Donald Kornfeld
Encyclopedia
Donald S. Kornfeld, MD, is an American psychiatrist best known for his work on psychiatric issues associated with medical practice. This subspecialty if known as Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry or Psychosomatic Medicine
in 1954. He received his psychiatric training at the New York State Psychiatric Institute
/Presbyterian Hospital.
He served as Director of the Psychiatric Consultation/Liaison
Service at the Presbyterian Hospital from 1964–2000, and in 1986, in association with Richard Sloan, established the Behavioral Medicine Service.
He was appointed Associate Dean of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
in 1985, and served as Director of Continuing Medical Education from 1988-2009. He was Chairman of the Institutional Review Board at the New York State Psychiatric Institute from 1979 to 1985 and the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center from 1988 to 2001. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry.
His description of post-cardiotomy delirium and his subsequent work on the psychiatric impact of the intensive care environment led to the concept of “ICU psychosis.” This work created a greater awareness of the psychological impact of the ICU environment on patients and staff, focused attention on human needs, and influenced the architectural design of these units.
In 1971, Kornfeld, Richard Friedman, and JT Bigger demonstrated the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation on medical house officers. This led to a nationwide change in the scheduling of on-call duty from every other night to every third night.
A paper by Kornfeld and Harry D. Albert on patients’ threats to sign out of a general hospital against advice was the first publication to point out the complex array of motivations and circumstances which contribute to such problems.
Kornfeld and Stephan Levitan demonstrated that the presence of a psychiatrist on an orthopedic unit reduced length of hospital stay and increased the likelihood of patients returning to home. This paper was widely used to demonstrate the cost effectiveness of the liaison psychiatrist in the general hospital.
At a time when clinicians were being compelled to always be “truthful” with their patients, he pointed out the complexity of that principle in, “What Truth for Which Patient at What Time?”
Kornfeld initiated one of the first studies to utilize the denervated human heart, created at the time of cardiac transplantation, as the basis for the study of the psychophysiology of cardiac rhythm.
Kornfeld and Gerry Finkel co-edited the book, Psychiatric Management for Medical Practitioners (1982, Grune and Stratton). Kornfeld also contributed chapters to textbooks in general psychiatry, consultation liaison psychiatry, medicine, and surgery. He served on the editorial boards of the journals, General Hospital Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, and on the editorial boards of the Lippincott Textbook of Psychiatry; Medical Psychiatric Practice, Textbook of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry ([APA] Press); and the Columbia University Electronic Textbook, Cardinal Topics in Medicine.
He was elected President of the American Psychosomatic Society; received the Hackett Award for his contributions to Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry from the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, and a Special Citation from the Society of Liaison Psychiatry. He served as Chairman of the Consultation/Liaison Committee of the American Psychiatric Association.
Education and career
Kornfeld received a BS, summa cum laude, from Franklin and Marshall College in 1946, and an MD, cum laude, from Yale School of MedicineYale School of Medicine
The Yale School of Medicine at Yale University is a private medical school located in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. It was founded in 1810 as The Medical Institution of Yale College, and formally opened its doors in 1813....
in 1954. He received his psychiatric training at the New York State Psychiatric Institute
New York State Psychiatric Institute
The New York State Psychiatric Institute, established in 1895 and located on Riverside Drive at the foot of Washington Heights, the far upper west side of Manhattan in New York City, was one of the first institutions in the United States to integrate teaching, research and therapeutic approaches to...
/Presbyterian Hospital.
He served as Director of the Psychiatric Consultation/Liaison
Liaison psychiatry
Liaison psychiatry, also known as consultative psychiatry or consultation-liaison psychiatry is the branch of psychiatry that specialises in the interface between medicine and psychiatry, usually taking place in a hospital or medical setting...
Service at the Presbyterian Hospital from 1964–2000, and in 1986, in association with Richard Sloan, established the Behavioral Medicine Service.
He was appointed Associate Dean of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
in 1985, and served as Director of Continuing Medical Education from 1988-2009. He was Chairman of the Institutional Review Board at the New York State Psychiatric Institute from 1979 to 1985 and the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center from 1988 to 2001. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry.
Research
Kornfeld’s research has concentrated on the interface between medicine and psychiatry, and often appears in medical and surgical journals.His description of post-cardiotomy delirium and his subsequent work on the psychiatric impact of the intensive care environment led to the concept of “ICU psychosis.” This work created a greater awareness of the psychological impact of the ICU environment on patients and staff, focused attention on human needs, and influenced the architectural design of these units.
In 1971, Kornfeld, Richard Friedman, and JT Bigger demonstrated the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation on medical house officers. This led to a nationwide change in the scheduling of on-call duty from every other night to every third night.
A paper by Kornfeld and Harry D. Albert on patients’ threats to sign out of a general hospital against advice was the first publication to point out the complex array of motivations and circumstances which contribute to such problems.
Kornfeld and Stephan Levitan demonstrated that the presence of a psychiatrist on an orthopedic unit reduced length of hospital stay and increased the likelihood of patients returning to home. This paper was widely used to demonstrate the cost effectiveness of the liaison psychiatrist in the general hospital.
At a time when clinicians were being compelled to always be “truthful” with their patients, he pointed out the complexity of that principle in, “What Truth for Which Patient at What Time?”
Kornfeld initiated one of the first studies to utilize the denervated human heart, created at the time of cardiac transplantation, as the basis for the study of the psychophysiology of cardiac rhythm.
Kornfeld and Gerry Finkel co-edited the book, Psychiatric Management for Medical Practitioners (1982, Grune and Stratton). Kornfeld also contributed chapters to textbooks in general psychiatry, consultation liaison psychiatry, medicine, and surgery. He served on the editorial boards of the journals, General Hospital Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, and on the editorial boards of the Lippincott Textbook of Psychiatry; Medical Psychiatric Practice, Textbook of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry ([APA] Press); and the Columbia University Electronic Textbook, Cardinal Topics in Medicine.
He was elected President of the American Psychosomatic Society; received the Hackett Award for his contributions to Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry from the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, and a Special Citation from the Society of Liaison Psychiatry. He served as Chairman of the Consultation/Liaison Committee of the American Psychiatric Association.
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...