Steven Samuel Sharfstein (born July 2, 1942) is an American psychiatrist. He was secretary of the

American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 39,200 members who are in ...

from 1991 to 1995, its vice president from 2002 to 2004, and president from 2005 to 2006.Roth, Sheldon (2006)
Steven S. Sharfstein, M.D., M.P.A., 132nd President, 2005–2006.
'' Am J Psychiatry'' 163:1719, October 2006 Sharfstein also received the Human Rights Award from the American Psychiatric Association in 2007.

Life and career

Sharfstein was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and earned his bachelor's degree from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in 1964. He graduated from

Albert Einstein College of Medicine The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a Private university, private medical school in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein is an independent degree-granting institution within the Montefiore Einstein Health System. Einstein hosts Doc ...

in 1968 and did his psychiatric residency at Massachusetts Mental Health Center from 1969 to 1973. During that time he earned his M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He later attended the six-week advanced management program at

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

. He has been president and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Sheppard Pratt Health System since 1992. He has been a lecturer in psychiatry at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

and has served as vice chair and clinical professor of psychiatry at

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

. He held a variety of positions at the

National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primar ...

, including director of mental health service programs, as well as positions in consultation/liaison psychiatry and research in behavioral medicine. Sharfstein has been involved in several prominent issues facing psychiatry, including the medical ethics of psychiatrists assisting with detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects at facilities like the

Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, also known as GTMO ( ), GITMO ( ), or simply Guantanamo Bay, is a United States military prison within Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB), on the coast of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It was established in 2002 by p ...

.Lewis, Neil A. (November 13, 2005)
Guantánamo Tour Focuses on Medical Ethics.
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' He has spoken at length about the

biopsychiatry controversy The biopsychiatry controversy is a dispute over which viewpoint should predominate and form a basis of psychiatric theory and practice. The debate is a criticism of a claimed strict biological view of psychiatric thinking. Its critics include dis ...

in his field. He has also expressed concern about

conflict of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple wikt:interest#Noun, interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates t ...

that can occur between psychiatrists and drug companies.Carey, Benedict and Gardiner Harris (July 12, 2008)
Psychiatric Group Faces Scrutiny Over Drug Industry Ties.
''

'' In 2015 Sharfstein announced that he would retire from Sheppard Pratt in July 2016.

Personal life

His son Joshua Sharfstein, also a physician, was appointed by

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

as Principal Deputy Commissioner of the FDA in 2009.

References

External links

Steve Sharfstein website
Living people 1942 births American psychiatrists Harvard Kennedy School alumni Dartmouth College alumni Albert Einstein College of Medicine alumni American health care chief executives {{US-psychiatrist-stub