John Preston Feighner

FEIGHNER, M.D., JOHN PRESTON Dr. John Preston Feighner (June 23, 1937 to August 15, 2006), a widely respected psychiatrist, researcher and supporter of music, died in his home surrounded by family and friends, on August 15th at age 69 following a year-long battle with leukemia. Born in Ottawa, Kansas and educated at Kansas University and Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Feighner was known on both the national and international level as one of the world's leading experts in clinical psychopharmacology and the development of new antidepressants. Dr. Feighner was the founder and former President of the Feighner Research Institute, a clinical neuropsychopharmacology research center in San Diego. He was the primary investigator in over 220 clinical trials on more than 30 antidepressants, published 120 scientific papers and six books, and gave over 1,000 seminars. Most recently he served as the President of Tetragenex, a biopharmaceutical company. He was primary author of the Feighner Criteria, published in 1972, which were revolutionary in the standardization of current psychiatric diagnosis. His career included many roles over a 30+ year period: he served as Medical Director at San Louis Rey Hospital and Director of Research and Education at Charter Hospital; he was a member of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego Medical School; he held a private practice at Psychiatric Centers of San Diego; he was a co-founder of International Clinical Research (ICR), a clinical research organization and was Senior Medical Consultant to Quintiles. Throughout his career as a clinician and researcher, Dr. Feighner was highly respected by his peers for his outstanding quality of care for his patients, as well as for the integrity and intellectual rigor that he applied to his research endeavors. He often cared for the most challenging patients who had failed to improve with multiple medications. In June 2006, he was the recipient of the "Career Excellence Award" from the San Diego Psychiatric Society. Although John worked diligently in the field of psychiatry and neuropsychopharmacology throughout his career, he was first and foremost a family man. He is survived by his wife, Anne, to whom he was married for 38 years, and three grown children, Jennifer and her husband Rob live in Portland, Oregon, John Daniel in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Scott lives in San Francisco. Despite an extremely productive career, he always made time to play an important role in his children's activities, included serving as baseball coach and Scout master. He was very reluctant to ever miss a game or musical show of any of his children. A number of times he flew on red-eye flights home so as not to miss a performance. His most precious time was spent with his family, and he made sure that despite a busy schedule he always made time for vacation and recreation time with them, including fly fishing trips to Utah and Alaska and travel to Europe and Australia. Before changing his major to pre-med in his third year of college, John was a music major with a specialty in conducting and bassoon at the University of Kansas; throughout the rest of his undergraduate years and in medical school at KU he directed and sang in church choirs and played saxophone in various dance bands. Twenty-three years ago he was a founding member of the San Diego Chamber Orchestra and remained actively involved with this organization, including serving as President for many years and hosting fundraiser events with his wife Anne at their home in Rancho Santa Fe. He played tenor sax in the Rancho Santa Fe Big Band and sang bass and tenor in the Village Presbyterian Church Choir for over 20 years. He was the designated pianist at the family Christmas parties and delighted his children and friends for years with creative renditions of traditional carols. Throughout his life, John remained devoted to charitable giving, including the foundation of the John P. Feighner Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology in 1999 for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis, where he trained as Resident and Chief Resident. He was supportive of scholarship foundations at his beloved Alma Mater, Kansas University, and The Bishop's School in La Jolla, which was attended by two of his children. John will be remembered not only for all of these accomplishments in both his personal and professional life, but also for the enthusiasm, kindness, and true spirit of generosity that he brought to every aspect of his life. The memorial service and celebration of the life of this remarkable man will be held at the Village Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 19th. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that a contribution be made in his name to the Leukemia Society, San Diego Hospice or the philanthropy of your choice. Please sign the guest book at obituaries.uniontrib.com