served as
the medical director of the University North Pavilion Medication Clinic which provided comprehensive care to patients
in addition to consultation to workplaces concerning employee health, fitness for duty evaluations and violence
prevention. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the department today and continues to teach medical students,
residents and forensic fellows alike.
In 1999, Dr. Gundersen entered private practice. In addition to general adult psychiatry, she developed a forensic
practice specializing in independent medical evaluations and threat assessment. She has assisted various local and
national employers in developing violence prevention policies and has served on various threat assessment teams.
She has taught locally and nationally on the subject of workplace violence. She currently volunteers with the
American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, reviewing scholarly papers submitted for publication.
In 2000, Dr. Gundersen was invited to join the Colorado Physician Health Program (CPHP) team and has remained
dedicated to assisting physicians with serious illnesses and providing education to medical communities locally,
nationally and internationally concerning physician health. She has been CPHP’s medical director since 2009. She
has collaborated with her CPHP colleagues on physician health research and coauthored articles accepted for
publication. She currently chairs the Colorado Medical Society’s committee on physician wellbeing and helped
develop a wellness toolkit for all physicians in the state. Dr. Gundersen is currently the President of the Federation of
State Physician Health Programs (FSPHP) and received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the FSPHP in
April 2013. More recently, Dr. Gundersen has provided education and consultation across the country pertaining to
the legalization of marijuana and the implications for health care professionals.
Dr. Gundersen is past president of the Colorado Psychiatric Society (CPS). She has served on several CPS
committees and has been extensively involved with the American Psychiatric Association (APA) previously serving on
the Council of National Affairs as a consultant to the Committee on Women, serving as a Public Affairs representative
for Colorado and as Colorado’s Area VII representative to the APA Assembly. She became a Distinguished Fellow of
the APA in 2003 and was inducted into the American College of Psychiatrists in 2002. Dr. Gundersen received the
CPS Outstanding Achievement Award in 2012. From 2012 through 2014, Dr. Gundersen served as president of the
Balance for Women Physicians which hosts an annual wellness conference in Colorado open to all women
physicians across the country.
Dr. Gundersen obtained a Colorado Supreme Court appointment to the Attorney Regulation Committee in 2010
where she continues to provide clinical input concerning attorneys who may have health problems and are potentially
facing discipline. Most recently (2013), Dr. Gundersen received a “Denver’s Best Doctors for Executives”
acknowledgement along with several of her professional peers. In 2014 she received a Best Doctors™
acknowledgement.