Joseph Stoklosa, MD, clinical director of McLean’s Division of Psychotic Disorders, never knew Andrew Smith. But Smith’s legacy will ensure that McLean’s superb care for patients with psychotic disorders will continue in perpetuity.
Stoklosa is the inaugural incumbent of the Andrew L. Smith Clinical Directorship. This endowed clinical leadership role is permanently supported by income from a gift from Andrew’s parents—Ed and Kitty Smith. The honor was presented to Stoklosa at a ceremony in April.
Andrew died in 2011 at age 30, after struggling for years with schizophrenia. Since then, his family have been generous donors to McLean. Their first project was creating WellSpace, a free social support program for people with first episode psychosis—a service they knew would have been helpful to Andrew.
More recently, they have supported peer services and the hospital’s pressing capital needs, as well as establishing the Andrew L. Smith Clinical Directorship.

Joseph Stoklosa, MD, thanks the Smith family for their ongoing generosity to McLean
“This endowed fund will allow us to innovate and adapt to better help people with psychotic disorders,” said Stoklosa, who is both a beloved clinician and educator.
“We’ll be able to carry forth new ideas that we might otherwise not be able to do. I am enormously moved by the generosity of the Smith family and touched by the story of Andrew and his suffering. The Smiths are transforming that suffering through such a meaningful gift.”
Stoklosa’s Work
Ed Smith said he and Kitty were drawn to Stoklosa and his work because he prioritizes two things: teamwork and mentoring. “More can be accomplished working as a team than with each individual doing his or her own thing,” said Smith. “And mentoring is critical so that the work of one generation can be passed down to the next. Joe is an example of both.”
Stoklosa is passionate about teaching and mentoring. He is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and co-founder and co-director of the Clinician Educator Program for the MGH/McLean Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program, which trains residents to become clinician-educators.
Previously, he served as assistant program director for the MGH/McLean residency program. He co-founded a mentoring program for mental health specialists, community residence counselors, and research assistants. He also developed postgraduate training for nurse practitioners to offer mentored intensive education and clinical training.
He runs a national program through the Association for Academic Psychiatry, the master educator program, that teaches those involved in psychiatric education how to be better teachers. Stoklosa has garnered local, regional, and national teaching awards for his work with medical students and residents.
“I love teaching. Seeing the joy on a student’s face as something crystallizes and they’re able to put it to use is a beautiful thing,” said Stoklosa. “Through teaching and mentoring, we shape the next generation of helpers to take on the challenges that people with mental health disorders face and deliver compassionate and thoughtful care.”
At the April ceremony, Dost Öngür, MD, PhD, chief of McLean’s Division of Psychotic Disorders, spoke about Stoklosa’s extraordinary contributions in his multifaceted role as clinician, mentor, and leader: “Joe provides indispensable support to our staff as they care for those with psychotic disorders,” he said. “Symptoms of psychotic disorders are often severe, and Joe’s attention to the needs of patients, family members, and our wider team is always clearly on display.”
Stoklosa said the endowment made him reflect on Andrew Smith’s life and the good that one person and his or her legacy can do.
He quoted Hannah Senesh, a Hungarian Jew trained as a paratrooper, who was killed by a firing squad after attempting to aid her fellow Jews: “There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world even though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind.”
“The Smiths are creating a lasting legacy in Andrew’s name through their remarkable foresight and tremendous generosity,” he said.
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