Peter C. Whybrow
Encyclopedia
Peter C. Whybrow is an American psychiatrist and award-winning author whose primary research focus has been on understanding the metabolic role of thyroid
hormones in the adult brain
and how to apply this knowledge to the treatment of mood disorder
, especially manic depression. He is the Director of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
at the University of California, Los Angeles
, the Judson Braun Distinguished Professor and Executive Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine and CEO of the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA.
where he served as Chairman of Psychiatry and later as Executive Dean. He was subsequently the Ruth Meltzer Professor and Chairman of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania
before being recruited to UCLA in 1997.
Dr Whybrow is a founding member and Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists
, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, the American College of Psychiatrists
, and the American Psychiatric Association
.
, especially manic-depression. His extensive research has documented that some patients with affective illness may have a brain specific abnormality of thyroid metabolism that adversely modifies the expression of affective illness.
Dr Whybrow has pioneered the use of self-rating systems in mental illness together with Michael Bauer and Tasha Glenn. In the 1970s he developed the Chronorecord http://www.chronorecord.org/ which is an electronically based daily self-rating system through which patients may follow the course of their illness and recovery in accurate correlation with treatment intervention, thus facilitating long term therapeutic management. The Chronorecord has been translated into six languages and collaborative studies are ongoing in Germany, Canada, Australia and the UK.
In 2005, he was awarded Ken National Book Award by the National Alliance on Mental Illness
and the Gradiva Award in 2006 by the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis for his book American Mania. In 2008, he was awarded the Silver Ribbon Science Leadership Award by NARSAD
for his leadership and commitment in advancing research on mental illnesses.
Thyroid
The thyroid gland or simply, the thyroid , in vertebrate anatomy, is one of the largest endocrine glands. The thyroid gland is found in the neck, below the thyroid cartilage...
hormones in the adult brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
and how to apply this knowledge to the treatment of mood disorder
Mood disorder
Mood disorder is the term designating a group of diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classification system where a disturbance in the person's mood is hypothesized to be the main underlying feature...
, especially manic depression. He is the Director of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
The Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior is a research institute of the University of California Los Angeles . It includes a number of centers, including the "Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics", which uses DNA sequencing, gene expression studies, bioinformatics, and the genetic...
at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, the Judson Braun Distinguished Professor and Executive Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine and CEO of the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA.
Education and career
Dr. Whybrow received his training in endocrinology and psychiatry in London and North Carolina and was a member of the scientific staff of the British Medical Research Council before migrating to America to join the faculty of Dartmouth Medical SchoolDartmouth Medical School
Dartmouth Medical School is the medical school of Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. The fourth-oldest medical school in the United States, Dartmouth Medical School was founded in 1797 by New England physician Nathan Smith and grew steadily over the course...
where he served as Chairman of Psychiatry and later as Executive Dean. He was subsequently the Ruth Meltzer Professor and Chairman of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
before being recruited to UCLA in 1997.
Dr Whybrow is a founding member and Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists
Royal College of Psychiatrists
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom responsible for representing psychiatrists, psychiatric research and providing public information about mental health problems...
, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, the American College of Psychiatrists
American College of Psychiatrists
The American College of Psychiatrists is an association of psychiatrists based in Chicago. It operates annual meetings, publishes a newsletter, presents awards, and organizes the PRITE exam for psychiatric residents and the PIPE exam for practicing psychiatrists...
, and 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...
.
Academic contributions
Dr Whybrow’s primary research focus has been to improve the understanding of the metabolic role of thyroid hormones in the adult brain, and to apply that knowledge to investigation of the pathophysiology and clinical treatment of mood disorderMood disorder
Mood disorder is the term designating a group of diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classification system where a disturbance in the person's mood is hypothesized to be the main underlying feature...
, especially manic-depression. His extensive research has documented that some patients with affective illness may have a brain specific abnormality of thyroid metabolism that adversely modifies the expression of affective illness.
Dr Whybrow has pioneered the use of self-rating systems in mental illness together with Michael Bauer and Tasha Glenn. In the 1970s he developed the Chronorecord http://www.chronorecord.org/ which is an electronically based daily self-rating system through which patients may follow the course of their illness and recovery in accurate correlation with treatment intervention, thus facilitating long term therapeutic management. The Chronorecord has been translated into six languages and collaborative studies are ongoing in Germany, Canada, Australia and the UK.
In 2005, he was awarded Ken National Book Award by the National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Alliance on Mental Illness
The National Alliance on Mental Illness was founded in 1979 as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. NAMI is a nation-wide American advocacy group, representing families and people affected by mental illness as a non-profit grass roots organization and has affiliates in every American state...
and the Gradiva Award in 2006 by the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis for his book American Mania. In 2008, he was awarded the Silver Ribbon Science Leadership Award by NARSAD
NARSAD
NARSAD, or National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, is a private, not-for-profit public charity. It is the largest donor-supported organization that supports research on brain and behavior disorders...
for his leadership and commitment in advancing research on mental illnesses.