Hills
STOCKBRIDGE — The board of trustees of Austen Riggs Center, a leading longer-term psychiatric residential treatment center, has named Dr. Oscar F. Hills as its next medical director and chief executive officer, effective July 1.
Founded in 1919, Austen Riggs is internationally recognized for its open therapeutic community model and its emphasis on psychodynamic treatment for adults with complex mental health conditions.
Hills’ appointment comes at a time of significant change in the behavioral health field, marked by post–COVID-19 consolidation among private equity–backed providers, workforce shortages, evolving reimbursement models, and shifting expectations regarding access and outcomes.
Hills brings extensive experience in complex psychiatric services, including 14 years directing the psychiatric emergency room and acute psychiatric services at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System’s West Haven campus, overseeing inpatient, emergency, residential and consultation-liaison care. He is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine and maintains a private practice in psychiatry and psychoanalysis.
A certified psychoanalyst and training and supervising analyst, Hills has held senior leadership roles within the Western New England Institute for Psychoanalysis. His work reflects an integration of psychodynamic treatment, psychopharmacology and institutional leadership, with ongoing engagement in developments in neuroscience, complexity theory and technology.
The national search, launched in January 2025, attracted candidates from across the United States and abroad.
Hills will succeed Dr. Edward R. Shapiro, who has served as medical director and CEO since January 2025 and previously held the role from 1991 to 2011.