The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to alumni who attended Ohio State Newark for at least two semesters or three quarters and who have achieved distinction in their field and/or made a difference in the lives of others through outstanding professional, personal or community contributions. The award is presented annually at the Alumni Homecoming Celebration dinner. Yeager has held a prominent position in the Ohio State and Licking County communities alike.
Yeager, professor emeritus in the College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, completed his associate degree at Ohio State Newark in 1991 before transitioning to the Columbus campus, where he received his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and finally doctorate in social work. He has lived in Newark for over 40 years and currently lives in Granville with his wife Donna Yeager, a senior accountant at Wilson, Shannon & Snow, Inc.
Yeager retired in 2023, but his time at Ohio State will be remembered well beyond his tenure. He was the co-founder of the Ohio State Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program, which offers support for those who have survived trauma and the professionals who support them as well as conducts leading-edge research for psychological trauma education and training. He also developed the STAR app as well as Brief Emotional Support Teams (BEST), which equip participants with the necessary skills and resources to have effective and supportive conversations with colleagues and peers.
Other noteworthy accomplishments include being awarded the prestigious David E. Schuller, MD, Professorship for Patient Compassion, kickstarting the Schwartz Center Rounds at Ohio State, multiple publications and textbooks with international acclaim, and more.
“Yeager epitomizes the traits of a servant leader and has devoted his life to helping improve and save lives,” said former student/mentee and current colleague Holly Kastan, senior strategy and transformation officer at Ohio State. “He’s helped thousands of physicians, providers, first-responders and trauma patients heal, recover and thrive. Top clinical leaders at the Wexner Medical Center had his number on speed-dial, and he was often the first call made following a Level 1 trauma.”
Beyond his academic and clinical successes, Yeager’s impact on Licking County has been just as noteworthy and commendable. Yeager and his wife purchased and restored a historic Granville home, which dates back to one of Granville’s founding families, where the couple still live. “Our big goal is to live and enjoy the property for as long as we can, after all the work we did, and hope that it will last another 200 years, because the village deserves it,” he said in a 2022 interview with The Columbus Dispatch.
“Yeager is more than a teacher,” Kastan further praised. “He leads by example, and showed his students the importance of fighting the stigma around addiction and mental illness and the critical need for a compassionate approach to care. He devoted his career to working on the frontlines of the overdose and suicide epidemics. Yeager gave his students hope for healing and recovery and showed them how research can lead to a future with better treatment options and cures.”