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| | In Memory of Wayne S. Fenton, M.D. | | 2006-9-8 0:53:15 NIMH | 
Wayne S. Fenton, M.D., Director of the Division of Adult Translational Research and Associate Director for Clinical Affairs at the National Institute of Mental Health, died on Sunday, Sept 3, 2006, in Bethesda, MD. In addition to his work at NIMH, Dr. Fenton also maintained a private practice where he treated patients with the most serious mental illnesses. He was found dead in his office after seeing a patient in his private practice.
"It is difficult to grasp such a tragic, shocking loss," said Thomas Insel, M.D., NIMH director. "It is a profound loss not only for his many friends and family and for his colleagues at NIMH, but for people with serious mental illness everywhere."
A research psychiatrist, Dr. Fenton had been at NIMH since 1999, where he supervised the development of new diagnostic instruments and interventions for mental illnesses with an emphasis on severe disorders such as, schizophrenia. One of his primary initiatives was the establishment of standard outcome measures of cognitive ability for people with schizophrenia. This was part of a concentrated NIMH effort to develop new treatments to improve cognitive impairment for people with this most disabling mental illness, to enable them to live and work in the community.
Dr. Fenton authored textbook chapters and more than 50 scientific papers on diagnosis, treatment, outcome, and service delivery for schizophrenia. He also served as Deputy Editor of Schizophrenia Bulletin, and served as a consultant to the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. He was active in the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, serving on the Scientific Council of this advocacy organization.
As NIMHs liaison to the American Psychiatric Association and World Psychiatric Association, Dr. Fenton helped shape the research agenda for the forthcoming DSM-V diagnostic manual. He also worked to enhance training opportunities in patient-oriented research for psychiatrists, to develop and promote a neuroscience middle school curriculum, and to launch new NIMH treatment development initiatives.
Dr. Fenton previously directed research at Chestnut Lodge Hospital, Rockville, MD, where he also served as Medical Director. After earning a BA at Bard College and an M.D. at George Washington University, Dr. Fenton completed a psychiatric residency and fellowship in social and policy studies at Yale University. Throughout his professional career, he was known as a psychiatrist dedicated to caring for and advocating for the most severe mentally ill patients, often meeting them in their homes or halfway houses rather than his office. He received many national awards for his dedication to the treatment of schizophrenia, including regular recognition in the Best Doctors in America.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, September 7, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. at Congregation Har Shalom, 11510 Falls Road, Potomac, MD 20854. Memorial contributions may be made to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Montgomery County, 10730 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington, MD 20895.
In addition, a memorial service will be held to celebrate and acknowledge Wayne Fentons many contributions to improving the lives of those with mental illness. This event will be held on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 3:30 p.m. at Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Convention Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, North Bethesda, MD 20852.
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Ministry of Health, (2003) No.013
ICP:No.040657