Harold S. Koplewicz

Harold S. Koplewicz, M.D. is founder and director, NYU Child Study Center; Arnold and Debbie Simon Professor and Chair, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Sr. Vice President and Vice Dean for External Affairs, NYU Medical Center; Professor of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine; Director, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bellevue Hospital Center; Director, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research

Career

In May of 2006, Governor George Pataki and Sharon Carpinello, R.N., Ph.D., Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health, appointed Dr. Koplewicz the Executive Director of the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research (NKI), making him the third person in that position since its 1952 founding. NKI is one of only two New York State-funded research institutions and is nationally and internationally known for its pioneering contributions to psychiatric research in the study of the etiology, treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of severe and persistent mental illnesses.

He has served as a member of the National Board of Medical Examiners and as a Commissioner of the New York State Commission on Youth, Crime and Violence and Reform of the Juvenile Justice System. Since 1997, Dr. Koplewicz has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. He was also a member of the working group organized by the U.S. Assistant Surgeon General and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address the effects of terrorism on children's mental health.

Dr. Koplewicz's Vision

In October of 2006, the NYU School of Medicine established the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, creating only the second independent department of a major university in the United States. Dr. Koplewicz was named chairman of this new department.

The NYU Child Study Center is dedicated to increasing the awareness of child mental health issues, expanding scientific knowledge, and improving the treatment of child psychiatric disorders. Founded in 1997, under Dr. Koplewicz's direction, the Child Study Center has experienced extraordinary growth and now has over 200 faculty members and staff, an annual operating budget of over $20 million, and a research grants portfolio in excess of $40 million.

Dr. Koplewicz has designed the Center so that its research initiatives advance the understanding of the causes and treatments of child psychiatric disorders and these findings are then incorporated into state-of-the-art clinical care. To support this model, the Center is built around a group of research Institutes with associated clinical arms, a structure that allows the Center to expand its patient population, recruit patients for numerous ongoing research studies, and provide "real-world" testing for successful controlled-environment findings. Dr. Koplewicz has recruited some of the nation's leading researchers and scientists, each with stellar reputations and research accomplishments in their areas of expertise.

Education

A graduate of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dr. Koplewicz completed his psychiatric residency at New York Hospital Westchester Division, a fellowship in Child Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, an NIMH Research Fellowship in Child Psychiatry at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and the Executive Program in Health Policy and Management at Harvard University School of Public Health.

Media

As a clinician and pediatric psychopharmacologist, Dr. Koplewicz evaluates 100 new patients a year from all over the world. Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. has repeatedly named him one of America's Top Doctors, as has New York Magazine, and Good Housekeeping has named him one of "America's Best Mental Health Experts." Viewed as one of the leading authorities in the field, he frequently appears in the media to educate the public about child mental health issues and to help families understand the impact of world events on their children and how best to manage those effects. Radio and television appearances have included NBC Today, National Public Radio, Good Morning America, LIVE with Regis and Kelly, CBS This Morning, Oprah, The View, CNN American Morning, CNN Weekend Housecalls, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight and Dateline NBC.

Awards

Dr. Koplewicz is the recipient of many awards, including the 1997 Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill, the 1999 Humanitarian Award from Marymount Manhattan College and the 2000 American Grand Hope Award from the Aprica Childcare Institute. From the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, he received the 2002 Catcher in the Rye Award, the 1998 Reiger Service Award in recognition of his work in the development of school-based mental health programs, and the 2007 Irving Philips Award for Prevention, its highest honor, for his dedication and outstanding achievements in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry.

Research and Publications

Dr. Koplewicz's research and publications have focused on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders, and he has been at the forefront of public education to dispel the myths and stigma surrounding mental and emotional disorders of children and adults. Author of more than 65 peer-reviewed articles and chapters on child and adolescent psychiatry, Dr. Koplewicz is also the author of several books, including the textbook Depression in Children and Adolescents (Hardwood, 1993); It's Nobody's Fault: New Hope and Help for Difficult Children and their Parents (Times Books/Random House, 1996), which received the Parent's Choice Award and was a "Books for a Better Life" finalist; Childhood Revealed: Art Expressing Pain, Discovery & Hope (Harry Abrams, Inc., 1999); and his most recent work on adolescent depression, More Than Moody: Recognizing and Treating Adolescent Depression (Putnam, 2002).

Resources

[http://www.aboutourkids.org AboutOurKids]