Jeffrey Lieberman To Chair Psychiatry At Columbia University College Of Physicians & Surgeons; Head Nys Psychiatric Institute

NEW YORK, NY, November 1, 2004 – Jeffrey A. Lieberman, M.D., will join Columbia University Medical Center in January as chairman of the Department of Psychiatry in the College of Physicians and Surgeons. At that time, he also will join the New York State Office of Mental Health, serving as director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) and director of the Lieber Center for Schizophrenia Research, housed on the Columbia campus.

In his new capacities, Dr. Lieberman will serve a third role, as psychiatrist-in-chief at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.

Dr. Lieberman is currently the Thad and Alice Eure Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine.

“Dr. Lieberman will further enhance the leadership of our medical enterprise in psychiatric research and patient care,” says Gerald D. Fischbach, M.D., executive vice president, Columbia University Medical Center. “His research has enlarged the world’s knowledge of schizophrenia, by providing insights into the effectiveness and mechanism of action of antipsychotic drugs.”

“The Office of Mental Health is pleased to have someone of Dr. Lieberman’s reputation and experience lead the public mental health services research agenda at NYSPI, a premier facility at the cutting edge of mental health research,” said Sharon E. Carpinello, R.N., Ph.D., Commissioner of OMH. “Studies of complex psychiatric disorders have led to effective treatment and rehabilitation for thousands of individuals with mental illness, and research in the neurosciences continues to identify the potential for recovery where none had previously been expected or anticipated.”

“NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, and the NY State Psychiatric Institute have a tradition of commitment to high quality psychiatric care, and to engaging in research that has brought hope to thousands of patients and their families. Dr. Lieberman’s outstanding record of accomplishment in neurobiology, pharmacology, and the treatment of schizophrenia and associated disorders, will enable us to continue to break through the barriers of mental illness that still prevent so many from enjoying a full life,” said Dr. Herbert Pardes, president & CEO of NewYork Presbyterian Hospital.

“I am extremely enthusiastic about leading a department at the forefront of academic and clinical psychiatry,” says Dr. Lieberman. “I am also looking forward to developing a model public-academic partnership with the New York State Office of Mental Health, which will improve the quality of services and mental health care of the citizens of New York,” says Dr. Lieberman.

At UNC, Dr. Lieberman is also Professor of Pharmacology and Radiology and director of the Mental Health and Neuroscience Clinical Research Center. He serves as the principal investigator and director of the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) Research Program at UNC. CATIE is a $61 million, National Institute of Mental Health-funded effort to determine which of the new generation of anti-psychotic drugs are best for treating patients with schizophrenia and disruptive behaviors associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

With research focused on the neurobiology, pharmacology and treatment of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, Dr. Lieberman has authored more than 300 scientific papers. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine in the National Academy of Science. He has received grants from the NIMH, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) and the Stanley Foundation.

Dr. Lieberman previously held research leadership positions in New York City, at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, State University of New York School of Medicine, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, before being recruited to the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in 1996.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Miami University of Oxford, Ohio, which he attended on a football scholarship. He earned his medical degree at George Washington University, completed his internship and residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center of New York/New York Medical College, and completed a research fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

The New York State Psychiatric Institute was established in 1896, and is ranked among the best psychiatric research facilities in the world today. Noted for its research on depression and suicide, schizophrenia, anxiety and child psychiatric disorders, NYSPI is also at the forefront of research dedicated to unraveling the brain’s mysteries. Operated by the New York State Office of Mental Health, the Institute’s scientists constitute the core of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University.

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic and clinical research, medical education, and health care. The medical center includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, and other health professionals at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the School of Dental & Oral Surgery, the School of Nursing, the Mailman School of Public Health, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. The pioneering achievements of Columbia University health scientists, in contributing to some of the 20th century's most significant medical breakthroughs, continues today.

New York-Presbyterian Hospital is the largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital in the country. It provides state-of-the art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: New York-Presbyterian hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, the Allen Pavilion, and the Westchester Division. It consistently ranks as one of the top hospitals in the country U.S. News & World Report’s guide to “America’s Best Hospitals.” The New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System – an affiliation of acute-care and community hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory sites, and specialty institutes –serves one in four patients in the New York metropolitan area.

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