Dr. Michael R. Liebowitz is a

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their ...

and

founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic, the first of its kind, at the

New York State Psychiatric Institute The New York State Psychiatric Institute, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, was established in 1895 as one of the first institutions in the United States ...

. Liebowitz pioneered research on the molecular basis of love and wrote a book on the topic, "The Chemistry of Love."

Early life and education

He was educated at Yale University, graduating with a B.A. (Cum Laude) in 1965, and with an M.D. degree from its medical school in 1969. Leibowitz did his medical internship and medical residency at

Harlem Hospital Harlem Hospital Center, branded as NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, is a 272-bed, public teaching hospital affiliated with Columbia University. It is located at 506 Lenox Avenue in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City and was founded in 1887. The hos ...

in New York City from 1969 to 1971 and, from 1974 to 1977, his psychiatric residencies were completed at the

Medical Center Hospital of Vermont Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care prac ...

and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Career

In 1985, he researched and highlighted an under-recognized status of

social anxiety disorder Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by sentiments of fear and anxiety in social situations, causing considerable distress and impaired ability to function in at least some aspects ...

(SAD). This led to subsequent

cognitive Cognition refers to "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought ...

research Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...

and treatments for

anxiety disorder Anxiety disorders are a cluster of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal function are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause physi ...

s. He created the Liebowitz social anxiety scale, now a widely used primary outcome measure in clinical research on SAD. In 1997 he established the Medical Research Network in New York City which performs studies on medicines.Medical Research Network"
Medical Research Network, New York, NY In 2007, Liebowitz retired as Director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, a position which he had held since 1982. Since 1977, he has been an instructor and professor of Medicine (Clinical Psychiatry) at

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded i ...

Popular works

* Author of the 1983 book ''The Chemistry of Love,'' and for sparking the " chocolate theory of love," which attributes chocolate's supposed

aphrodisiac An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire, sexual attraction, sexual pleasure, or sexual behavior. Substances range from a variety of plants, spices, foods, and synthetic chemicals. Natural aphrodisiacs like cannabis or coca ...

effects to

phenethylamine Phenethylamine (PEA) is an organic compound, natural monoamine alkaloid, and trace amine, which acts as a central nervous system stimulant in humans. In the brain, phenethylamine regulates monoamine neurotransmission by binding to trace am ...

.Liebowitz, Michael, R. (1983). ''The Chemistry of Love''. Boston: Little, Brown, & Co.Collins, Glenn
"CHEMICAL CONNECTIONS: PATHWAYS OF LOVE"
''New York Times'', February 14, 1983

References

Living people American psychiatrists Year of birth missing (living people) Yale School of Medicine alumni New York State Psychiatric Institute people {{US-psychiatrist-stub