News and Events

IPMR Announces a New President

The Board of Directors of IPMR has announced that Rick Zehr has been selected to serve as President of IPMR. He succeeds Ric Erickson, who retired on December 31, 2011.

After many years of leadership in Proctor’s Addiction and Behavioral Services Division, Mr. Zehr served most recently as Vice President of Proctor Health Care's Ancillary Services Division. A native of central Illinois, Mr. Zehr has been a volunteer and leader in numerous community organizations. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Eastern Illinois University and received his Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Illinois State University in 1987. He is a Certified Advanced AODA Counselor (CAADC), certified Problem and Compulsive Gambling Counselor (PCGC), and board registered at the Mental Illness Substance Abuse II level through the Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association. Zehr is the Past President of the Illinois Hospital Addiction Treatment Administrators' Forum and a member of the Illinois Hospital Association Behavioral Health Constituency Steering Committee.

Mr. Zehr has treated addicts since June 1987. He has helped develop the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery into a leading comprehensive, multiple and specialty addiction treatment provider. In May 1993, he helped develop and implement the first specialized, comprehensive gambling addiction treatment program in Illinois and in 1996 helped develop and implement the nation's first comprehensive Internet addiction treatment program. In 2003, he helped develop the nation’s first and most comprehensive Chronic Pain with Addiction treatment team and program.

He has educated Fortune 500 companies, universities and municipalities on how to identify and treat addictions. He has made local, national and international radio, television, film (documentary) and print appearances, including "CBS This Morning", Newsweek magazine, Radio Islam, E! Network and The Times of London, while educating the general public on addictions. He is editor/publisher of Paradigm magazine, an award winning publication distributed internationally to educate healthcare professionals on behavioral medicine issues and treatment techniques.
He has provided consultation to the writers and producers of "Chicago Hope" for the development of Mark Harmon's character (a pathological gambler) and assisted media including Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Working Woman, National Public Radio, CAPA TV in Barcelona, Spain, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, ABC's 20/20, CBS' 48 Hours and The Early Show, Fox Sports News, Kiplinger's Retirement Report, Redbook magazine, the Seoul Broadcasting Corporation in Seoul, South Korea, The South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), the BBC London, E! Network and WCBS New York on addiction related stories.

The Board and staff at IPMR are very pleased to have Rick Zehr in the position of President, and look forward to continuing the legacy of the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in central Illinois.