A statement from Lieber Institute for Brain Development Director and CEO Dr. Daniel Weinberger on the passing of Dr. Herbert Pardes:
I am very sad to share the news that Dr. Herbert Pardes, founding chair of the Lieber Institute for Brain Development’s Board of Directors, passed away on April 30.
Dr. Pardes was a dear friend over many years, a colleague and an inspiring leader. I have had the inestimable good fortune of having worked with, learned from and followed Herbert Pardes, M.D. since I began as a medical staff fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), where he was director. He helped me in ways that go beyond any specific event. Dr. Pardes had a unique combination of wisdom, humor and compassion. He was a leader’s leader as Director of NIMH, then as Chair of Psychiatry at Columbia, and eventually as President of the New York Presbyterian Hospital system. In each of these positions, he was responsible for unprecedented success.
Dr. Pardes was an essential ally in the formative years of the Lieber Institute for Brain Development. He was at the table in our earliest planning meetings with the Lieber family and helped to navigate the complex path from concept to where we are now. From the very beginning of our Institute, Dr. Pardes partnered with our founders, our leadership and our scientists to accelerate our groundbreaking research in hopes of revealing the biological underpinnings of mental illness. His impact cannot be overstated. He will be deeply missed by all of us.
Dr. Pardes devoted his life to mental health research. He mentored gifted scientists to ensure a bright future for the field. He fostered growth in neuropsychiatric research to pave the way for new treatments to benefit patients and their families.
His legacy will live on in the work of our Institute, in the work of the many research institutions he supported, and in all those whose lives he touched through his long career.
We extend our deepest condolences to his beloved family as we grieve alongside them.
-DRW