Dean Jameson congratulates Dr. Csernansky (r)

Dr. John Csernansky, the Lizzie Gilman Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Dean Jameson, Dr. Csernansky, and his extoller, Dr. Michael Miller (l to r)

The Investiture of John G. Csernansky, MD, as the Lizzie Gilman Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Faculty, staff, family, and friends gathered on June 19 to invest and welcome John G. Csernansky, MD, as the Lizzie Gilman Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and new chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine. At the ceremony led by J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, vice president for medical affairs and Lewis Landsberg Dean, Dr. Csernansky was presented with a commemorative medallion, representing the highest honor the medical school can bestow upon faculty. Dean Jameson heralded endowed professorships for their ability to “recognize true talents and provide faculty with resources to pursue their passions.”

The Lizzie Gilman Professorship of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences was established in 1981, the result of a generous estate gift that Mrs. Lizzie Gilman bequeathed to Northwestern University upon her passing in 1962. Although she did not have formal ties to the University during her life, Mrs. Gilman was committed to helping find solutions to problems associated with mental illness.

Michael Miller, PhD, Herschel and Ruth Seder Professor of Biomedical Engineering and director of the Center for Imaging Science at Johns Hopkins University, extolled Dr. Csernansky, describing how a shared interest in brain structure connected the two researchers initially, while a 19-year friendship now kept them allied. In his own remarks, Dr. Csernansky thanked his past and present colleagues. “My mentors have prepared me for what lies ahead,” he said. “I ask you, my new mentors, collaborators, and friends, to join me now to meet new challenges.”

With his new position, Dr. Csernansky returns to Northwestern University—where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1975. He earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine in 1979, and completed his residency at Stanford University in 1983. Seven years later, after serving on faculty at Stanford and as director of the Schizophrenia Biologic Research Center at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center, Dr. Csernansky joined Washington University School of Medicine. He remained there until March of 2008, serving on faculty and as director of the Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders.

As the Lizzie Gilman Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dr. Csernansky will continue to pursue his work to determine how structural abnormalities of the brain relate to cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease, and how to use this information to develop new drug therapies.

Photo credit: Nathan Mandell