Herbert Pardes, M.D., ACNP Fellow Emeritus, died on April 30, 2024, at his home in New York City at the age of 89. He was accepted into ACNP membership in 1982. Between 1978 and 1984, during the presidential administrations of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, Dr. Pardes was Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the United States Assistant Surgeon General. He had the opportunity to head the nation’s mental health agency at a time when it was vital to define for the first time the true prevalence of mental illnesses in society; to understand the extent and impact of mental and physical comorbidities; and to respond to the looming crisis of those with severe and often untreated serious mental illness. He was also an enthusiastic supporter of research in a dawning era of biological psychiatry deeply informed by neuroscience.

Trained as a psychiatrist, Dr. Pardes served as President and Chief Executive Officer of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System from 2000 through 2011. Subsequently he was Executive Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the hospital. Under his leadership, New York-Presbyterian became one of the premier hospitals and comprehensive healthcare institutions in the United States.

He chaired psychiatry departments at Downstate (New York) Medical Center, the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Together with a small group of patient advocates and physicians, he founded the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), the funder of NARSAD Young Investigator, Independent Investigator, and Distinguished Investigator grants committed to promoting innovative research and improving the lives of people affected by mental illnesses. It was renamed the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) in 2011 to reflect his broader vision for mental health research. He was president of the BBRF Scientific Council from its inception in 1987 until his death 37 years later.

In 1989-90, Dr. Pardes was President of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). He served on some fifteen editorial boards and as board member and consultant to many not-for-profit organizations and committees. He served on commissions related to health policy appointed by Presidents George 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 also served as Chairman of the Greater New York Hospital Association, the Hospital Association of New York, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the New York Association of Medical Schools.

Dr. Pardes was an outspoken advocate for mental health, academic medicine, medical research, education, children, access to care, humanism and empathy in care delivery, and information and genomic technology in medicine.