DAVID HAMBURG

HAMBURG--David A., M.D. The Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Psychiatry faculty and staff were saddened to learn of the passing of their dear colleague, Dr. David Hamburg, an extraordinary clinician, scientist, and public servant who advanced humanitarian programs as a leader of several august institutions. His early and seminal work on the impact of stress on the brain ultimately led to his study of the prevention of violence and genocide. In 1996, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom - our nation's highest civilian award - honoring his work toward understanding human behavior, preventing violent conflict, and improving the health and well-being of our children. As Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford University in the early 70's, he created a multidisciplinary department that became a model for others across the nation. From there he became the President of the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) followed by a period at Harvard University as Director of the Division of Health Policy Research and Education. For nearly 20 years, he served as President of the Carnegie Corporation during which time he promoted peer counseling and after-school programs in the United States while devoting efforts to the development of policies and programs to prevent war and genocide across the globe. Later he chaired commissions for both the United Nations and the European Union. Since 2003, Dr. Hamburg had been a DeWitt Wallace Senior Scholar in the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College where he produced his works Learning to Live Together: Preventing Hatred and Violence in Child and Adolescent Development, a magisterial volume co-authored with his late wife, Dr. Betty Hamburg, and Preventing Genocide: Practical Steps toward Early Detection and Effective Action. It was a privilege to have Dr. Hamburg as a member of our faculty as he so profoundly enhanced the intellectual life of our institution and was instrumental in supporting the focus of developmental psychobiology and developmental neurobiology as cross-cutting themes across our programs. Dr. Hamburg lived a life in service of a greater good. He was a teacher to us all and will be missed. We extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Hamburg's children, Eric and Peggy, and their families. Sincerely, Francis S. Lee, M.D., Ph.D. Philip J. Wilner, M.D. Jack D. Barchas, M.D. Weill Cornell Medicine, Department of Psychiatry