Aaron Stern

Dr. Aaron Stern
STERN—Dr. Aaron Stern, a renowned psychoanalyst, prominent business leader, and longtime Greenwich resident passed away on April 13, 2021. He was born on March 26, 1925 in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Stern was the loving husband of 50 years to Betty Lee, beloved father of Debra, Scott, Jon, Lauren, and Jenny, and grandfather to thirteen grandchildren. Dr. Stern was the son of Anna and Ben Stern and brother to Isadore and Gus.
Dr. Stern, the world's leading expert in narcissistic personality disorder, was a noted educator, clinician, and researcher whose prolific career in psychiatry had a diverse and enduring impact across sectors.
Dr. Stern completed his psychiatry training at Yale and his Psychoanalytic training at Columbia. He also received his PhD from Columbia where he focused his work on the methodology of science and empirical studies of child development. Throughout his professional career, he worked in both disciplines of medicine and education to drive advances in the field. He was elected to the Center for Advanced Analytic Studies at Princeton and served as the Educational Consultant for the United States Committee for the United Nations. He also served on the faculties of Yale, Columbia, NYU, and UCLA.
Dr. Stern was the author of the 1979 seminal book, "ME The Narcissistic American," which focuses on narcissism as an inborn trait and its destructive consequences—a foundational piece of research that brought greater awareness to pathological personality disorders.
While running a successful private practice, he served as Director of the Code and Rating Administration of the Motion Picture Association of America. In this role, he helped to develop and administer the film "Rating System" that remains in effect today.
Dr. Stern subsequently served in a number of management consulting roles, bringing his deep understanding of human capital assessment to large corporations. Julian Robertson, founder of Tiger Management, then turned to Dr. Stern to establish the fund's framework for human capital evaluation. Dr. Stern served in a number of roles during his thirty years at Tiger, including as a member of the Management Committee, Board of Directors, the Chief Operating Officer, Senior Advisor to the firm, Trustee of the Robertson Foundation, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Robertson Scholarship—a treasured role where he was tasked with mentoring young rising stars in the program.
His contributions to the field extend beyond his professional accomplishments. Dr. Stern believed that giving back – through philanthropy and volunteering – was key to finding personal purpose. Made possible by a generous gift by Dr. Stern and his wife Betty Lee, The Aaron Stern, MD, PhD Program in Psychodynamic Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine was established in 2019 to advance training and education of psychodynamic approaches to treat personality disorders. The Stern Program has provided the capacity for Weill Cornell Psychiatry to maintain its leadership role in improving and disseminating the psychodynamic point of view, and thereby creating a new standard of care nationwide by focusing on education, research, and patient care for those with personality pathology.
Dr. Stern was a modern-day renaissance man who never slowed down and found inspiration in everything he set out to achieve. His deep passion for the film industry culminated in the 2020 release of The Three Christs, starring Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage and Julianna Margulies, and directed by Jon Avnet. The film examines the lives and impact of three patients who believe they are Jesus Christ. As co-producer, Dr. Stern played a critical role in establishing a proper portrayal of paranoid schizophrenic patients and the film's emphasis on a treatment style defined by empathy and understanding.
Dedicated to his patients, Dr. Stern saw himself as a teacher in everything he did. He said, "over the course of my career, as a teacher, clinician, and researcher, I was always motivated to try to help people understand the human condition and shed light about themselves to make their lives more meaningful."
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that you consider a gift to The Aaron Stern, MD, PhD Program in Psychodynamic Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine. To contribute, please contact Christophe Larroque, Principal Gifts Officer, at 929-241-4825 or cjl2006@med.cornell.edu.