Originally Released: November 27, 2000
Contact: Ellen Beth Levitt, eblevitt@umm.edu, 410-328-8919
Barbara Crawford, bcrawfor@umm.edu, 410-328-8919

SCHIZOPHRENIA EXPERT WILL LEAD DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Anthony F. Lehman, M.D., M.S.P.H., a leading researcher and expert in the treatment of severe long-term mental illnesses, has been named chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and chief of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Dr. Lehman came to the University of Maryland in 1986 as director of Rehabilitation Psychiatry, and director of research at the Walter P. Carter Center. In 1990, he was named director of the Center for Mental Health Services Research. Since 1998, he has served as the Department of Psychiatry's acting and interim chair.

"I am confident that under Dr. Lehman's leadership, the Department of Psychiatry will continue to make important strides in the research and treatment of mental illness, while maintaining the highest educational standards for our students," says Donald E. Wilson, M.D., M.A.C.P., Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

"Dr. Lehman is a distinguished, national leader in his field. Because of his years of experience here, he knows the needs of patients within Maryland. We are very pleased that he will lead the Department of Psychiatry," says Stephen Schimpff, M.D., CEO of the University of Maryland Medical Center.

As a professor of psychiatry, Dr. Lehman has focused his clinical, teaching and research activities on improving the quality of life for those who suffer from severe and persistent mental illness. In addition to investigating the impact of substance use on the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses, Dr. Lehman has studied the effectiveness of innovative psychiatric treatment programs for the homeless.

"We are at the front end of a dramatic change in the treatment of mental illness," says Dr. Lehman. "Our research is helping to identify new treatments and to understand the causes of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and bi-polar disorders."

Dr. Lehman adds, "Finding more effective treatments for schizophrenia will remain a research priority for the School of Medicine. We also plan to expand research in the areas of geriatric psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry and mood disorders."

In addition to numerous scientific articles, Dr. Lehman is co-author of two books, Working with Families of the Mentally Ill and Double Jeopardy: Chronic Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders. Dr. Lehman has been cited by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill as an Exemplary Psychiatrist, and he received their distinguished service award in 1998. He has been named in Best Doctors in America for several years.

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