RALPH EDWARD HOFFMAN

HOFFMAN, RALPH EDWARD, MD Hoffman, Ralph Edward, MD of New Haven, Connecticut, died at home with his beloved family and dear friends on Monday, February 1, 2016 after a year-long struggle with glioblastoma. He was 66 years old. At the time of his death, he was a Professor of Psychiatry and the Medical Director of the YPH Adult Intensive Outpatient Program at Yale New Haven-Hospital. He also served in many administrative capacities, including Medical Director, Research Director, and Acting Psychiatrist-in-Chief for the Yale Psychiatric Institute. Ralph received his BS in mathematics from Brown University in 1971, his MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1976 and completed his psychiatry residency at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York in 1979. He came to Yale for fellowship training in 1979 and became a faculty member in psychiatry and an active member of the translational neuroscience community for the past 37 years. Ralph was the recipient of many honors in the U.S. and around the world. His scholarly work was widely published and led to, among other things, a featured story on auditory hallucinations on ABC’s 20/20, and an interview for Science Friday on NPR. In 1992 the Department of Psychiatry awarded him its highest honor for a clinician and educator, the Stephen Fleck Award. He was, first, last and always, a man of compassion and science, with a penetrating intelligence, dry wit, and clinical empathy that enabled him to put others, even patients with severe mental illness, quickly at ease. As a researcher he gained international renown for his pioneering work on the pathophysiology and treatment of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia, a research focus he pursued with diligence and passion over nearly four decades. Against all odds, he continued his research after his diagnosis. Striking in his height and his humility, Ralph was a singular figure and well-recognized on the streets of New Haven. We will ever see him in our minds this way: back-pack clad, coattails flying, astride his bicycle, no matter the weather. He was esteemed by his colleagues, loved by his patients, and adored by his wife and partner of 28 years, Mary Ann Frank, Ph.D., and their 20 year old twins, Lily and Lucas Hoffman. He is also survived by a brother, Walter Hoffman and his wife, Tina, and nephew Nick, of Stormville, New York. He was the son of the late John & Elva Hoffman of Wappingers Falls, NY. A private memorial is planned. Contributions in Dr. Hoffman’s honor may be made to: Research Account of Dr. Joachim Baehring, Yale Cancer Center c/o Julie Parr, Senior Director of Development, 157 Church Street, New Haven, CT 06510-2100