Dr. David Boan (Ph.D. 1978, Clinical Psychology, Rosemead Graduate School at Biola University, California) started his career practicing clinical psychology in California, USA. His work included starting church-based counseling centers and providing professional support to pastors. After 18 years in clinical practice, he became the Vice President of Research for the Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care where he guided the use of behavioral science to improve the quality and safety of healthcare.
In 2010 Dr. Boan joined the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College (Wheaton, Illinois) as Co-Director and associate professor of psychology in the graduate school of psychology. His work focused on church-based community resilience in the developing world, including Kenya, the Philippines, and Haiti, as well as the US and Japan. He trained chaplains and pastors in Ukraine (in partnership with REALIS and Ukraine Catholic University), developed and taught models for community-based trauma care in Haiti, and demonstrated community advocacy and resilience building through faith partnerships in Guiuan, Philippines, and Nepal.
In January 2016 Dr. Boan was appointed the Director of Humanitarian Advocacy for the World Evangelical Alliance. This was expanded in 2019 to Director of Relief and Development. As the Director, Dr. Boan helps national and regional evangelical alliances respond to humanitarian crises and build more resilient communities. He also serves as WEA technical liaison to international organizations, such as the World Bank, and to members and partners, such as World Vision, and Micah Global. In the US, he is an adjunct professor of psychology at Northwest Nazarene University (Boise, Idaho) where he teaches research and humanitarianism. His most recent work is on trauma, the church and community resilience in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Rwanda. He is the author of more than 40 professional publications and several books on disasters, trauma, resilience and the church. He lives in Boise Idaho with his wife Andrea. They have two grown children (Christopher and Ainsley) and six grandchildren.
Stay Connected