UF psychiatry chairman to serve in NIMH research post

July 20, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The chairman of the University of Florida’s psychiatry department is taking a leave of absence to fill a key leadership position for the National Institute of Mental Health.

Dr. Wayne K. Goodman, a leading authority on obsessive-compulsive disorder and chairman of psychiatry at UF since 1998, will serve through June 2008 as acting director of the NIMH’s division for adult translational research, according to Dr. Bruce C. Kone, dean of UF’s College of Medicine.

The division annually funds $230 million in research on the causes and treatment of major psychiatric disorders affecting adults.

“Dr. Goodman will have a hand in shaping the direction of future research funded by the adult translational research division and will have the opportunity to interact with NIH on ‘Roadmap’ projects that are critical to the NIMH mission,” Kone said. “We consider it an honor for the university that he has accepted this responsibility.”

In the meantime, Dr. Mark S. Gold, psychiatry’s associate chairman for education and chief of addiction medicine, will serve as acting chairman of the department, Kone said.

“Dr. Gold has an outstanding record in the department’s academic missions and has been incredibly prolific and innovative in his work on addictions,” Kone said. “He has already been working extremely well with his faculty during this leadership transition to ensure the continued prosperity of the department.”

Gold is a College of Medicine alumnus, a distinguished professor of psychiatry, neuroscience, anesthesiology, and community health and family medicine and a member of the McKnight Brain Institute.

“Dr. Goodman is a pioneering researcher in many areas but most experts would link his work to the definition of obsessive-compulsive disease and the development of treatment strategies,” Gold said. “He is naturally the best person to help the NIMH develop a viable translational effort in the brain-behavioral sciences and treatment development.”

During the transition, Gold will focus on building the psychiatry department’s strengths.

“All of the division chiefs and many other faculty members could be chairs here at UF or elsewhere,” Gold said. “We are all working together to continue the growth in funded research and momentum in delivery of the best services in Florida, if not the United States, but also counting the days until June of 2008 when Dr. Goodman returns on a full-time basis.”