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The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) will name the main building of its New York State Psychiatric Institute in honor of Dr. Herbert Pardes, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System, and former director of the Psychiatric Institute.

Michael F. Hogan, Ph.D., commissioner of OMH, announced the decision in letters to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center, recognizing the numerous contributions of Dr. Herbert Pardes toward research, education and clinical care in mental health. The New York State Psychiatric Institute's Herbert Pardes Building on West 168th St. and Riverside Drive will be dedicated in a ceremony early next year.

A longtime leader in psychiatry and health care, Dr. Pardes was director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute from 1984 until 1989, while simultaneously serving as chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Pardes was director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and U.S. assistant surgeon general during the Carter and Reagan administrations. From 1989 until 1999, he served as vice president for health sciences at Columbia University and dean of the faculty of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. A former president of the American Psychiatric Association, he currently serves as president of the Scientific Council of the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) and is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Michael F. Hogan, commissioner of OMH, says, "It is fitting to name the main building of the New York State Psychiatric Institute after Dr. Herb Pardes. His achievements in education, research, clinical care and health policy demonstrate his dedication to medicine and his commitment to people. While serving as the head of the Institute, Dr. Pardes advanced a vision of an integrated research and academic setting to unravel the mysteries of mental illness. This vision led to the construction of the building that will soon bear his name."

"An extraordinary leader in psychiatry, Herb Pardes has been a pioneer in efforts to destigmatize mental illness that have brought hope and healing to patients and their families affected by mental illness. As such, it is only fitting that the flagship building of one of our nation's foremost centers for advancing care for those with mental illness, the New York State Psychiatric Institute, be named in his honor,"says John Mack, chairman of the Board of Trustees of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

"The state's naming of the New York State Psychiatric Institute building for Herb Pardes puts into bricks and mortar a representation of his long record of advocacy for the mentally ill and their caregivers. Having his name on the building will be a permanent reminder of his contributions to mental health and his legacy as a leader of the three major organizations that make up our campus — NYSPI, Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital,"says Dr. Lee Goldman, executive vice president of Columbia University and dean of the faculties of health sciences and medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.

"Dr. Pardes has been one of the leaders of American psychiatry and in mental health care for four decades. His contributions have enabled enormous scientific progress to be made in understanding and treating mental illness. It is a fitting tribute that we name the NYSPI building after him," says Dr. Jeffrey A. Lieberman, director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and psychiatrist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.

The Herbert Pardes Building of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, a six-story, state-of-the-art research, teaching, and patient care building, was completed in 1998.

Dr. Herbert Pardes

Dr. Herbert Pardes is president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System. Nationally recognized for his broad expertise in education, research, clinical care and health policy, he is an ardent advocate of academic medical centers, humanistic care and the power of technology and innovation to transform 21st-century medicine.

Under his leadership, the Hospital has received numerous honors and recognition, including its current sixth-place position on the U.S.News & World Report "America's Best Hospitals" Honor Roll, and first in New York magazine's "Best Doctors,"with the city's greatest number of top-rated physicians.

Prior to joining the Hospital in 1999, Dr. Pardes served as vice president for health sciences at Columbia University and dean of the faculty of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. A noted psychiatrist, he served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health and U.S. assistant surgeon general during the Carter and Reagan administrations, and was also president of the American Psychiatric Association. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York in Brooklyn and completed his residency in psychiatry at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, with additional psychoanalytic training at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute.

Dr. Pardes has been appointed to serve on health policy commissions by Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, including the Presidential Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry, and the Commission on Systemic Interoperability. He is the former chairman of the Greater New York Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges and the New York Association of Medical Schools. He is chairman emeritus of the eHealth Initiative and serves on the boards of the Macy Foundation and Markle Foundation, organizations dedicated to improving quality, safety and efficiency of health care with information technologies.

Dr. Pardes serves on numerous editorial boards, and has written more than 130 articles and chapters on mental health and academic medicine topics. He has earned numerous awards and accolades, including election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health, and the U.S. Army Commendation Medal.

New York State Psychiatric Institute

Founded in 1896, the New York State Psychiatric Institute (PI) is ranked among the world's leading psychiatric institutions for its contributions to knowledge about the understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorders. Noted for its research on depression and suicide, schizophrenia, anxiety and child psychiatric disorders, PI is also at the forefront of research dedicated to unraveling the brain's mysteries. Its physician-scientists constitute the core of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. The 2000 Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel was recognized for his work at PI that helped elucidate the cellular processes that underlie learning and memory — contributions that have implications for treating conditions such as Alzheimer's and aging-related memory loss. This year, the Institute's solid scientific footing earned its researchers a landmark grant to support its stem cell research program. For more information please visit www.nyspi.org.

Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The Medical Center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is now among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit www.cumc.columbia.edu.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital — based in New York City — is the nation's largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital, with 2,242 beds. It provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Allen Pavilion and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division. One of the largest and most comprehensive health care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. It ranks sixth in U.S.News & World Report's guide to "America's Best Hospitals,"ranks first on New York magazine's "Best Hospitals" survey, has the greatest number of physicians listed in New York magazine's "Best Doctors" issue, and is included among Solucient's top 15 major teaching hospitals. The Hospital is ranked with among the lowest mortality rates for heart attack and heart failure in the country, according to a 2007 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report card. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the nation's leading medical colleges: Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.