About the Authors

Participant-Authors. All the participant-authors took part in a National Institute of Mental Health research project at Zucker Hillside Hospital, North Shore–Long Island Jewish Health System, to further the understanding of the first episode of schizophrenia. Their ages ranged from seventeen to thirty-nine. Some were in high school or college, while others had completed college or were working at the time of their first hospitalization. They were from many backgrounds, including Irish, Italian, Haitian, Puerto Rican, African American, Jewish, German, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Indian, Guyanese, and Jamaican.

Stephen Anderson, M.A. received his master’s in rehabilitation counseling from New York University. For thirty years he worked at Fountain House, a nonprofit organization in New York City. His contributions there were numerous, including developing programs for independent employment, education, and training on the principles of clubhouse models. He served on the faculty of the International Center for Clubhouse Development, where he also provided consulting services and certification. Mr. Anderson contributes to us his knowledge of the clubhouse.

Julia Becker, M.D. is currently assistant professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and is an attending psychiatrist at New York Presbyterian Hospital, White Plains, New York. She has a private practice in Forest Hills, New York. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington, and her postgraduate training at the University of Chicago and Zucker Hillside Hospital. She is the recipient of several awards, including the International Congress of Schizophrenia Young Investigator Award. She is Board certified in psychiatry, neurology, and forensic psychiatry. Dr. Becker’s work at Zucker Hillside Hospital included teaching, supervising, and lecturing medical students and residents. She also served as Medical Director of the RAP (Recognition and Prevention of Psychological Problems) Clinic and as an attending psychiatrist in the Zucker Hillside Hospital Research Department. Her research work and publications are in the areas of first-episode schizophrenia, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, early intervention studies, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mania and depression, and psychopharmacology.

Handan Gunduz-Bruce, M.D. received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Istanbul and her postgraduate training at the University of Istanbul, New York Medical College, and Zucker Hillside Hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is currently an attending psychiatrist in the Department of Psychiatry of Yale Medical School and the West Haven VA, and principal investigator of several studies researching the pathogenesis of schizophrenia using imaging and electrophysiological tools. During her tenure at Zucker Hillside Hospital, she served as the medical coordinator of the Neuroimaging Unit of the Mental Health Clinic Research Center and was also involved with several additional research studies, including the First Episode of Schizophrenia Studies.

Anil Malhotra, M.D. is Director of Psychiatry Research at the Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, New York and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM) in the Bronx, New York. Dr. Malhotra completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University in 1985 and received his M.D. from Wake Forest University in 1989. After residency training in psychiatry at Georgetown University, he completed a research fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Malhotra developed a research program in pharmacogenetics at the NIMH and was appointed the Chief of the Unit of Pharmacogenetics in the Experimental Therapeutics Branch in 1996. In 1998, Dr. Malhotra moved to the Zucker Hillside Hospital and AECOM to develop a molecular genetics program focused on the major neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Malhotra’s current research interests are the role of molecular factors in human cognition and the pharmacogenetics of antipsychotic drug response. He has conducted a series of studies implicating the glutamatergic N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in neurocognition, as well as molecular studies identifying key candidate genes for specific aspects of human cognition. His work in pharmacogenetics has primarily focused on variation in the neurotransmitter receptor genes and their relationship to clinical response to the atypical antipsychotic agent, clozapine. Dr. Malhotra has published more than seventy peer-reviewed papers in these areas as well as numerous review articles and book chapters. Dr. Malhotra receives grant support from the NIH, philanthropic foundations including the Stanley Foundation and the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders (NARSAD), and private industry.

Susanne Mars, C.R.C., L.M.H.C. received a master’s degree from New York University before beginning a long tenure with the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Department at Zucker Hillside Hospital. She began her work as a rehabilitation counselor with adults on inpatient units and in ambulatory care. She trained and supervised psychiatric rehabilitation staff and students and developed rehabilitation programs for all inpatient units, including specialty units such as first-episode schizophrenia, mentally ill chemical abusers, mentally retarded dual diagnosis, and dialectical behavioral treatment. She recently terminated her position at Zucker Hillside Hospital as manager of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services and devotes her professional time to her private practice in counseling and psychotherapy in Lakewood, New Jersey. Her credentials include licenses in mental health counseling (New York), professional counseling (New Jersey), and rehabilitation counseling (New Jersey). She recently completed advanced training in modern psychoanalysis at the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies in New York City. She has also written about psychiatric rehabilitation programming for polysubstance abuse treatment.

Susan E. Mason, M.S.S.W., Ph.D. graduated from the Columbia School of Social Work. She holds several additional degrees, including a Ph.D. in sociology and education from Columbia University, a master’s in health administration from New York University, and a certificate in psychoanalytic psychotherapy from the Washington Square Institute in New York City. Dr. Mason worked with people diagnosed with schizophrenia at Jacobi, Mount Sinai, and Zucker Hillside Hospitals. At Zucker Hillside Hospital she managed several clinical trials for psychotropic medications for schizophrenia. She is currently professor of social work at Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University and professor of sociology for the university’s college programs. She is the author of more than forty peer-reviewed journal articles, seven of which are coauthored with Rachel Miller on schizophrenia treatment. Dr. Mason is coeditor of Community Health Care in Cuba (2009), in which she has written chapters on mental health care for both adolescents and adults and on HIV interventions. She continues to conduct research and write extensively on the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.

Alan Mendelowitz, M.D. received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Rutgers Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, and his postgraduate training at Hillside Hospital. He has been adjunct professor in the Hunter College masters’ program in rehabilitation counseling and consulting psychiatrist for the Epilepsy Center at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. He is currently the Unit Chief of Low III at Hillside Hospital, with responsibility for residency training. In addition, he is an associate professor of psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York. Dr. Mendelowitz’s research interests center on relapse prevention in schizophrenia. His publications focus on antipsychotic and antidepressant medications, side effects, and schizophrenia. Dr. Mendelowitz has been honored as one of New York Magazine’s “Top Doctors in New York” and Castle Connolly’s “Top Physicians in the North East.”

Rachel Miller, M.S.W, Ph.D. earned her Master of Social Work degree and Ph.D. from Adelphi School of Social Work, Garden City, New York and a certificate in psychoanalytic psychotherapy from the New York School for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. She has extensive experience working with young people with schizophrenia, especially those experiencing the first episode of illness. Dr. Miller is a licensed clinical social worker who worked in inpatient and outpatient treatment for the Research Department of Zucker Hillside Hospital’s Continuous Care Team for first-episode patients for twelve years. Currently she is a research social worker at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Child Psychiatry Branch, where her work is focused on childhood-onset schizophrenia. She is a consultant for Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE), a large NIMH initiative to improve long-term outcomes. She has published and presented in the areas of phase-specific treatment, group modality, adherence to treatment, cannabis use, cognitive enhancement, integrated treatment, shame and guilt, faith and spirituality, and prevention of HIV, all as related to first-episode schizophrenia. Dr. Miller has been on the editorial board of SZ Magazine, previously Schizophrenia Digest, since 2003. She has consulted for pharmaceutical companies to provide consumer education materials. Prior to her career in social work, Dr. Miller worked as an educational writer.

Linda Porto, M.S.N., R.N.C.S., N.P.P. is a licensed nurse practitioner and registered professional nurse. She received her M.S.N. from Adelphi University, Garden City, New York and has a certificate in holistic nursing from New York College for Holistic Health, Education and Research. Over the years she provided psychiatric nursing services to adults and adolescents in inpatient and outpatient settings. Ms. Porto worked as a clinical interviewer and research nurse in the Department of Psychiatry Research at Zucker Hillside Hospital. Currently she is a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Family Continuity Inc. in Hyannis, Massachusetts, where she works with children, adolescents, and adults. Through her agency’s contract with the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services, she helps young people with substance abuse and mental health issues. She has coauthored several articles on schizophrenia and co-occurring syndromes.

Delbert G. Robinson, M.D. is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has been the principal investigator of National Institute of Mental Health–funded studies of the treatment of first-episode schizophrenia and also of methods to enhance antipsychotic medication adherence. His first-episode schizophrenia research has focused upon first-episode treatment response, relapse prevention, and recovery. He is one of the leading authorities on the pharmacotherapy for first-episode illness. He was a member of the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration from 2004 to 2008. In 2000 Dr. Robinson received the Exemplary Psychiatrists Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Nina R. Schooler, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the State University of New York in Brooklyn, New York, earned her doctorate in social psychology from Columbia University. A former member of the Psychopharmacologic Drug Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Schooler currently chairs one of the NIMH Data Safety Monitoring Boards and has served NIMH as a consultant in many other capacities. She was president of the Association for Clinical Psychosocial Research and the American Psychopathological Association, as well as a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Dr. Schooler has received the Gralnick Foundation High Point Hospital Award from the National Association of Health Services, the Alexander Gralnick Award from the American Psychological Foundation, and the Hogarty Excellence in Schizophrenia Award from the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to contributing to a number of textbook chapters on the evaluation of pharmacological treatments of schizophrenia, she has published her research findings on maintenance treatment, relapse, and rehospitalization and treatment of first-episode schizophrenia in academic journals.

Mary L. Trump, Ph.D., has a master’s in English literature from Columbia University, New York, and a master’s and Ph.D in psychology from Adelphi University, Garden City, New York. Ms. Trump worked closely with Rachel Miller during the preparation of the first edition of Diagnosis: Schizophrenia.

Research assistance was provided by Zalman Rothchild, M.A. He has a B.A. from Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York and an M.A. from Yeshiva University, New York, New York.