Baron Avery Shopsin (1935–2017)

Baron had a varied educational experience in Europe and completed his medical degree at Louvain University in Belgium. He returned to the United States, and after some residency experience at Cornell he went to NYU to finish his residency experience.

He very quickly began a research track with our Psychopharmacology Research Group in 1970. He enthusiastically and energetically took to his research work and concentrated on a number of studies on lithium which was a key component of our program. He sought collaboration with other investigators in the department of medicine and carried out important studies on the effect of lithium treatment on thyroid function and unusual effect of lithium causing an increase in WBC counts.

Because he had developed a significant group of patients he followed on lithium, he established a special Lithium Clinic at NYU and ran it successfully for many years. He also was the co-author with me of the first text book on “Lithium treatment and research.” Throughout his whole time at NYU he was an active, creative, and energetic researcher in a wide range of areas of study on manic-depressive disorders, lithium pharmacology, and a wide variety of anti-depressants.

He left NYU and entered private practice in 1978. Dr. Shopsin was a Member Emeritus in the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). He joined ACNP in 1974.