Daniel P. Dickstein Named Chief of the Simches Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

June 21, 2022

Daniel P. Dickstein, MD, FAAP, will become chief of the Nancy and Richard Simches Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at McLean Hospital, effective September 1, 2022. Dickstein will succeed Joseph Gold, MD, who has successfully led the division for more than 20 years.

While Gold is stepping down from his role as division chief, he will continue to serve as McLean’s chief medical officer with expanded responsibilities. Gold will also continue as head of eastern region of the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for pediatricians.

“We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Dr. Gold. Working collaboratively with program leadership, his accomplishments as the leader of our child and adolescent service are remarkable,” said Scott. L. Rauch, MD, president and psychiatrist in chief for McLean.

“The child division has made a profound impact on patients and families worldwide.”

“Among his achievements are the development of innovative and evidence-based programs across inpatient, partial hospital, outpatient, and consultative services, which have allowed McLean to care for more children and adolescents than ever before in our history,” continued Rauch.

“I know I speak for the tens of thousands of patients, students, and family members whose lives have been positively affected by Dr. Gold’s leadership, vision, and commitment to our mission when I say thank you.”

Leveraging the strong foundation established by Gold, Dickstein will continue to encourage growth of the child division and play an integral role in the development of the new planned child and adolescent campus.

Since joining the McLean community in 2020 as the director of research for the child division and director of PediMIND (pediatric mood, imaging, and neurodevelopment) Program, Dickstein has introduced a new focus integrating child and adolescent research to the division’s clinical programs.

In 2021, Dickstein was named associate division chief and has made significant strides integrating clinical care, scientific discovery, and education of trainees throughout the division.

Over the last year, he has introduced the Child and Adolescent Routine Evaluation (CARE) division-wide initiative: a new model for diagnosis and outcomes measurement.

Dr. Daniel Dickstein

Dr. Daniel Dickstein

“I am honored to take on this role and am grateful for the mentorship that I have received from Dr. Gold for the last two years,” said Dickstein.

“As I look ahead to my role as chief, I am energized by the opportunities that lay ahead within clinical care, research, education, and advocacy. I am excited to work more closely with the outstanding clinicians and staff within the division to identify new opportunities for growth and the delivery of innovative and evidence-based care.”

Joining the McLean community from Brown University in Rhode Island, where he engaged in research on the biology of childhood psychiatric disorders, Dickstein is uniquely trained and board-certified in pediatrics, adult psychiatry, and child and adolescent psychiatry. He is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and the Hall-Mercer Endowed Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at McLean.

“Dan is a gifted clinician and scientist, and I am looking forward to working with him as we transition leadership of the division, and continuing our collaborations as he implements his vision for the future,” said Gold.

“With his energy and commitment to improving the lives of children, adolescents, and their families, I am confident that we will continue to see extraordinary achievements from within the division.”

As he takes on this new role within the division, Dickstein is committed to continuing his research and improving mental health care for children, teens, and young adults through better understanding of the underlying brain and behavior mechanisms.

In addition to his clinical and research work, Dickstein is also well known for his generativity in education, supervision, and training. As a mentor he has helped more than six post-doctoral fellows receive career development (K) awards and multiple others receive NIH Loan Repayment grants.

Dickstein has won numerous awards for his work. He was the first physician to receive an NIMH BRAINS R01 (Bio-Behavioral Research Award for Innovative New Scientist) Award.

Also, Dickstein has received the Richard J. Wyatt Memorial Fellowship Training Award for Outstanding Scientific Accomplishment from the National Institute of Mental Health Division of Intramural Research Programs, as well as the Gerald R. Klerman, MD, Award for Outstanding Clinical Research Achievement from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia & Depression (NARSAD).

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