Joseph Biederman
Joseph Biederman (29 September 1947 - 5 January 2023) was Chief of the Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD at the Massachusetts General Hospital, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Biederman was Board Certified in General and Child Psychiatry.
Joseph Biederman | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 29, 1947 Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Died | Jan 5th 2023 Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Education | M.D., cum laude, Buenos Aires University Medical School, Buenos Aires, Argentina 1971 Rotating internship, Hadassah University Hospital, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel Resident in Psychiatry, Hadassah University Hospital, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel Research Fellow, Jerusalem Mental Health Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA |
| Known for | Creating the first pediatric psychopharmacology clinic Studies of the nature, diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, mood and anxiety disorders in children and adults |
| Medical career | |
| Profession | Psychiatry |
| Institutions | Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School |
| Sub-specialties | Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
| Research | Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults |
From 2019 to 2022, His citation metrics placed him in the top 0.01% of scientists across all fields.[1] Although his biggest focus was on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in youth and adults, he also contributed many studies of obsessive-compulsive disorders, bipolar disorder, tic disorders, depression, and substance use disorders in youth. Due to this work, he is regarded as the father of pediatric psychopharmacology [2]
Awards and Honors
In 1995 Dr. Biederman was inducted into the CHADD Hall of Fame [3] He was awarded the 2021 World Federation of ADHD Gold Medal Award for lifetime contributions to the field of ADHD.[4] In 2023 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders. During his lifetime, he was awarded over 15 million dollars in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health to support his research into the nature, causes and treatment of mental health disorders in youth.[5]
Relationship with Pharmaceutical Companies
In 2008, Senator Chuck Grassley, undertook an investigation[6] that alleged that Joseph Biederman had violated federal regulations in addition to Harvard Medical School's and Massachusetts General Hospital's research rules by receiving money from pharmaceutical companies.[7] According to newspaper reports, Dr. Biederman received research funding from 15 drug companies and served as a paid speaker or adviser to seven, including Eli Lilly & Co. and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.[8] Biederman earned consulting fees of at least $1.6 million over eight years from pharmaceutical companies.[9][10] Johnson & Johnson gave more than $700,000 to a research center that was headed by Biederman from 2002 to 2005, which was involved in research on Risperdal,[11] the company's antipsychotic drug.[12][13]
Subsequent to these reports, the Massachusetts General Hospital launched an investigation. Dr. Biederman has said that he was not influenced by the money and that some of his work supported drugs other than Risperdal.[12] In 2011, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School disciplined Biederman for small clerical errors that violated conflict of interest policies.[14] Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School found no ethical violations and nothing to question the integrity of research he published about relevant drugs. No evidence was presented to support newspaper reports that Prof. Biederman had violated federal regulations or had engaged in unethical behavior or scientific misconduct. Thus, he retained his Professorship at Harvard and his positions at the Massachusetts General Hospital where he was subsequently awarded an endowed Chair.
According to ProPublica's drug company money database, Biederman received over $3,000 from pharmaceutical company Shire's North American division in 2018, mainly for consulting.[15]
References
- "Obituary of Dr. Joseph Biederman". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- "CHADD Hall of Fame Award". Retrieved 12 February 2023.
- "The Medal of the World Federation of ADHD". Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- "NIH Reporter". Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- Kaplan, Stuart L. (11 July 2011). "Child Bipolar Disorder Imperiled by Conflict of Interest: Will The Credibility of Child Bipolar Disorder Be Undermined?". Psychology Today. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
- Kirk, Stuart A. (2013). Mad Science: Psychiatric Coercion, Diagnosis, and Drugs. Transaction Publishers. p. 21.
- "Backlash on bipolar diagnoses in children - The Boston Globe". archive.boston.com. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
- Harris, Gardiner; Benedict Carey (2008-06-08). "Researchers Fail to Reveal Full Drug Pay". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
- Mirviss, Laura G., Wu, June Q. (3 June 2009). "Curbing Conflict Harvard Medical School takes on conflict of interest". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - The Medicated Child, Frontline, 8 January 2008, retrieved 17 September 2015
- Duff Wilson (October 2, 2010). "Side Effects May Include Lawsuits". New York Times.
- Harris, Gardiner (24 November 2008). "Research Center Tied to Drug Company". New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
- Yu, Xi Crimson Staff Writer (2 July 2011). "Three Professors Face Sanctions Following Harvard Medical School Inquiry: Investigation by Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital punishes psychiatrists accused by senator". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- "Dollars for Docs".