Frederick K. Goodwin

Frederick King Goodwin (born April 21, 1936)^[1] is an American psychiatrist and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center,^[2] where he is also director of the Center on Neuroscience, Medical Progress, and Society. He is a specialist in bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depressive illness) and recurrent depression.^[3]

Life and career [edit]

Goodwin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received B.S. from Georgetown University in 1958 and his M.D. from St. Louis University in 1963, and was a psychiatric resident at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In 1965, Goodwin joined the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and was its director from 1992 to 1994. Previously, he held a Presidential appointment as head of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration,^[4] served as NIMH Scientific Director and Chief of Intramural Research from 1981 to 1988. He was the first to report a controlled study on the effects of lithium in bipolar disorder.^[5][6]

He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences^[7] and a fellow of the ACNP. He is a founder of the journal Psychiatry Research, and on the editorial boards of a number of other journals. He was president of the Psychiatric Research Society, elected in 1998.^[8]

Goodwin is a recipient of the major research awards in his field including the Hofheimer Prize from the American Psychiatric Association, the International Anna-Monika Prize for Research in Depression, the Edward A. Strecker Award,^[9] the Nola Maddox Falcone Prize from NARSAD (now known as the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation),^[10] the McAlpin Research Award from the National Mental Health Association, the Distinguished Service Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the Research Award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He was the first recipient of the Psychiatrist of the Year from Psychiatric Times, and the Fawcett Humanitarian Award of the NDMDA (now the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. Goodwin was one of only five psychiatrists on the Current Contents list of the most frequently cited scientists in the world and one of 12 listed in The Best Doctors in the U.S.^[11]

The Infinite Mind [edit]

In addition to his work at the George Washington University Medical Center and his private practice, Goodwin hosted the award-winning radio show The Infinite Mind. Started in 1997, the show (which at its height aired on over 300 public radio stations throughout the country), won more than 30 journalism awards over 10 years and was considered “public radio’s most honored and listened to health and science program."

Since retiring from government, Goodwin has been actively involved in educating other psychiatrists through continuing medical education (CME) programs and pharmaceutical speakers' bureaus. An article in The New York Times (Nov. 21, 2008)^[12] implied that Goodwin's payments for his work with pharmaceutical companies represented a conflict of interest with his role as host of The Infinite Mind. In the Times article, Bill Lichtenstein, the senior executive producer of the show, claimed that Goodwin had not disclosed payments from pharmaceutical companies. However, Goodwin maintains that Lichtenstein was well aware of his speaking and consulting activities for pharmaceutical companies, which was the impetus for Goodwin's switch to guest host and Dr. Peter Kramer taking on hosting duties for the majority of shows (including those discussing psychopharmacological treatment) between 2005 and January 2008. An assistant producer of The Infinite Mind independently supported Goodwin's claim.^[13]

In 2008, Sen. Charles Grassley (IA-R) conducted investigations regarding possible conflicts of interest between various academic psychiatrists and pharmaceutical companies. Sen. Grassley found no impropriety regarding Goodwin. However, the Times article implied that Sen. Grassley uncovered some wrongdoing.^[12] Goodwin issued a statement that The New York Times article and the follow-up editorial were filled with misstatements of fact and false implications.^[14]

The Infinite Mind program, which was independently produced and distributed, was slated to end its production at the end of 2008 due to a lack of funding. Nevertheless, following the controversy, NPR cancelled the broadcast of reruns of the show on its Sirius Satellite Radio channel.^[11]

Awards [edit]

• Hofheimer Prize from the American Psychiatric Association
• International Anna-Monika Prize for Research in Depression
• Edward A. Strecker Award
• Falcone Prize from NARSAD
• McAlpin Research Award from the National Mental Health Association
• Distinguished Service Award from NAMI
• Research Award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• "Psychiatrist of the Year" from Psychiatric Times (first recipient)
• Fawcett Humanitarian Award from the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association (first recipient)
• A.E. Bennett Award from the Society of Biological Psychiatry
• Psychopharmacology Research Award from the American Psychological Association
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Review of Bipolar Disorders
• Public Service Award from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
• Hope Award from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

Publications [edit]

With Kay Redfield Jamison, Goodwin wrote Manic-Depressive Illness, the first psychiatric text to win the "Best Medical Book" award from the Association of American Publishers and Manic-Depressive Illness: Bipolar Disorders and Recurrent Depression. In addition, Dr. Goodwin has authored over 470 academic papers.

References [edit]