Florida Veteran Health Heroes

Page 3 Morris Carter, M.D. Dr. Dean Aufderheide spent his childhood years in the United States and Europe, where he was raised in a military family. In 1976, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and was sent to the Defense Language Institute. After completing training to be a Chinese-Mandarin linguist, he was stationed in South Korea. Dr. Aufderheide was commissioned as a Captain in the United States Army in 1987 and completed his clinical psychology internship at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He served as Chief of Psychology at an Army hospital during the Persian Gulf War. After honorable discharge from the military, he entered private practice in clinical psychology and neuropsychology consultation in 1992. His practice included neuropsychological consultation and evaluation, forensic evaluation and community mental health consultation, while serving as a clinical professor with the University of West Florida. In 1995, Dr. Aufderheide began his career in the criminal justice system where he rose through the ranks to be appointed as the statewide Director of Mental Health Services for the Florida Department of Corrections. In 2010, Dr. Aufderheide was appointed by the Governor to Florida’s Board of Psychology, was re-appointed in 2012, and currently serves as Vice-Chairman. Dr. Aufderheide has over twenty-five years of leadership experience and management of behavioral health care systems in military, government and private care systems. He is the author of numerous professional publications and has conducted over 60 peer-reviewed lectures and keynote presentations at national conferences and international forums. A nationally recognized expert on criminal thinking and correctional mental health, he has served as a consultant to state correctional systems as well as the federal and foreign governments. Dr. Aufderheide remains involved in a variety of veterans initiatives including the Florida Veterans Foundation, Vets4Energy, and Vet Events Tally. Dean Aufderheide, Ph.D. The founding member of the Flagler County Medical Society, Dr. Morris Carter, chose to enter the field of medicine after serving in the U.S. Air Force as first lieutenant. In the early 1970s when the Department was known as the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS), Dr. Carter worked for the Florida Migrant Health Program. He provided medical care for migrant farm workers in Putnam, St. Johns and Flagler counties. In an effort to see all patients, Dr. Carter often kept his doors open after hours. Following his work with the migrant community, Dr. Carter became the jail physician for Flagler County by request of the county sheriff. In 1976, he started to provide family medical care at the Bunnell Medical Clinic as the first African American doctor to practice in Flagler County. During this time, Dr. Carter was also named the county medical director, a title he still holds today. In 1981, he opened his own family medical practices in Bunnell and Crescent City, and worked until 2012. In 2001, the Flagler County Health Department initiated the Morris Carter Award of Excellence in honor and recognition of Dr. Carter’s achievements. The annual award is presented by Dr. Carter to the employee who exhibits the characteristics he embodies: professionalism, teamwork and excellence. In celebration of his 80th birthday and for all of his contributions to Flagler County, the street where his office and the health department are located was named Dr. Carter Boulevard. Continuing his legacy and working for the Florida Department of Health in Flagler have always been very important to him. “I feel an obligation to the health department and the patients,” Dr. Carter said.