James Leckman
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James Frederick Leckman is an American child
psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...
and psychoanalyst and the Neison Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Psychiatry, Psychology and Pediatrics at the
Yale School of Medicine The Yale School of Medicine is the medical school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. It is the sixth-oldest m ...
, recognized for his research in
Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome (TS), or simply Tourette's, is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. Common tics are blinkin ...
(TS) and
obsessive–compulsive disorder Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder in which an individual has intrusive thoughts (an ''obsession'') and feels the need to perform certain routines (''Compulsive behavior, compulsions'') repeatedly to relieve the dis ...
(OCD).


Personal life and education

Leckman obtained degrees in chemistry and philosophy from the
College of Wooster {{Infobox university , image = College of Wooster seal.png , image_upright = .6 , name = The College of Wooster , former_names = University of Wooster (1866–1915) , motto ...
in 1969, and his MD from the
University of New Mexico School of Medicine The University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM School of Medicine) is a division of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNM HSC) located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The UNM School of Medicine is home to a variety of degree-g ...
in 1973. He obtained his PhD in clinical science from the University of Sao Paolo in 2014. Leckman is married to Hannah Hone Leckman; they have two children.


Career

After interning in San Francisco at the
United States Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services which manages public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The assistant s ...
Marine Hospital for two years (1973–1974), Leckman worked 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 ...
(NIMH) in adult psychiatry (1974–1976), before completing his residency in psychiatry at
Yale School of Medicine The Yale School of Medicine is the medical school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. It is the sixth-oldest m ...
in 1979. At Yale since 1979, he took several sabbaticals to study elsewhere, including a 1998 study of animal behavior at the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
. He was Director of Research for the
Yale Child Study Center The Yale Child Study Center is a department at the Yale University School of Medicine. The center conducts research and provides clinical services and medical training related to children and families. Topics of investigation include autism and r ...
(1983–2010), where his interests include the study of the interplay between genetic and epigenetic factors in human development and
Darwinism ''Darwinism'' is a term used to describe a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others. The theory states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural sel ...
in psychopathology. Leckman is an international leader in
Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome (TS), or simply Tourette's, is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. Common tics are blinkin ...
research, and as of 2025, was the highest publisher on the topic. His 1998 paper "Course of tic severity in Tourette syndrome: the first two decades" was among the top four most influential papers on TS as of 2025. By July 2018, his 1995 family study on
obsessive–compulsive disorder Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder in which an individual has intrusive thoughts (an ''obsession'') and feels the need to perform certain routines (''Compulsive behavior, compulsions'') repeatedly to relieve the dis ...
was the second most cited article on the disorder. Siying ''et al'' wrote in 2025 that he was responsible for "shaping key insights" with studies that "significantly advanced our understanding of the genetic and environmental factors influencing TS". He is frequently named as one of America's best doctors by peers. According to a profile of featured researchers by the then-named Mental Health Research Association (NARSAD):
Very few people have the clinical, research and teaching experience, the empathy for the human condition, and the curiosity Dr. Leckman has to explore such a fundamental question as human attachment. He is a world-renowned child psychiatrist and patient-oriented clinical investigator with unique expertise in the evaluation of Tourette's syndrome and early-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder.


Appointments, awards, affiliations and recognition

Leckman served as an associate editor for the ''
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry The ''Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering both child and adolescent psychology and psychiatry providing an interdisciplinary perspective to the multidisciplinary field of child and adolescen ...
''. He has received the following awards and recognition: * Blanche E. Ittleson Award for Research in Child Psychiatry, 1995, from 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 ...
. * Outstanding Research Mentor, awarded five times, from the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional association in the United States dedicated to facilitating psychiatric care for children and adolescents. The Academy is headquartered in Wash ...
. * Fellows of the American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychology, and
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Founded in 1961, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) is a professional organization of leading brain and behavior scientists. The principal functions of the College are research and education. Their goals in research are to offer ...
. * Member of the
American College of Psychiatrists The American College of Psychiatrists is an American association of psychiatrists based in Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United Stat ...
since 1991. * Distinguished alumni award,
College of Wooster {{Infobox university , image = College of Wooster seal.png , image_upright = .6 , name = The College of Wooster , former_names = University of Wooster (1866–1915) , motto ...
.


Publications

Leckman had authored or co-authored more than 250 professional articles and 115 book chapters as of 2005, and was the author of seven books as of 2012. In 2002, he was named a "Highly Cited Researcher" by the
American Society for Information Science and Technology American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...
. A 2025 bibliometric analysis of 4,011 publications between 1960 and 2024 on Tourette syndrome found that Leckman had the highest
h-index The ''h''-index is an author-level metric that measures both the productivity and citation impact of the publications, initially used for an individual scientist or scholar. The ''h''-index correlates with success indicators such as winning t ...
(58) of the 12,860 authors involved. Leckman's books include: * ''Tourette's Syndrome -- Tics, Obsessions, Compulsions: Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Care'', 2001, * ''Pediatric Psychopharmacology: Principles and Practice'', 2002, * ''Tourette's Syndrome and Tic Disorders: Clinical Understanding and Treatment'', 1988,


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leckman, James F. Alumni of the University of Cambridge American psychiatrists College of Wooster alumni Tourette syndrome University of New Mexico alumni Yale School of Medicine alumni Yale School of Medicine faculty Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Obsessive–compulsive disorder researchers