Carl Salzman 2020 Massachusetts’s Psychiatric Society Lifetime Achievement Award brief biography
Carl Salzman was educated at Union College and the State University of NY, Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. He became interested in psychiatry in his 3rd and 4th year, directed the student psychiatric society and received his medical degree in 1963.
After internship in pediatrics at St. Luke’s Hospital in Manhattan he entered psychiatric residency at Massachusetts Mental Health Center from 1964 to 1967, studying dynamic psychiatry and psychotherapy with Elvin Semrad as well as the emerging field of psychopharmacology with Gerry Klerman and Dick Shader. This led to two years directing a program at the Psychopharmacology Research Branch of NIMH from 1967-69.
Dr. Salzman then returned to join the faculty at Massachusetts Mental Health Center (where he has remained on the faculty ever since) and became the director of psychopharmacology in the early 1980s. Not coincidentally, he also underwent a formal psychoanalysis during this period.
Dr. Salzman’s academic role in psychopharmacology included research in benzodiazepines, geriatric psychopharmacology, and treatment of borderline personality disorder. He has published more than 300 refereed articles and seven books and has served on leading editorial boards including the American Journal of Psychiatry and currently, the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Dr. Salzman also developed a long-standing educational program in psychopharmacology at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center for psychiatric residents, psychology interns as well as a highly successful psychopharmacology continuing education programs for practicing clinicians that annually draws students from around the US, Canada, South America and Europe. He created teaching programs for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health throughout the Commonwealth and has lectured and consulted to many public treatment programs and hospitals in Massachusetts, as well as in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and New York.
Known for his teaching and academic excellence, he became a full Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has also received many awards including the Outstanding Teacher from Mass Mental Health Center as well as from the Mass Psychiatric Society, the APA, NY State department of Mental Health, and the national, “Best Teacher of the Year” award sponsored by Psychiatric Times. He has lectured widely in all Boston institutions (many times), widely throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Mexico, Europe, China, Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Kuala Lampore.
Throughout his academic career, Dr. Salzman has maintained a clinical practice in individual dynamic psychotherapy, psychopharmacology treatment as well as consultation. He believes that a clinical practice is essential to a productive academic and teaching career. Dr. Salzman is married and has two children and six grandchildren.
July 6, 2023