Dr. Paul J. Barreira has been named the new director of Harvard University Health Services and Henry K. Oliver Professor of Hygiene, according to an announcement from Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 on Thursday.

Barreira, who previously served as the director of Behavioral Health and Academic Counseling at HUHS, will be replacing retiring director Dr. David S. Rosenthal ’59, who had served in the position since his appointment in 1989.

Barreira has been affiliated with the University since 2000 and with HUHS since 2005. The Boston College alum is currently a member of eight committees and advisory boards affiliated with the University and its teaching hospitals.

During his tenure as director of Behavioral Health and Academic Counseling, Barreira made addressing mental health and alcohol use a priority. He also taught a freshman seminar titled “What is college and what is it for?”

Barreira said sees the active engagement of students as key to the well-being of the community.

“I hope to continue the work of Dr. Rosenthal to provide the most competent care to our community and to strengthen our educational efforts by expanding student participation in HUHS activities,” he wrote in an email to The Crimson.

In 2008, Barreira oversaw the founding of the Student Mental Health Liaisons Program, modeled in part on the existingDrug and Alcohol Peer Advisors and the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Alliance, to better address mental health-specific issues. Combating the stigmatization of depression and mental health problems within the Harvard community has been, and will continue to be, a priority for Barreira.

“I am proud of the team that leads the Behavioral Health and Academic Counseling offices and the strong role of students in our peer-to-peer education programs,” Barreira said.

“I am honored to have been appointed to this position. I love working at HUHS and I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue to work with everyone in the Harvard community,” he said.

According to Barreira, HUHS oversees the medical and specialty care of over 20,000 students and 10,000 employees through the Harvard University Student Health Program and the Harvard University Group Health Plan.

—Staff writer Alexander Koenig can be reached at akoenig@college.harvard.edu.